Whenever he gets the chance, the guy fiddles with my front paws. When he does, he presses and kneads my paw pads this way and that, forcibly pushing out my sharp claws just to look at them. He even goes so far as to pull them out one by one in order, as if he’s counting them.
If it were any other human, I would’ve turned their face into a shredded rag on the spot. But Lyx is my precious patron and my you-know-what. That much, I can allow with a generous heart. Of course, that only applies when I’m in the mood.
Sometimes he pokes his own fingers with my forcibly extended claws, playing around. When that happens, I get nervous that I might accidentally stab all the way through his finger. Our gentle softie may be big, but he clearly doesn’t understand how much damage my claws can do. That’s probably why he can mess around so calmly like this.
Anyway, I completely understand his admiration for my fangs and claws. When a man sees a shiny, badass weapon, of course he wants it.
Honestly, he doesn’t need to envy weapons like that. I’m always by his side, after all. If an enemy appears, I’m confident I could turn their entire body into a tattered rag in an instant. Lyx can just sit still and receive my protection.
Now that I think about it, I always make sure to be fully prepared when it comes to Lyx’s personal safety. Our Lyx may not look it, but he’s the Crown Prince. Since ancient times, Crown Princes have always had plenty of enemies. Given how gentle and kind he is, it’s only natural that there would be people looking to harm him. That’s why I must protect Lyx—my patron and my you-know-what. Though, I suppose it’s unlikely that there’s anyone gutsy enough to try something within the imperial palace, which is entirely my territory.
Hey. What would you have done without me?
I stare at him with a complicated expression, but this idiot just smiles happily, completely unaware. I shake my head inwardly. Just as I thought—this guy can’t live without me. There’s no way he’d survive in the imperial palace, where schemes and betrayal swirl nonstop, without my protection.
Well. I guess that’s just your good fortune.
I let out a deep sigh and flop down onto my back.
The moment I expose my belly, Lyx’s eyes sparkle. Afraid I might change my mind, he immediately starts rubbing it. I set my worries aside and start enjoying his touch.
The boy sprawled belly-up on the desk lets out a low, contented purr.
Seems like he felt guilty about going out alone. You can tell by how readily he offers up his belly like this. Well, that said, he did ignore Calyx and play hard to get even after Calyx called him several times.
The boy closes his eyes tightly.
Stretched out long and purring softly, he looks completely at ease. Even when Calyx suddenly poke his side, there’s barely any reaction. Same if Calyx tug lightly at his fur or tap his head. The realization that this little one trusts Calyx so completely fills him with a warm sense of satisfaction.
At this level, that might be fine too.
Calyx watches the boy’s expression and cautiously parts the soft fur.
He already knows the location well. It doesn’t take long to find what he’s looking for.
When he parts the black fur, a small, hidden nipple reveals itself. The boy is still completely absorbed in purring.
Calyx gently rolls the tiny, seed-like nipple between his fingertips. Like everything else about the boy, it’s unbearably small and cute. And there are several more just like it. Finding those hidden beneath the fur, one by one, is one of Calyx’s secret pleasures.
As he continues to locate the hidden nipples and roll them individually with his fingertips, the boy slowly opens his eyes to slits. Lowering his head, the boy glances at his own belly, then lightly smacks Calyx’s wrist with his tail in a scolding gesture. But he doesn’t really try to stop him. When the boy is in cat form, he doesn’t particularly care about his nipples being touched. Because of that, whenever the opportunity arises, Calyx can freely play with all eight of the boy’s tiny nipples instead of just one.
After indulging himself for quite some time, Calyx buries the nipples back under the fur. Even if the boy allows it, touching them too much invites retaliation.
When he resumes stroking the belly in long motions, the purring that had quieted begins to grow louder again. Watching the boy’s reaction, Calyx suddenly pauses the hand that had been moving so diligently.
This feels a bit…
Calyx studies the boy stretched out before him, carefully replaying the sensation from a moment ago.
It feels like there’s something different compared to usual. But when he looks over the small black body, there doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. If there were a change, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice it. And yet, something about the feeling is subtly different.
With a serious expression, Calyx once again runs his hand slowly over the boy’s belly. And once more, that strange sensation returns. Calyx stares at the boy—or more precisely, the boy’s lower abdomen—and sinks into thought.
Something’s a little…
After a brief moment of consideration, Calyx realizes what the sensation is.
When he lightly grasps the lower belly with his hand, it feels soft and plush. Gentle flesh fills his palm.
Because of the glossy black fur, the body always looks sleek and smooth. But now that he’s holding it like this, there’s no doubt about it—this is belly fat. Come to think of it, the body is still small, but overall it has filled out. With the amount he’s been eating increasing over the winter and his sleep growing longer, it’s only natural.
Ha. Belly fat on such a tiny body.
Calyx cheerfully begins kneading the boy’s belly fat.
***
“All done.”
Julia says after finishing the brushing.
I check my body from every angle in the mirror. The well-brushed fur is absolutely perfect. Such lush, glossy black fur—no cat could possibly manage better fur care than this.
When I look at myself like this, I sometimes even wonder if I’m not a cat at all, but a sleek black panther instead. Especially when I bare my menacing fangs just a little.
Well, even if it were a panther, it’s really just a slightly bigger cat anyway. They’re all felines in the end. If anything, I might even be cooler than a panther.
I stick my chest out proudly and examine myself in the mirror.
The chest fur Julia worked on so carefully is fluffed up luxuriously. Sitting with my chest fur pushed out like this makes me look even more dignified. A man needs armor on his chest. By the same logic, a cat needs abundant chest fur. Julia knows this well, so she always puts extra care into my chest.
After checking the necklace Julia put on me as well, I jump down from the chair. This is already my second brushing today. It’s getting a bit tedious. But it can’t be helped. In winter, after a nap, my fur becomes a complete mess. Winter static is a cat’s natural enemy. It forces multiple brushing sessions a day. If only winter would hurry up and pass, both Julia and I would be much more comfortable. This is a real problem.
I’m still looking in the mirror when I suddenly hear a soft “pfft” from behind me. I glance at Julia through the mirror. She’s covering her mouth with one hand, like she’s barely holding back laughter. When our eyes meet in the mirror, Julia awkwardly looks away. I narrow my eyes and stare at her intently. There’s definitely something going on. There’s no way she’d laugh like that just from seeing my magnificent form.
I turn my body fully and tap at Julia’s hem with my front paw.
What. Why’d you laugh?
At my threatening interrogation, Julia smiles faintly and says,
“Nabi, it’s time to go see His Highness the Crown Prince, right?”
She changes the subject. At that moment, I’m certain. This woman definitely laughed because of me. But why?
I quickly check my reflection in the mirror again. Maybe she stuck something in my fur as a joke. But my front, back, and sides all look fine. Just in case, I swish my tail around too, but nothing seems off.
I glare at Julia with an extremely displeased look.
What the hell was that about?
“Oh dear, look at me. I completely forgot I had an errand to run.”
Julia suddenly pretends to be busy and scurries off. Instead of chasing her, I turn my gaze back to the mirror. Something is definitely strange.
Hmm…
No eye gunk, whiskers are perfect. Fur is flawless with no odd spots. My long, sleek front and back legs are perfect. Even my butt looks normal. I have no idea what she could’ve been laughing at.
I scratch the carpet irritably, claws scraping harshly. Damn it. What the hell is it?!
“Something’s weird.”
I grumpily grab fistfuls of Calyx’s hair and yank. But this bastard is too busy biting and sucking at the back of my neck to care. This asshole. I’m being serious here.
“Hey. I’m telling you something’s weird!”
When I tug his hair hard and snap at him, he finally lifts his head slightly. His lips are red from all the sucking. Damn bastard. Anyone would think I’d smeared honey all over my neck.
“Yeah? What’s weird?”
