Aaaaargh…
Ries froze, groaning internally. He sucked in a deep breath—and then let out a full-blown scream.
“WAAAAAAAH!!”
It burst out of him, a wild shriek disguised as a cat’s wail.
“KYAAAAAAACK!!!”
Without a second thought, he spun around and bolted. What happened next was a blur.
—Wait, hold on. I…
He might’ve heard someone call out behind him—maybe even try to stop him—but who knew. Even if he had understood the words, no way in hell was he stopping just because a ghost told him to.
His ears shut down. His vision narrowed. His mind went blank—completely wiped clean. He had no idea which path he took, how far he ran, or how long it lasted.
By the time he came to, he was frantically clawing at Justyn’s door. Startled by the early-morning racket, Justyn opened the door—only to get caught in the chaos.
“MEOWOOONG! MEEOWWRK!!”
“Ries? …Wait. Your claws are stuck. You’re gonna hurt yourself. Calm dow—ugh!”
“MYAAAAAAACK!!!”
Ries launched himself into Justyn’s arms and howled loud enough to shake the walls. He clung with all four paws, claws digging in to keep from slipping. Justyn’s calm voice tried to soothe him, but Ries wasn’t stopping. Not anytime soon.
Master. Do you even know what I saw today?
A ghost! A freaking ghost!
A ghost that just dropped the most cliché line ever—“You can see me.”—like it was nothing!
Aaaah. No. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Ries screamed inside.
Sure, he’d thought the mansion looked spooky. Sure, he’d joked it felt like the start of a horror movie. And yeah, he’d even thought it wouldn’t be that weird if a ghost showed up…
But actually showing up?! That’s a whole different story!
Why is it the moment you think life’s going okay, something ghostly jumps out and wrecks it all?
…Is that the whole point of ghosts? He let out a pitiful sob, tossing that bitter joke around in his head. He was pretty sure a tear or two rolled down in the middle of it all.
As Justyn gently freed his claws one by one, Ries buried his face in the man’s chest and sniffled.
I’m never going out for a walk again. Ever.
***
They say cats have spiritual power.
That they can see ghosts—and even chase them away.
Picture it: a hot summer night. A cat staring intently into thin air, ears twitching in alarm. And a trembling human beside it, wondering what the hell the cat is seeing…
Ries lay sprawled out, sulking. That internet rumor he once found amusing? Half of it just turned out to be true.
Just half.
Chase them away? Yeah, right.
That ghost talked to him like it was nothing.
He shuddered at the memory. The moment it said, “You can see me,” with that eerie little smile… No, actually. What really stuck in his mind wasn’t the face—it was the ghostly figure that showed through like 25% opacity, barely masking the portrait behind it.
The body had been so shockingly visible that he couldn’t even remember the face. Maybe that was a blessing.
Or maybe not. Just thinking about it made him want to scream and cover his face with both hands…
“Ries.”
A warm voice called out from above. Ries peeked up and met the speaker’s gaze.
Through the mask, Justyn’s eyes were filled with concern. His heartbeat, which had been pounding like crazy, finally began to settle.
“How are you feeling?”
“Nyaaah…”
“Still not great, huh.”
Justyn understood him perfectly and gave him a gentle pat on the back. Ries closed his eyes and leaned into the comfort of that hand.
What would I have done if he weren’t here? Honestly, he probably would’ve shut himself in and refused to come out for a week.
Even today, it had started with a nightmare so bad that Justyn had to soothe him first thing in the morning.
And that’s how serious this was.
I didn’t even have nightmares at the Marquess Marilon’s estate!
Seriously.
Back when he lived in the Marquess’ mansion, Ries had endured all kinds of torment. Locked in dark, cramped spaces. Abused, neglected. And still—he always slept just fine.
If he was bored, he slept. If he was hungry, he slept. Even when he was furious—he’d sleep it off.
Sleep was how he survived those awful days.
Now? He was having nightmares every other night. The stress was relentless.
And it wasn’t just him slowly falling apart.
“Haaah…”
Watching his increasingly listless feline companion, Justyn couldn’t shake his own growing melancholy either.
“Not going for a walk again today?”
“…Mrrrow.”
“Alright. If you don’t want to, then it’s better not to force it. Just rest up today.”
Day five of the walk boycott. Justyn’s voice, soft and drooping, carried all the worry in the world.
And that, naturally, threw Ries into a whirlwind of guilt. He wavered. Maybe he should go? Maybe not? In the end, he stuck to his decision to stay in.
He couldn’t risk it.
What if I run into that ghost again…?
The thought alone was nightmare fuel. He’d barely made it back to his room alive last time. If it happened again? He didn’t trust himself to survive it.
Meanwhile, Justyn was still mulling over his own theories.
“I’m worried. You’ve been eating less lately… Maybe you’ve lost some weight.”
“…?”
How do you even get that idea?
He’d licked his lunch bowl clean, down to the last crumb. Was Justyn hallucinating or something?
And as for the weight…
Weight, huh…
Ries glanced down. His belly, plush and squishy, was halfway folded over itself. It looked extra round today.
He quietly looked away.
“Lost weight,” he says. How exciting.
Well, if the human said so, then sure. No need to feel guilty. He rolled around in Justyn’s arms, pushing away the nagging self-doubt.
And to be fair… it wasn’t all that bad.
Staying indoors has its perks.
Cats are territorial creatures, aren’t they? Sure, his body felt a bit stiff, but all in all, this kind of life wasn’t so bad.
Too bad Justyn didn’t see it that way.
By the time week two rolled around, he was looking downright grim as he turned to Ketir.
“I think Ries might be sick.”
Ries, lazily sprawled on the fluffy carpet, snapped his eyes open wide.
I’m not sick!
If anything, the nightmares were easing up, and he was finally starting to enjoy this indoor life. He’d even begun planning a long-term staycation.
He whipped his head toward Ketir. Surely the man would deny it, right? But instead, Ketir shattered his hopes.
“Now that you mention it… he has seemed unusually sluggish lately. Should I call the vet?”
“He’s been eating less too.”
“…Understood. I’ll arrange it.”
Wait—what?! Ries jumped to his feet, completely thrown by how fast the conversation was moving without a single pause.
Sure, the drop in activity and low energy could look like red flags for a pet’s health—but he wasn’t sick!
“Myaa! Myaaah!”
The lack of energy? That was because of the nightmares. And staying indoors? That was because he didn’t want to run into another ghost. But no one could understand him.
“It’s alright, Ries. The vet’s not scary—he’s here to help you feel better.”
And just to make matters worse, Justyn now thought he was scared of the vet.
Of course, he couldn’t blame someone who was genuinely worried. Justyn’s eyes were full of warmth and concern—so much so, they looked a little misty.
Ugh…
How could a human pull off those eyes? The kind that belonged on a cat in boots. Ries, of course, had no idea he was just projecting.
Still, a spark of hope lit up.
It had been two full weeks since he’d stepped outside. Maybe if he just avoided that area, he’d be safe. Maybe he wouldn’t see anything at all.
“…Meowng…”
Okay. Let’s do this. Let’s give it a shot.
But he wasn’t going alone.
He crept up to Ketir and tugged on the man’s pant leg. Ketir gave him a puzzled look, but let himself be dragged along.
Ries led him to the front door—still tightly shut. He gently scratched at it, making it clear he wanted out. Ketir blinked, still unsure.
“…Looks like he wants to go for a walk?”
“…! Right. Just a second.”
Justyn’s expression lit up instantly. Only his eyes were visible behind the mask, but somehow Ries could tell—he looked thrilled.
For a moment, Ries wondered if he’d made the wrong call. But Justyn was already snapping on the leash, moving with such enthusiasm that Ries couldn’t bring himself to change his mind.
The door creaked open. Ries swallowed hard, peeking out at the world beyond.
Nothing. As expected, no one was there.
“Go ahead. Come back anytime you get tired.”
“…Meowng.”
It’s now or never, huh…?
He stepped outside—still gripping Ketir’s pant leg with one paw. The poor man, dragged out without warning, wore a dazed expression.
“Looks like he wants company.”
“…Understood.”
Justyn answered for him.
Score.
One human and one cat—technically two companions. That had to be twice as safe.
He really, really hoped it would be.
