Maya and Chloe went to the castle to tell Ari and Anna about what was currently going on. Or rather, giving them a rough overview as there was just no way they could tell them everything. Naturally, the couple was quite surprised by the sudden appearance of Sophia's sister. Still, the jaguar was most concerned that Steph seemed to be another common-sense-less individual that could potentially destroy the world if not watching out, just like her bigger sister.

While that was going on, Steph was finally getting her first small adventure while the sisters explored the capital together.

“I had no idea the place we were staying in was this huge!” The two had just left the mansion, and the dog-girl was still staring at their home. "It felt big inside, but not that much!”

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” The tiger smiled at her. “It even has a stable in the back garden.”

“S-Seriously?!”

“No horses, though.”

“Aww…” She looked honestly disappointed. “Too bad!”

“Well, horses aren’t exactly easy to keep. We also don’t really need them. You don’t know it yet, but thanks to the magic strengthening our body, we’re significantly faster than horses. We have more endurance, as well.”

“F-For real?”

“Yup!”

“W-Wow…” Steph needed to let that sink in first. “Still, horses would be cute!”

“Very true.” The tiger nodded a few times. “On the other hand, I’m friends with two wolves that can grow over three meters tall and are cool with riding on them. Not to mention that they speak our language. Slightly beats a horse in my opinion.”

“It’s a little difficult to believe such tall wolves being a thing, but if it’s actually true, yeah, that is an adequate replacement for horses.”

“Yeah, this world is a little unbelievable at times. Then again, when Maya ended up in our old world, she had to deal with a much bigger shock.”

“I can see that!” The violet-haired girl could see the issue. “Right now, this place just looks like a remote, but very fancy area… All those old-school mansions that look in pristine condition, no signs of electricity or cars and the like. Very weird, but also really refreshing in a way." She seemed to like it. "Speaking of refreshing, the air here feels amazing!”

“That’s what the lack of excessive pollution does to you. Environmental destruction of that kind isn't a thing here. Like, at all. Also, once you exit the capital, there’s only green as far as the eye reaches.”

“It’s hard to even imagine that!”

“I know, right? You should’ve heard Maya roasting the humans when I told her what we’re doing in that world… Ignoring the part where I only mentioned a fraction of our endless stupidity.”

“It has to be unbelievable for outsiders.” Steph awkwardly scratched her cheek. “To be fair, though, there weren't any alternatives for the longest time. It also helped us to develop in an amazing way and all that. I mean, seriously, the stuff we came up with is beyond impressive. It’s just that humans have no understanding of the concept of modesty. Most of them don’t know when to stop…”

“Unfortunately. I guess that’s also why Canir gave the warning about the stuff Maya and I got. It spreading would definitely be a huge issue, after all.”

“Great for personal enjoyment, though! It also sounded like it's possible to recreate many things with magic. I bet that could be fun!"

“I’ve already tried to do that with some things, but there’s lots of untapped protentional there! Maybe we should head back to earth for a day and get all kinds of books and stuff about detailed explanations of various inventions.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun!” The dog-girl liked the idea. “I first have to learn how to use magic, though.”

“Well, judging by your use of it so far, that should be the smallest of issues. You changed your everything like five minutes after you got able to use magic. And it’s an amazing conversion! You look amazing!”

“Ehehe~.” She was happy about the compliment. “It’s still super weird to have such ears and a tail now! Not to mention…”

“Itchy?”

“ITCHY!” It seems like Steph hasn’t gotten over it yet. “I’m also starting to feel some instincts and other things that a human isn’t supposed to feel…”

“Yeah…” Sophia looked a little awkward. “It takes some time to get used to all that…”

"You were always pretty cat-like, though. I bet it was quite easy for you…”

"Yeah, it was super easy to get used to a tail that threw off my balance so hard that I had to completely relearn how to WALK from SCRATCH.”

“T-That sounds rough…”

"No kidding!"

"I was more talking about feline instincts and all that, though…"

“That was a lot easier, yeah. Much easier than I want to admit, actually…”

“See?!”

“Because you aren’t dog-like at all. Never have been, either.”

“…” She paused for a moment. “We be what we be, huh?”

“Always have been.” The tiger let out a small chuckle. “Well, if any of the instincts or whatever confuse you, I think it’s best to ask Chloe. I’m sure she’ll love to help you. She’s probably also the biggest fan of your change, after all. You’re also both canine, so I won’t be of much use, I guess. Foxes are still half-cat to me, but it’s not actually true at the end of the day, so she’s closer to you.”

“I will! Sounds like a great idea!”

“You like Chloe a lot already, huh?”

“She’s amazing!”

“She sure is.” Sophia couldn’t disagree with that.

“Yup!”

“Alright, should we continue to explore for the time being?” The blonde tried to get back on topic.

“YES!”

“Can you promise me something first, though?”

“That entirely depends on the topic.” Steph had no plans to agree to simply anything.

“Someone’s cautious, huh?”

“There are some slight trust issues I have to get over before I unconditionally agree with everything you have to say again…”

"A-Ah…” That was enough to make Sophia stop dead in her tracks, and she stopped walking. “S-Sorry…”

“Come on, don’t get depressed by that!” Noticing her complicated expression, the dog-girl grabbed her hand while smiling at the blonde. “I thought you’re better than that now. I love the old Sophia, but I’m already vastly preferring my new tiger, you know?”

“It’s hard to stay positive when your sister tells you that she has developed trust issues, you know…?”

“Can you really blame me?”

“No, I can’t…” Sophia hung her head even more. “It’s not like I did it on purpose, though… Also, there’s no way that I could’ve given up on this life here again, either… I promise I will do my absolute best to never disappear on you ever again!”

“That’s a good start!” Steph gave Sophia’s hand she was still holding a good squeeze. “So, what do you want me to promise?”

“…” She needed another moment before getting back to the topic. “We’re in the capital of the beastfolk kingdom, and the royal family, together with all the higher nobles, are tigers, just like I am… Thanks to that, I’m pretty well-known. Being the only tiger with light-blonde hair and being with the nation’s princesses all the time doesn’t help in that regard, either.”

“And?” The violet-haired girl stared at the blonde. “If you’re trying to tell me that you’re concerned about your little sister embarrassing you in public, I’ll make sure to do exactly that!” She didn’t like the implication.

“Nah, don’t worry about that. I embarrassed myself in public so often already that one more time won't change anything. I doubt you could top all the stuff I already did so far…" Sophia wasn't concerned about that. “It’s just… we're in the noble housing district right now, and no one's here at this time of the day."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, we haven't run into anyone yet.”

“Yeah, but especially near the entrances, the tourist places, and the shopping districts, it’s bustling with people. And the beastfolk is amazing! So many different and interesting people! Most are super cute, as well. Even I have trouble staying calm at times, and I've been in the capital for some months already. I trust that you won’t attack any of the extra fluffy ones, no matter how hard it is… But, if you, the sister of a tiger, and a dog-girl herself, get way too excited over the beastfolk, people might get confused.”

“Basically, I shouldn’t act like an overexcited tourist being in the big city for the first time?”

“Yeah, don’t be a Maya, basically…” The blonde rolled her eyes. “She really couldn’t calm down for even a second in the other place…”

“Ahaha.” She let out a small chuckle. “Well, it would be quite weird for me to act like I never saw a bigger group of the beastfolk before, huh?”

“I think so. It would also lead to a ton of complicated questions. I already don't know how I will explain your existence to many people, and this only would make it worse… I mean, the royal family thinks I don’t have a family anymore because I lost them. Technically not a lie, but I omitted a detail or 50 about the how I lost them. They’re convinced I’m the only one left and I, uhh… forgot to correct them…”

“You and your talent of technically not lying…”

“Telling the full truth isn’t an option, after all.”

“Well, I guess that’s fair. I’ll do my best to keep our dark past a secret.”

“Good.” Sophia was glad that her sister understood the issue. “We still need to come up with a bit of a story for you, though…”

“Sure!” She nodded a few times. “We can do that after exploring, though! I want to taste some local food, as well!”

“That plan sounds like a lot more fun!”

“Alright!” Steph raised her arm in motivation. As she was using the same arm that she was holding hands with Sophia, she raised hers, as well. "Let's go!"

Afterward, the sisters finally left the noble area for good and started their actual exploration of the capital.