TURBO TIER: Nefer Nekomata Chief Advisor TF (Patreon)

The sea mist of Narukami Island carried a scent Nefer had never quite learned to care for—damp moss, salt, and cold stone. In the desert, silence had heat; in Nod-Krai, it had frost. Here in Inazuma, silence smelled like cedarwood and incense, concealing things that did not wish to be cataloged.

Nefer walked through the archive corridor of Tenshukaku, her sharp steps making scarcely any sound against the floorboards. She adjusted the sleeve of her dark green mantle, her gloved fingers resting lightly on the pommel of her wits. She was the head of the Curatorium of Secrets, an intelligence broker who dealt in absolute leverage. When Arlecchino—the formidable Harbinger who had left Fontaine to pursue mysterious disappearances—vanished into the Narukami mist without a single thread leading out, Nefer had recognized an opportunity of immense value.

A Fatui Harbinger's whereabouts was worth millions of Mora to the right buyers. To the wrong buyers, it was worth even more.

Her investigation had led her to a private reading chamber deep within the estate's secondary library. Upon a low rosewood desk rested a scroll—an old, heavy piece of parchment inscribed with intricate seals.

"A record of spiritual anomalies... or perhaps a ledger of missing persons," Nefer murmured to herself, stepping up to the table.

She picked up the parchment with gloved hands, unrolling the brittle paper. The text was written in archaic Inazuman script, but before she could decipher the first stanza, the ink flared with an unearthly emerald luminescence.

"What is this...?" Nefer's eyes narrowed, her analytical instincts flaring instantly.

The scroll did not tear or burst into flame. Instead, the green glow coalesced into a spectral mist that billowed from the parchment's surface. Out of the vapor rose a luminous, ethereal green cat spirit—a playful, glowing feline with a raised paw and a mischievous expression.

"Someone came... just like that sly fox said!" the yokai purred in a high, lilting voice.

Nefer's breath caught in her throat. She moved to release the scroll, to let the paper drop to the floorboards, but her fingers refused to uncurl. From the center of the radiant emerald calligraphy, a glowing, spectral shape rose—a playful, luminous green cat yokai with a swirling tail and a mischievous gleam in its spirit-eyes.

"A trap?" Nefer whispered, her voice tightening. "The Grand Shrine... or Miko herself?"

The spectral cat did not answer with words. It arched its misty back, let out a silent, melodic mewl, and surged forward like a rushing stream of liquid jade.

The spirit did not strike to harm; it dove straight into her chest, dissolving through the fabric of her attire and sinking into her heart, her veins, and her mind in a brilliant emerald tempest.

Nefer gasped, her head tilting backward as waves of warm, tingling light rushed through her core. "Ah... what is... this energy...?"

It was not the cold, oppressive deceit of ancient ruin entities like Thoth, nor the harsh sting of sandstorm illusions. It was light, buoyant, and deeply intoxicating. The cat yokai did not crush her consciousness; instead, it wound around her thoughts like a kitten curling into a sunbeam, merging seamlessly with her sharp intellect.

Deep within her mind, the rigid calculus of ledgers, intelligence tariffs, and transaction records began to soften, taking on a vibrant, playful sheen. Why had she been treating life as such a dry, heavy exchange? Secrets were not just cold currency to be traded away—they were delightful little playthings, strings to be batted at, yarn to be tangled and unraveled purely for the thrill of the chase.

"Nod-Krai... the Curatorium..." she breathed, her lips parting into a dazed, fascinated curve as her thoughts blurred. "Such a serious place... why was I working so hard when the world is full of games?"

A profound heat bloomed at the crown of her head. Nefer's short wolf-cut hair began to tingle with intense magic. The dark green strands lengthened rapidly, spilling downward like a waterfall of rich, glossy emerald silk, tumbling past her shoulders and draping over her back in lavish, elegant locks. The short, practical bob was gone, replaced by a flowing, noble mane framed by delicate sidelocks.

At the top of her scalp, two sharp pinches of warmth gave way to soft, velvety motion. Pushing through the thick green locks, a pair of plush, pointed cat ears emerged, twitching responsively to the faint rustle of wind outside the chamber. They were adorned with elegant golden clips and hanging jade crystals, perfectly complementing her hair and framing her striking facial markings.

Nefer brought a hand to her head, her fingers brushing the velvety fur of her new ears. A soft, involuntary purr rumbled in her throat. "Oh... they're so soft... how marvelous..."

The transformation did not stop at her mind and scalp. The emerald mist spiraled around her torso in crackling ribbons of light. The structured, high-necked collar of her desert outfit and the armored pauldrons began to dissolve into shining motes.

"My clothes..." Nefer giggled, the sound rich, melodic, and brimming with unbothered glee. "They're slipping away..."

The heavy, asymmetric fabrics melted into shimmering jade particles, reforming directly against her skin into a breathtaking, teal-and-deep-azure Inazuman kimono. The neckline fell dramatically off her shoulders, leaving her smooth neck and collarbones completely bare. Beneath her bust, a thick, beautifully patterned sash with a diamond-shaped emerald brooch tied snugly into a stylized bow, accentuating her figure with regal grace.

The lower half of her attire rearranged into a layered, short pleated skirt, flaring playfully around her thighs. Down along her arms, the stiff, dark combat gloves dissolved into thin air. Her hands emerged completely bare, her fingertips now tipped with sharp, gleaming, manicured gold-clawed nails. Upon each wrist, three ornate golden bangles materialized, clinking softly with every fluid motion of her arms.

At the base of her spine, a sharp, delightful pressure coiled and expanded. Nefer let out a breathy, contented laugh as two long, slender green cat tails sprouted from behind her. They arched through the glowing mist, swaying in lazy, synchronized, feline arcs, tipped with elegant golden adornments.

"Two tails..." Nefer whispered, glancing over her bare shoulder to admire them as they curled playfully through the air. "A nekomata... yes, that suits me so much better, doesn't it?"

She looked down at the parchment still resting in her clawed hands. The ancient scroll was no longer an enigma to be analyzed with paranoia. It was simply the beginning of her new role. She wasn't an outsider poking around in a foreign court. She was the Chief Advisor of the Shogunate—the clever, irreplaceable shadow behind the throne.

Her green eyes, glowing with faint hypnotic spirals of emerald light, focused with absolute clarity and teasing confidence. The hesitation of the mortal broker had completely vanished, replaced by the poised, mischievous wisdom of an ancient feline spirit fused with the sharpest mind in the realm.

Nefer bent forward slightly, resting her clawed hands playfully in front of her chest in a classic feline pose, a wide, fanged smile spreading across her lips.

"A missing Harbinger? A changing realm?" she purred, her voice dripping with playful amusement and effortless authority. "Why fret over trivial details when the board is already set? Clorinde has a realm to govern, and every sovereign needs someone clever to keep the mice in line."

The morning sun filtered through the grand lattice windows of the Tenshukaku audience chamber, casting long, geometric shadows across the polished lacquered floors.

Upon the raised dais, Clorinde sat in sovereign majesty. Her deep purple kimono draped over her commanding frame, the massive shimenawa halo hovering behind her back crackling with faint sparks of dormant Electro authority. Her violet eyes swept across the gathered petitioners with the cool, unyielding weight of absolute law.

To her right, lounging without a shred of conventional court formality, sat Nefer.

The green-haired nekomata lay curled gracefully atop a plush silk cushion directly beside the Shogun's throne, her two emerald tails swishing lazily against the edge of the dais. In her bare, clawed hand, she held a stack of official court petitions, casually flipping through them as if they were nothing more than entertaining bedtime stories.

A nervous representative from the Kanjou Commission knelt deeply at the base of the steps, his forehead nearly touching the wood. "Your Excellency... regarding the import tariffs on Fontaine textiles, our department seeks clarification on the proposed maritime tax rates..."

Clorinde did not immediately speak. Her gaze shifted sideways, a subtle nod granted to her companion.

Nefer tapped a single, razor-sharp golden claw against the document, pointing directly at a hidden footnote. A mischievous, teasing grin spread across her lips.

"Oh, my dear commissioner," Nefer purred smoothly, leaning her chin into her palm as her cat ears swiveled with amusement. "Did you honestly think your little mathematical omission on page three would slip past my eyes? You've hidden nearly thirty percent of the surcharge under 'port maintenance fees.' That's quite a naughty little trick."

The official turned pale, trembling. "L-Lady Nefer, I assure you, that was merely an administrative oversight—"

"Of course it was," Nefer chuckled, her long green hair shifting as she stretched like a pampered cat in the afternoon sun. "And to correct such an 'oversight,' the Shogunate will simply retain fifty percent of your department's seasonal bonus for the city granaries. A fair trade for your clumsiness, wouldn't you say, Your Excellency?"

Clorinde gave a faint, approving tilt of her head. "It is decreed. Dismissed."

The official scrambled backward, bowing repeatedly before fleeing the grand chamber.

As the heavy sliding doors shut, the side entrance opened with the soft, deliberate rustle of ceremonial silk. Arlecchino stepped into the hall, clad in the elegant white-and-black robes of the Grand Shrine Maiden, her nine luxurious fox tails fanning out behind her in breathtaking crimson-tipped grace. In her gloved hands, she carried the sacred bronze bells and the ceremonial logs from Mt. Yougou.

Nefer's green ears twitched instantly. She sat up on her cushion, her two tails swaying with sudden, eager mischief.

"Well, well," Nefer teased, her fanged smile gleaming as she leaned over the armrest of the dais. "If it isn't our very diligent, very solemn Head Shrine Maiden. Tell me, Grand Priestess, did the morning prayers go smoothly, or were you too busy admiring the shine on your nine fluffy tails to tend the incense burners?"

Arlecchino paused at the base of the dais, her cross-shaped red eyes narrowing slightly, though an undercurrent of calm, accustomed indulgence colored her expression. She raised the ceremonial staff with impeccable poise.

"The spirits of the mountain are at peace, Chief Advisor," Arlecchino replied in her low, measured cadence, completely unruffled by the nekomata's antics. "Though I must wonder if the Tenshukaku has run out of proper furniture, given how frequently the Shogun's advisor chooses to sprawl across the floor like a stray kitten."

"A stray?" Nefer laughed, leaping down from the dais with effortless feline grace, her high geta landing silently upon the floorboards. She glided around Arlecchino, her twin tails brushing playfully against the edges of the shrine maiden's white hakama. "Why sit stiffly like a statue when one can be comfortable? Besides, who else is going to keep our stern Shogun entertained while you spend all day chanting to the Sacred Sakura?"

Clorinde let out a quiet, dignified exhale from the throne, the closest the sovereign ever came to a sigh of amused exasperation. "Enough bickering. The afternoon schedule must be maintained."

"Understood, Your Excellency," Nefer replied with a playful wink, tucking the revised documents into the wide, flowing sleeve of her kimono. She brought two clawed fingers to her lips, stifling a small, delicate yawn. "Though after all this hard work, I believe the Chief Advisor has earned a long nap and a skewer of tricolor dango from Hanamizaka."

With a smooth, swaying turn, her long emerald hair cascading behind her, Nefer sauntered toward the veranda overlooking the vibrant streets of Inazuma City. The distant past of the desert was gone, unmissed and unneeded. Here, surrounded by storms, silk, and playful intrigue, she ruled her roost with effortless feline perfection.