Her Spirit Animal Is Fluffy

Less than a month after her newlywed wife died, the White Tower hurriedly arranged a new sentinel named Xiang Yun to fill Xu Xian's vacant post.

The young woman had spent her whole life in a contaminated zone. She was a low-ability C-rank sentinel, six years younger than Xu Xian. She was not only badly injured and suffering from amnesia, but had also had her head shaved for surgery.

Her spirit animal was even more ridiculous: a sickly cat with hardly any fur that refused to come out of her mental landscape.

What was so hard about raising a sentinel at home? Xu Xian was a guide, after all. This was what she did best. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

Two weeks later, Xiang Yun quietly took over the kitchen and started tossing food in the wok.

Four weeks later, Xiang Yun was doing all the housework.

Two months later, Xu Xian looked at Xiang Yun, who had grown a lot sturdier, and the robust feline at her feet. She began to suspect something was off.

Four months later, Xu Xian attended Xiang Yun's graduation ceremony at the sentinel academy. The S-rank sentinel before her presented her with the medal awarded to first place.

The young woman's eyes reddened as she asked pitifully, "Big sister, am I good enough to fight by your side now?"

"Big sister, am I good enough to be your real wife now?"

After Xiang Yun graduated at the top of her class from the sentinel academy, Xu Xian went to her dormitory to help pack her things, as the White Tower had requested.

As an S-rank sentinel, Xiang Yun had a single room. She didn't own much, and she was very neat. Besides the necessities, the room held only a scratching post and balls of yarn for her spirit animal.

Xu Xian was quite pleased with the young woman, until she accidentally opened the diary she'd tucked under her pillow.

The diary given to her by the sentinel academy was thick. Its pages were filled with drawings of Xu Xian's spirit animal, along with Xiang Yun's love for her, written in clumsy handwriting.

Xu Xian, in her olive-drab guide uniform, sat at the foot of the iron-framed bed with one leg crossed over the other.

Xiang Yun, in her brand-new sentinel uniform, knelt on the concrete floor and listened obediently to her scolding.

Xu Xian opened to the first page. "Her bird is as pretty as she is... My spirit animal is a falcon! You don't even know how to write the word 'falcon'?"

Xiang Yun blushed and explained, "You know that kids born in contaminated zones never go to school. I'm really not very good at writing."

Xu Xian felt a pang in her heart and kept reading. "She's pretty and smart. I wish she'd like a dummy like me (crossed out) a smart and handsome sentinel... You're complimenting yourself now?"

Xiang Yun blushed even more. "You called me smart a few days ago."

"What about handsome?"

"A student from the guide academy next door said I was handsome."

Xu Xian rolled her eyes at her and flipped straight to the last page of the diary. "I hate those sentinels who don't know how to keep their distance. Do they have nothing better to do? Why do they circle around her every day? Can't she only look at me? I really want to kneel before her..."

Xu Xian covered her mouth to censor herself, her face turning bright red. "No, wait, you little thing... You have a kink like this?"

[Switch]

[26 x 20]

[Peregrine falcon x cat / leopard]

Reading notes:

* No childbirth, no extra organs

* Based on the basic guide-sentinel setting, with some original worldbuilding (explained in the story, so don't worry about getting confused)

* Completely fictional setting

* A few male characters appear. Most are already dead when they show up, and the rest are on their way to the grave.

Theme: Uncover the truth behind the incident