Chapter 25: Girls Who Aren't Ordinary
The train slowly pulled out of the station, heading toward New York.
Across the aisle, Gwen and Kara sat with one empty seat between them, their eyes locked in a silent clash filled with subtle hostility.
Seated between them, Xi Nian was completely oblivious. He rested his backpack on his knees. With the zipper slightly open, a small orange head poked out.
"A kitten?" Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "Xi Nian, when did you start raising a cat? And it's even an orange tabby."
"His name is Xiao Huang. I found him in the park yesterday. Since my aunt went out, I thought it'd be better to bring her with me," Xi Nian explained as he gently rubbed the soft chin of the orange creature with his thumb. Xiao Huang tilted her head, showing a blissful expression.
"I always wanted to adopt a kitten," Gwen said, her bright eyes sparkling.
After all, who could resist something this cute?
But Kara, sitting nearby, had a different reaction. From the moment she laid eyes on Xiao Huang, her gem-like blue eyes revealed something unusual.
"Let me hold him." Gwen stretched her hand toward the orange kitten. But before she could touch him, Xiao Huang's fur suddenly stood on end. He darted back into Xi Nian's backpack. From the darkness behind the zipper, a pair of eerie slit-pupiled beast eyes glowed with a faint green light.
Gwen froze, pulling her hand back instinctively. The fine hairs on her skin bristled like a wild animal sensing danger.
Clearly, both girl and creature had been startled.
Xi Nian, being just an ordinary human, noticed nothing strange.
"Don't be scared. She's my friend." Xi Nian scolded Xiao Huang gently, then smiled at Gwen. "Don't mind her. She's just really guarded. Right now, besides me, she won't even let my aunt touch him."
"I-It's fine, I'm fine." Gwen shook her head, though her eyes lingered on the backpack, filled with wariness and shock.
Her spider-sense had gone off just now. For a split second, she felt as if she were about to be devoured alive.
Was that really just an illusion?
"I'll take Xiao Huang to the restroom for some water. She gets irritable when she's thirsty." Xi Nian stood up and walked away with the backpack.
As his figure disappeared into the train restroom, Gwen shifted her focus from the kitten to the girl quietly sitting nearby. Her tone sharpened. "Alright, tell me. What's your real purpose?"
"My purpose? What do you mean, senior?"
Sunlight streamed through the window, shining on Kara's golden-brown hair, turning it into a platinum halo. With her bright youthful face, she looked the picture of innocence as she asked curiously, "If I say I just want to date Xi Nian, does that count as a purpose?"
"You shameless—!" Gwen's cheeks flushed red, but she quickly lowered her voice. "Don't try to fool me. You clearly…"
"Gwen-senpai," Kara narrowed her eyes slightly, speaking frankly, "you're not an ordinary person either, are you?"
"So what if I'm not?" Gwen admitted without hesitation.
From the moment she first saw Kara at school, Gwen had felt an overwhelming sense of danger unlike anything before.
This wasn't just a rival-in-love kind of threat. It was deeper—so intense that it made her body tremble even more than when she faced the monstrous Abomination.
"Whatever your motive is, you can come at me directly. But Xi Nian is just an ordinary boy. Leave him out of this!" Gwen clenched her fists, ready to fight at any moment.
Kara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke seriously. "Senpai, I'm very normal when it comes to my type. I'm not interested in you. As for Xi Nian, since someone like you—who's also not ordinary—can be his friend, why can't I hope to be his girlfriend someday?"
It almost made sense.
Gwen's brows twitched. She realized Kara wasn't easy to deal with, but at least she didn't seem to have malicious intent toward Xi Nian.
Thinking back to earlier, Gwen asked, "That cat—what do you think it is?"
"That's no ordinary cat," Kara said firmly. "No, that thing only looks like a cat. On the inside, it has nothing in common with Earth's feline species."
Resting her chin on her hand, Kara thought aloud. "It's the first time I've seen such a creature. Its bones and organs are structured in a bizarre way… like a small, mobile black hole."
"What? Then isn't Xi Nian in danger being alone with it?" Gwen shot up from her seat, staring anxiously at the quiet restroom door.
"Don't worry, senpai." Kara blinked and glanced at the metal door. "I've been watching the whole time. With Xi Nian, that creature is completely docile, no different from an ordinary kitten."
"You—you can see through walls?" Gwen turned to her in shock. She remembered Kara's earlier analysis of the creature's insides. If she couldn't see through, how else could she know?
So that was how Kara figured out Gwen wasn't normal either.
"Of course." Kara nodded casually, pointing at the restroom. "Right now, Xi Nian is in there…"
"Shut your eyes! Don't you dare peek at him!" Gwen's face flushed bright red. She reached out and covered Kara's eyes with her hand.
Kara reflexively pushed her back with a light touch.
But with a loud thud, Gwen crashed into the seat behind her, eyes wide in disbelief.
How could such slender arms hold such terrifying strength?
Kara panicked, quickly apologizing. "I'm sorry, senpai! I didn't mean it. I wasn't controlling my strength properly."
"Lucky for you it was me," Gwen muttered, brushing dust off her clothes as she stood up unharmed.
Moments later, Xi Nian returned with his backpack, looking confused at the sight of Gwen and Kara facing each other like they had just been tussling.
The way these two girls got along seemed… strangely better than he expected.
But as soon as he sat down, both Gwen and Kara composed themselves. They sat calmly, one like a cold and elegant upperclasswoman, the other like a sweet girl-next-door.
Xi Nian blinked in confusion.
Wait—why was the back of the chair in front of him dented?
Regardless, the train sped onward, carrying them closer and closer to their destination—New York.
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