The news of Emma and Fox Lian becoming a couple swept through All-Race Academy like a storm.
Shock, envy, admiration—every kind of gaze followed them. But at the eye of the storm, the two seemed untouched, lost in a world of their own.
The most noticeable change? Fox Lian's iconic fluffy accessories—once the object of countless classmates' obsession—vanished overnight. In their place was his truest form: twitching fox ears and a soft, silver tail that no longer served as mere decoration, but as a private, intimate bridge between him and Emma.
"Lord Fox Lian," a bold avian girl stopped him after class, cheeks flushed. "You… you're not wearing your pompom today?"
Fox Lian glanced at her with polite detachment. "No."
"Why not?" she pressed. "It really suits you—"
"Because," a cool voice cut in.
Emma had appeared beside him without anyone noticing. She reached out and casually brushed the tip of his tail with her fingers, her tone calm and even. "He doesn't need those anymore."
The moment she touched him, Fox Lian's tail curled happily around her wrist, as if claiming her in return.
The avian girl stared, stunned. The famously aloof goddess Emma was casually stroking the tail that no one had ever dared to touch—and Fox Lian wasn't just allowing it. His violet eyes shimmered with indulgent warmth.
The girl's face paled. She stammered, "S-sorry to bother you," and fled.
Emma raised an eyebrow as she watched her retreat. She withdrew her hand, but Fox Lian pulled her closer, his tail still wrapped possessively around her wrist.
"Jealous?" he asked softly, clearly amused.
Emma turned her face away. "No." Just staking my claim, she added silently.
Since their relationship began, Emma had discovered she now possessed full, exclusive access to Fox Lian's "fluff." And with that exclusivity came a subtle, irrational irritation at the mere thought of anyone else touching his ears or tail.
Fox Lian, of course, adored this hidden possessiveness. He delighted in showing off his "belongings" to her and welcomed her "research" in all its forms.
During rune literature class, Emma would absentmindedly twirl the tip of his tail hanging beside her chair. The soft, silky texture helped her concentrate. Fox Lian let her play with it freely—even when she tugged a little too hard, he merely glanced at her indulgently, tail still obediently in her grasp.
In the library, when Emma grew tired of reading, she'd lean against his shoulder for a nap. Fox Lian would adjust his posture to make her more comfortable, his tail draping over her lap like a warm, fluffy blanket. Sometimes, as he turned a page, his tail would brush her cheek, tickling her gently. Half-asleep, Emma would swat it away like a fly and mumble, "Quit it…" Fox Lian would chuckle softly, tail settling down, his violet eyes brimming with affection.
What truly stunned their classmates was the sight of the famously aloof Fox Lian napping in the garden—his head resting on Emma's lap. One of her hands flipped through a book, while the other absentmindedly combed through his relaxed, defenseless fox ears. His legendary "do-not-touch" tail was curled snugly around her waist, its tip swaying contentedly with her strokes.
This wasn't the cold, untouchable heartthrob they knew. This was a thoroughly domesticated, oversized fluffy pet.
After a few days of rage and emotional overeating, Gu Liang finally came to terms with reality. Mostly because… she realized that the way Fox Lian acted around Emma was completely different. That natural intimacy and indulgence—she had never received it, nor could she even imagine it.
"Forget it," Gu Liang sighed, gnawing on a spirit fruit as she watched Fox Lian let Emma tie a ribbon in his hair. "You can't force a peach to ripen. And besides…" She paused, her tone complicated. "Look at him now. Where's the 'noble prince' act? I can't even look."
Her friends nodded solemnly in agreement.
At that moment, Emma was carefully tying a ribbon into Fox Lian's hair—one she had woven herself with strands of silver fluff. It had become her new hobby: crafting accessories with her own hands, embedding them with her personal touch.
Once she finished, she gave his ear a gentle rub and asked, "What do you want for dinner?"
Fox Lian looked up at her, her reflection shining in his violet eyes. His tail wrapped lightly around her waist, his voice soft with trust.
"Anything you make."
Emma gazed at him—so open, so trusting—and her heart melted. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Okay."
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, bathing the two of them in warmth and quiet. What once terrified her had become the softest, safest place in her world.
As for Gu Liang's vow to find a soulmate "a thousand times hotter than Fox Lian"…
Rumor has it she's been frequenting the merfolk lectures by the sea lately.