"Would you like to find out for yourself, Emma?"
Fox Lian's voice was low and lazy, laced with a teasing allure. His violet eyes shimmered in the sunlight, unreadable and mesmerizing. He tilted his head slightly, revealing the graceful curve of his neck and the fox ear that twitched ever so faintly—offered to her without reservation.
Emma's mind went blank.
Find out? Find out what? Whether his ear was as soft as those calming fluff seeds?
She stared at the ear, so close, covered in fine silver fur. Her entire body flushed with heat, blood rushing to her face. Rationality screamed at her to flee, but a curiosity long suppressed began to unfurl—wild and insistent, wrapping around her like vines.
The world fell silent. She could hear the wind rustling through the leaves… and her own heartbeat pounding like a drum.
Fox Lian remained perfectly still, patiently waiting, as if no reaction she gave would surprise him. His fluffy tail lazily swept across the stone bench behind him, exuding effortless elegance.
Emma's fingers trembled. She remembered the soft touch of the fox brooch in her palm, the plush texture of the calming seeds, the whispered fantasies of classmates about his cloud-like tail… All her "research," all her "samples," seemed to converge on this one living source.
The fear was still there—like a thin layer of ice. But beneath it, something stronger stirred: a yearning.
She took a deep breath, as if stepping into forbidden territory. Then, under Fox Lian's amused gaze, she slowly—visibly trembling—raised her hand.
Her fingertip hovered in the air for a moment, then, with a reckless kind of courage, lightly brushed the tip of his twitching fox ear—like a feather drifting across silk.
The moment she touched him, Emma froze.
Soft.
Softer than the fluff seeds. Warmer than the fox brooch. Alive, pulsing with subtle energy. The fine fur glided across her skin, sending a delicate, spine-tingling sensation straight to her core.
It was exactly what she imagined—and yet completely different.
No surge of panic. No urge to flee. Instead, a strange shiver ran through her, like electricity, mingling novelty with a deep, inexplicable satisfaction.
Her fingertip lingered, gently stroking the ear's edge, savoring the exquisite texture.
Fox Lian's ear twitched under her touch, and a faint blush bloomed across its surface. His throat bobbed slightly, releasing a soft, nasal hum. Surprise flickered in his eyes—quickly replaced by a deeper, more indulgent smile.
Emma jerked her hand back as if burned, heart racing, face flushed so red it could drip. She couldn't meet his gaze. "S-sorry! That was… inappropriate!"
She practically leapt to her feet, abandoning her test paper and the vial of fluff seeds, and bolted—like a beast was chasing her.
Fox Lian watched her frantic retreat without moving. Slowly, he straightened and raised a hand to the ear she'd touched, brushing it lightly. It still held the faint chill of her fingers… and the cautious tenderness of her touch.
He chuckled softly, violet eyes gleaming like a sky full of stars.
"So… that's what it feels like," he murmured, voice tinged with quiet delight.
His divine classmate had finally crossed the line she'd drawn for herself. Just a fleeting touch, like a dragonfly skimming water—but it was enough.
Meanwhile, Emma slammed her dorm room door shut and leaned against it, gasping for breath. She lifted her "criminal" hand, staring at her fingertips. They still tingled with the warmth, softness, and living tremble of that fox ear.
And the fear? It hadn't come.
Instead, something far more complicated had taken its place—something that made her heart race and her thoughts spiral.
She… she had just touched that fox's ear.
And the worst part?
It felt… damn good.