“A Mosquito.”
It was a mosquito.
At some point, Justyn had snuck up behind him and was now scanning the floor alongside him. The mosquito, swatted senseless by a cat’s paw, lay twitching on the ground.
A mosquito? In this weather? More importantly, there are mosquitoes here? He was pondering the thought peacefully when something suddenly clicked.
Wait, that was a mosquito? That thing?
No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t look like a mosquito. And what was with that weird mist earlier?
Nothing made sense—his brain refused to connect the dots. After spinning in mental circles, he finally latched onto one conclusion.
Well… at least it wasn’t a cockroach…
It wasn’t helpful, but it did offer some comfort.
Meanwhile, Ketir was quietly sighing in relief.
Watching Ries go into full alert mode against thin air had been terrifying. He’d genuinely thought a ghost had invaded the Duke’s bedroom and nearly had a heart attack.
Thankfully, it had just been a bug. Why Ries was so terrified of one mosquito, he couldn’t say—but considering this wasn’t the first time he’d acted strange, Ketir let it slide.
Just then, his master spoke up beside him.
“Impressive. You looked scared, but still chose to fight. And to take down such a tiny bug in one hit… pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“…Yes. I suppose it is.”
More talkative than usual. Eyes sparkling. He was clearly proud.
A wise servant knew when to go along with his master’s opinion without hesitation. Ketir gave a quiet, approving nod.
Three days passed since the incident. No similar bugs had shown up since.
Well—correction.
After three days of intense bug-hunting, Ries managed to find one gnat and one moth. But neither of them had that strange, dark mist like the mosquito did.
So what was the difference? Ries pondered. As he tilted his head in thought, a long finger slipped under his chin and began to scratch gently.
“Purrrrrrr…”
His head tilted back on its own, a soft purring noise escaping him. His thoughts scattered instantly.
He considered slipping away, but that idea quickly melted like snow under the sun. Justyn’s petting skills had evolved to the point that Ries had no chance of resisting.
Chin scratches turned into gentle strokes across the top of his head, then behind the ears.
Next came his back, all the way to the base of his tail—smooth, practiced strokes of a hand that knew exactly what it was doing. Ries relished the attention, eventually flipping over to expose his belly.
And Justyn, treating him like the most precious thing in the world, gave it a few gentle pats. It tickled—in a good way.
His half-closed eyes grew heavy, weighed down like lead. Sleep started to sneak in, soft and warm…
No. I can’t fall asleep.
He snapped his eyes open. That was close.
Maybe his effort to stay awake looked endearing, because Justyn said in a casually sweet tone—
“If you’re sleepy, you can nap.”
He sounded ready to offer his lap as a pillow at any moment. But instead of accepting the offer, Ries stared up at his face.
A certain theory quietly crept back into his mind. One he hadn’t dared test before because of how ridiculous it was. A hunch, born from the mosquito incident. Simple—but maybe too simple.
No matter how he looked at it, the dark mist surrounding that mosquito looked exactly like the aura seeping from Justyn’s mask right now.
He had no clue how it transferred, but the fact remained: he’d swatted the mosquito, and the mist had vanished.
…So that meant Justyn might be…?
Should I try it?
The idea of striking his master was horrifying—but he had a solid reason.
The full moon was coming. That meant he’d be seeing Sefiut again soon.
But the real issue came after that. If things didn’t go well, he might have to wait until the next full moon to meet him again. That was nearly a whole month gone.
With Sefiut gone, he’d have no one to consult. And given how little he knew, that was a serious problem.
So before their next meeting, he needed to test everything he could—try every possibility and bring it to Sefiut’s attention.
But why are all my ideas so…
Ries glanced down at his front paw. He could still see that mosquito, the one he’d flattened in one brave strike.
Then he looked up at Justyn again. Completely unaware, he returned Ries’s gaze, eyes full of love and affection. Ries’s conscience twinged.
Uugh…
But this had to be done. He steeled himself. Sure, he felt guilty now, but in the long run, this might be important.
Ries slowly pressed strength into his right front paw. Not a full smack—just a gentle tap.
“…Ries?”
Justyn finally seemed to realize something was off. His eyes darted between Ries’s slightly raised paw and those sharp, narrowed eyes—confusion flickering across his face.
“Meow.”
Sorry, Master.
This is all for you.
The apology came first. Then, just like when he’d bravely hunted down that mosquito, Ries sprang up and swiped his paw through the air.
“Urgh!”
It landed cleanly—right on Justyn’s right cheek. Despite how soft and fluffy that paw looked, it landed with a sharp thwack that echoed like a slap.
…Oh?
Ries blinked.
It worked.
The dark mist that had been wrapped thickly around half of the mask started to unravel, melting away from the point of impact. He thought—just maybe—he even heard a distant screech, something inhuman and shrill.
“…?”
Had Justyn felt it too?
Frozen stiff from the unexpected blow, he didn’t even lift a hand. Just stood there, dazed.
The ripple effect was unmistakable—like a stone dropped in still water. The reaction gave Ries a glimmer of hope.
Is it really disappearing? For real?
Heart pounding, he stared intently. For a few seconds, the mist dissolved, retreating like it had been banished… but just as quickly, it regrouped. Thick. Clinging. Stubborn.
“……”
Yeah. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. He got greedy thinking things might go smoothly.
Still, it was enough. He’d confirmed that his paw—his paw—could disrupt the curse. That was a big deal.
Even if… it came with some complications.
A cat that breaks curses with a punch…?
The whole thing felt unbelievably ridiculous.
Then suddenly—wait a second.
He’d smacked it once, and it had bounced back almost instantly.
What if I hit it multiple times…?
His gaze slid downward, eyes glinting. Ries paused mid-lick, tongue still touching his paw, and looked back up thoughtfully.
The curse had wavered—and Justyn had definitely reacted.
So maybe… if he kept hitting it, Justyn might allow it? Might understand?
Ries didn’t notice how bold his thoughts were becoming. His eyes sparkled with growing excitement.
He held his breath and studied Justyn’s face.
Surely, he must’ve pieced things together by now…
“……”
Or maybe not.
Why does he look like someone just kicked his heart?
Sweat pooled under Ries’s paws, damp and sticky. But he didn’t move. Couldn’t.
Then Justyn finally broke the silence.
“Ries.”
His voice trembled—fragile, as if barely holding something in. Ries instinctively twitched his ears.
“Did I… do something wrong?”
And just like that, everything clicked into place.
Justyn hadn’t frozen because of the curse.
He’d frozen because his precious cat had smacked him—for the first time ever.
Ries had been so focused on the curse’s reaction, he hadn’t even considered that. And now, his whole plan crumbled.
If I hit him again, this is going to be a disaster.
Just look at his eyes—they were trembling like a puppy on the verge of tears. If Ries swung again, he might really break the guy’s heart.
He had to fix this. Now.
“Meooow… Myaaawk~”
Stretching up on his hind legs, he leaned against Justyn’s knee to meet him at eye level.
And then he started licking the exact spot he’d hit earlier. That weird cursed energy he could still feel on his tongue? Whatever. He pushed through it.
“Mrrrow… nyang-nyang…”
His voice came out muffled around his extended tongue. Hopefully, that made it sound even cuter.
He peeked up at Justyn’s eyes—still anxious, but no longer trembling. It was working.
This time, he leaned in and touched his nose to the corner of Justyn’s eye. He felt the gentle brush of lashes against his snout. Justyn had closed his eyes.
Softly, like a kiss, Ries pressed in.
A sharp inhale followed.
“…Ries.”
There it was. Ries let out a quiet sigh of relief.
That earlier wave of guilt and distress? Gone. Wiped clean.
In its place was a quiet, grateful awe. It was like Justyn had completely forgotten the fact that he’d been smacked across the face.
He gently scooped up Ries’s outstretched body with gloved hands. Lowering his eyes in embarrassment, he muttered—
“…One more time probably isn’t okay… huh…”
Ries happily obliged.
Part of it was guilt, sure. But mostly, it was because—well, let’s be honest.
Who could resist kisses from a cat?
And there it was again—Justyn, melting like butter, whispering under his breath—
“…You’re too cute.”
The way his voice had gone all soft and gooey was the final blow. Ries’s tail swayed, full of smug satisfaction.
