Beauty And Beast

Ren appeared inside his hospital room and collapsed on the bed along with his system. His sweaty shirt clung uncomfortably to his back, sending a cold shiver down his spine.

For a moment, Ren feared he was going to be captured. When Ren was on earth, he did encounter some perverts. To escape such things, he started running every day. Who would have thought that his new body, albeit slender, still held the same stamina? 

Ren embraced the furball lying beside him, exhaling a sigh of relief. At least they had returned safely. Once his breathing steadied, Ren glanced down at his shoe.

"Aren't we like the heroes who fight against evil?"

Ren mused aloud. The system, having finally stabilized its data, turned to Ren, its whiskers trembling slightly. 

"Do you want to fight Silvia? She can kill you with a single punch."

Ren's mind flashed back to his first encounter with teacher Silvia Yarx. How the gentle lady fretted over his well-being. For a moment, Ren forgot that humans cannot be so easily trusted. This wasn't the first time Ren has felt like this. It was precisely why he tended to avoid people whenever possible.

Though divorced, his parents would send him enough money every month. Maybe it was out of guilt, or they didn't want him to bother them at all. So, Ren never approached them.

Anyway, he was a little rich kid. With the support of his loving grandmother by his side, he could have easily stayed in the comfort of his home. If it wasn't for Rummi being his neighbor and dragging him to school with her, he might as well have picked the homeschool option.

Dragging his mind back to the present situation. Ren picked up his shoe and noticed something muddy stuck to his shoe with a tiny red spot. If it wasn't for the notification, Ren might have overlooked such a crucial clue. 

"Let me scan it," the system urged eagerly, itching to uncover the clues. After all, this was the first time the Goodwill Operating Web Domain system had a chance to show its capabilities to the fullest. With the nod from Ren, a blue light covered Ren's shoe. 

While the system was doing the necessary tests, Ren grabbed a bottle from the small table.

The cool, refreshing liquid wetted his dry throat, and he finally felt alive. He needs to take a bath and change his clothes clinging to his body. Thankfully, the hospital provided him with an extra change of clothes. Ren picked up the clothes which were a simple blue shirt and matching pants. 

"Little god, do you want to take a bath with me?" 

The system's eyes were glued to the various data flashing on the screen. It didn't even bother to look at Ren. 

"No. Give me the brain transplant chip."

Ren almost forget about that! 

He hurriedly rummaged through his pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the chip was still with him. Given the haste with which he had fled, he might have lost this tiny chip on his way back.

After tossing the chip to the busy system, Ren went to the attached bathroom to take a shower. He desperately wants to take a proper bath; however, a beggar can't be a chooser. Ren has to make do with just a shower. He was practically living on Silvia Yarx's donation, or should he say he was at the mercy of the suspect. 

The water drops fell on his body, sliding from his fair face to his flat stomach along with his slender limbs to his well-defined ankles. The cool water refreshed his body. 

Ren absentmindedly wiped himself down and quickly got dressed, his mind still engulfed with the earlier incident. A few things were bugging his mind.

Firstly- Was Silvia Yarx, a respected teacher at the prestigious academy, really a killer? However, with the occurrences of murders and the bodies being strategically placed around the academy, it was sure that someone dragged the bodies and threw them around the academy. It was almost as if someone was deliberately putting the academy at the center of the storm.

If Silvia was the person they were looking for, then there should have been a notification of mission completion. At the same time, it didn't rule out the possibility of Silvia having other companions like the one she was talking to on her communicator. 

The cub appeared and landed on Ren's shoulder. The sudden weight on him made Ren aware of the fact, that the cub seemed to be a bit heavier.

The system excitedly told Ren about its discovery.

"Look Ren, I found out that this blood sample belonged to the second victim, that social media influencer one."

Ren picked the cub from his shoulder and held him in his arms. 

"Oh, I thought it might belong to the third kid. The kid from the academy. Well, Is there anything strange in his blood? Like some sort of drug or something that can make them unconscious?"

The corpses were in a bad condition, and there was not a single trace of the fight. The only possible thing was to look for the drug to make someone unconscious. Who knows, they might be able to find something from the type of chemicals used and such. However, Ren's hopes for further clues were dashed, when the cub shook its fury head in denial.

The cub found the most comfortable position on the slightly cool yet warm body and continued to tell the analysis.

"There were no such things. The blood was pretty normal. Ah, But I did find out that the owner seemed to be in an evolution period. She was supposed to evolve into B physique from B-."

Was Silvia talking about this person on the phone? She did say something about evolution. Or was it that the person in question was already an evolved human? 

Ren shook his head ruefully. He can't find answers to these questions for now. 

"What about that chip?"

This time, the excited cub turned serious, "That chip was used to implant in the brains of patients who couldn't utilize their neurons. To make those humans able to use their bodies like normal people, this chip was implanted at the junction of the brain and spinal cord. It works on the principle of-"

"Whoa, there. Hold on." Ren fell on his comfy bed with his system lying on his chest. The cub silently stared at the forlorn expression of its host. 

The cub's ear twitched slightly, and sure enough, Ren's answer was within the cub's regretful prediction.

"You do remember that I am from a different background. I do understand that neurons help your body move or something, but please, don't force science classes on me!"

What could this pitiful Smart A.I. cub do? It can only tell Ren about the important bits. 

"The people who used that chip ended up with brain fog. Their minds weren't clear enough, and slowly they ended up losing their minds one after another. After that, this chip implantation was banned."

Ren turned around and hugged the fluffy, warm creature in his embrace.

"How long has it been till then?"

The cub tried to hide but, still couldn't get rid of the sinful hand that was touching its almighty body here and there.

"It's been 87 years. Stop t-~purr~touching me! ~purrrr~"

However, Ren's hand gently still slid down the soft body. 

"So, now we have a brain chip that makes people go crazy and the blood of a social media influencer. As for the culprit, Silvia and her partner are suspicious but... we don't have any concrete proof."

The cub stopped resisting, not that it was of any use in the first place. The oceanic blue eyes narrowed in comfort as it resumed the conversation, "Hmm, That's true. We still have two more days to find the killer. Do you want to visit the academy tomorrow?"

The cub felt the slight fear resonating through their mutual connection. It sighed and wrapped its almighty body around Ren's arm. Ren was a person who avoided trouble as long as he could. This time he was dragged into such a scary environment and was practically forced to do things for society's wellness.

"Baby, I am afraid..."

The cub silently thought that it was alright if they couldn't find the culprit. At most, they will be assigned two new missions instead of the current one. The possibility of getting the same type of mission is one in a hundred. They are sure to get the easy ones. It looked at Ren and remembered its host's luck. 

The system, "..." 

Maybe they will get at least one easy mission, right?

The system was about to comfort Ren when it heard the low voice ringing in its ears.

"What if I lose Silver Beauty? Ah! My first love became a killer, and I couldn't save her! What a touching love story of a detective and a criminal or beauty and beast?"

The system, "..."

"Say, Little god, should we play pitiful card, and get some money from her before she goes to jail?"

The system, "..." 

My innocent host who loves to do charity, is thinking about seducing someone for money. Is it really fine? Did the transmigration take a toll on his mind?

Looking at the speechless expression of the cub, Ren burst out laughing.

The rumbling chest soothed the cub's exploded fur.

"We will go there and investigate the places where the bodies were found. Okay?"

What can the little system do? It twisted its butt and refused to look at Ren. However, it still stayed in Ren's arms.

At that moment, all the agitation stirred by 'bad' human interactions melted away from Ren's heart. Just like that, one cub and one human went to sleep holding each other.