CHAPTER 18: ICE CREAM!

"Okay, okay~!"

Emilia chuckled, taking another spoon and scooping up a small portion of white ice cream, holding it out in front of Mimi’s face.

Mimi leaned forward, nose twitching, whiskers quivering. The cold, milky scent tickled her senses.

Woah!

As a cat, her sense of smell was way sharper now! The aroma of milk was absolutely heavenly!

She couldn’t wait to taste it.

So, Mimi stuck out her tongue and took a delicate lick.

Lick~

Lick~

Ooh?

Oooh?!

Emilia tilted her head, watching with an amused smile.

"Hehe, how’s the ice cream? It’s so good, right?!"

"Mreow?!"

Mimi tilted her head, a little confused. Sure, the vanilla ice cream was cold, creamy, and had a perfectly smooth texture. It was absolutely flawless in that regard.

But...at the same time, something was wrong.

Not bad wrong, but weird.

Mimi’s brain struggled to process it. This taste, this information... where was the sweetness? The sugar? The blissful, sweet flavor that ice cream was supposed to have?

There was none!

Her gaze sharpened, and she turned to glare at Lina, who had just returned to the room after taking that disaster of a meal earlier out to the garbage.

Did this maid seriously forget the sugar?!

"Meow??"

Explain yourself, maid girl!

Meanwhile, Emilia took a big bite of her own.

"Mmm! So good!" she said with a bright smile.

Mimi’s pupils shrank.

Huh?!

Impossible!!!

There was no sweetness—none at all—yet Emilia still enjoyed it?

What kind of sorcery is this?!

Determined to confirm, Mimi licked her spoonful again.

However... nope!

Same result. Just like drinking milk straight from the cow’s fridge!

She was so confused!

Slowly, she looked at Emilia with worried eyes.

Master... you’re... a little broken, aren’t you?

Who on earth enjoys sugar-free ice cream? Are you perhaps on a no sugar diet, trying to lose weight right now?

But then, suddenly, Emilia turned to the blonde maid.

"Lina, you put extra sugar in this today, right? It’s even sweeter than usual!"

"Ah, yes," Lina replied with a smile. "I added more, just as you requested. So, how is it?"

"It’s WONDERFUL! Lina, it’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had!"

...

WHATTTT??!

Hearing that, Mimi’s brain now short-circuited!

And that’s when she remembered.

Oh fuck...

FUUCCCKK!!!!

She’s a cat now!

And CAT CAN’T TASTE SWEETNESS!

NYOOOOOOOOO!!!

Her ears flattened! Her tail puffed, as the horrifying truth settled in!

She screamed in pain! Then once again, flopped onto the table, legs twitching in dramatic agony!

COME ON! THIS IS NOT FAIR!

She cursed at the Universe, at the Gods who made cats!

Because they gave humans sweetness sense, they gave dogs sweetness sense.

But not cats?! How?! HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?!

Oh, poor Mimi...

As the cruel truth sank in, she realized she would never again be able to enjoy ice cream... or candies... or cookies... or cheesecakes... ever again.

This was a cat-tastrophe of cosmic proportions... haiyaaa...

Tears welled in her eyes as she stared blankly up at the white ceiling.

It took her several long, soul-crushing minutes to recover from this devastating revelation.

...

Anyway... it is what it is. That’s the price of being a cat... I guess?

Mimi thought bitterly, letting out a long, tragic sigh through her tiny mouth.

Still... she was curious.

If I can’t taste sweet... then what about chocolate? Can I taste chocolate at least? It would just be like dark chocolate, right?

I actually like dark chocolate... so maybe it’ll be good.

Determined, she plopped back up, her soft paws pattering across the table as she waddled toward the glass again. She pointed a paw at the chocolate ice cream, eyes shimmering with a desperate spark of hope.

But just as she leaned in—

"NO! MIMI!" Emilia snatched the glass away in a flash. "You are a cat! You cannot eat chocolate!"

Mimi froze mid-step.

Her tail stiffened.

Her pupils shrank into tiny dots.

Oh...

Fuuuuuuck.

Another reality slammed into her like a truck.

Right... chocolate is lethal for cats.

Just one bite, and her tiny feline liver would be wrecked beyond repair...

NOOOOOOO!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

...

And so...

Mimi’s soul died that day.

Goodbye, sweet.

Goodbye, chocolate...

I will forever miss you.

While her master enjoyed the ice cream to her heart’s content, Mimi simply lay there motionless on the table, her tiny body curled up like a wilted leaf.