Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 62: Eris’ feeling

The creak of the door shatters the heavy stillness of the room, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts.

It's Eris.

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She's here!

I bolt upright, like a startled weasel scrambling out of its burrow, my tail stands straight up. Every muscle in my body locks up, stiff as stone, and for a terrifying second, I swear I've forgotten how to breathe.

Calm down, Felicia. Just calm down!

I chant internally, desperate for composure. But my heart doesn't care— it jolts violently, thudding against my chest like a drumbeat gone wild.

Grasping at fraying threads of control, I force out a shaky question. "H-how is everything going?" My voice cracks, betraying the nerves I wish I could hide.

Eris leans casually against the wall, exhaling a long, weary sigh.

"Just as I thought," she says grimly. "They were members of the Crimson Order. We couldn't extract any information. Their souls have already been tampered with, and all their memories erased."

Her words land heavily, sinking into me like stones in water. My ears flatten, disappointment pressing my shoulders down.

"I-I see…" I murmur weakly.

I had hoped—hoped—that Eris would uncover something useful, something that she and the Guildmaster could use to bring down that corrupt organization and free Mistvale from its shadowy grip. Maybe even make life a little safer for Furrens like me.

But seems like… reality rarely grants miracles.

"I'm sorry," I stammer, unsure what else to say.

Eris's gaze sharpens. "Hey, what are you sorry for?"

Her tone catches me off guard.

"And anyway," she continues, "we failed to extract information with necromancy, sure—but we did confirm they're Crimson Order." Her lips curl into a smile. "They still had the tattoos. Plus, a few of those guys were already on the Kingdom's wanted list."

"Oh!" Relief floods through me, loosening the knot of tension in my chest. "That's good, right?"

"Exactly. Now no one can question why we had to kill them. It was clearly self-defense."

That's very good indeed. At least there's some justification now—something tangible to protect us from accusations.

"And don't worry," Eris adds, her voice steady and reassuring, "there are still other ways to get information outside of necromancy. Like investigating the black market—tracing where they get their weapons or their fake IDs."

"Nn." I nod, feeling lighter. "That makes sense."

Eris's serious expression softens slightly.

Then, suddenly, as if flipping a switch, she takes a small step forward. Her eyes flicker uncertainly, darting around the room. Her fingers absently twist a strand of hair.

"S-so, um… a-about what you said earlier…" Eris's voice wavers, softer than before.

"Eh?"

…

Badump.

BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP!

Her words catch me completely off guard again, sending my heart into an uncontrollable frenzy. Warmth surges to my cheeks, burning like fire.

"W-what thing? Heh… hehehe…" I stammer, forcing out a nervous laugh that sounds far too awkward to be natural. My eyes dart everywhere but to her face.

I'm a mess.

"About… you liking me." Eris replies.

"A-a-ahaha… S-so you heard that?" I stammer, laughing even more awkwardly like an absolute idiot.

"Yes," she replies simply again.

Meanwhile, my mind spirals into utter chaos.

AAAAA!!! Damn it, Felicia, stop laughing like an idiot! You're making this so much worse!!!

But before I can dig myself any deeper into this hole, Eris steps closer.

Then, without warning—

She pushes me back.

And now…

I'm pinned on the bed.

Her body hovers above mine, warm and dangerously close. I can barely breathe.

"E-EH?!" I yelp, my mind short-circuiting.

"Felicia," Eris breathes, calling my name, her voice low and serious, her deep blue eyes now gather all of my attention.

And then, three simple words escape her lips, yet like thunder that shakes my entire world.

"I like you."

"A-as a friend… right?" I blurt out pathetically, my voice cracking.

…

AAAAA!!!

DAMN IIIITTTT!!!!

Oh. my. freaking. god.

I can't understand it. What the hell is happening?!!

Why am I like this?! WHAT ARE THESE SAD ANSWERS?!

"No, silly," Eris lets out a soft, amused chuckle. Her expression shifts, turning more earnest.

"More than a friend. More… intimate than that."

I open my mouth to respond, but she places a finger gently over my lips, silencing me.

"Can you hear it?" she whispers.

"H-huh?"

"Listen."

Well, if she says so…

I do as she says, forcing myself to focus.

At first, there's only the faint whoosh of wind from outside the window.

Then I hear it—clear and steady beneath the quiet, growing louder and louder.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump!

Ba-dump. Ba-dump! Ba-dump. Ba-dump! Ba-dump. Ba-dump!

The sound of heartbeats.

Mine thuds erratically, fast and chaotic—

But there's another one.

Eris's heart.

It's pounding just as fiercely.

"And in case you're not used to your catgirl senses yet…" she says softly, taking my hand in hers.

Before I can react, she guides it to her chest.

Soft.

Soft warmth presses against my palm.

My brain practically explodes.

AAAAAA!!! I'm TOUCHING HER CHEST?!

But then—

I feel it.

Her heartbeat, wild and relentless, thundering even louder than mine.

"This," Eris whispers, "is how much I like you, Felicia."

My breath catches.

I'm stunned speechless.

So… it's true…

Eris…

She likes me too!!!

"Ever since I met you," she continues, "I couldn't take my eyes off you. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen. The silliest. The kindest. Felicia, can't you see? You are driving me crazy."

Her words are giving me so many butterflies in my stomach right now.

However…

I still have mixed feelings about this.

"B-but…" My voice wavers. "I-I used to be a man…"

"So what?" Eris says firmly. "Aren't you a woman now? That doesn't matter to me."

"A-and… I'm not even the real Felicia," I choke out. "I'm just… some random soul living inside her."

Right.

This is the ugly truth, and Eris must have forgotten it.

This beautiful body isn't mine.

The Felicia that Eris likes… she's not me.

She never could be.

The real me wouldn't even deserve a flicker of her attention.