I extended my claws, dipped the sharp tip of one into the black ink, and wrote on the sheet of paper I’d torn out.
[I WILL GET REVENGE]
The letters were crooked and uneven, but there shouldn’t be any trouble reading them.
If anything, it looked even creepier—like some genuinely deranged bastard had written it while drunk.
If Aria saw this, she might take it too seriously, so I’d hide it for now and secretly show it only to the male lead tomorrow.
Once I’d cleaned up the scene, I pressed the paper flat twice with my front paws, folded it, and picked it up in my mouth.
Then I quietly went back downstairs, jumped onto the windowsill where I usually sat, and hid it under my cushion.
Phew. This should make the male lead realize how serious things are.
Feeling a little reassured, I settled onto the cushion in a loaf.
That was when—
[ต^._.^ต Hello?]
Something suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.
The pink holographic window was smaller, but otherwise looked exactly like the hologram screen I’d seen in the afterlife.
[ต^._.^ต Can you see me?]
“Mya-mya-myak?”
Is that you, Kkami?
I shot to my feet and asked, and the text inside the holographic window quickly changed.
[ต^._.^ต Yes! It’s me, Kkami! Mr. Rohun, have you been doing well?]
It really was Kkami!
My mouth fell open in delight.
“Mya-myang, mya-yang?”
Have you and Coco been doing well too?
[ต^._.^ต Yes!]
[ต^._.^ต yghnaoehghh]
…Huh?
[ต^._.^ต S-sorry! Coco just climbed onto the keyboard… I think Coco wanted to say hello too!]
I clutched the white fur on my chest.
“Myaaagh!”
Coco!
I’ve missed you like crazy too!
I pictured that adorable little ball of fluff.
Once Aria became a duchess and our circumstances improved, I was absolutely going to adopt a lovable cat just like Coco.
I renewed that vow once again.
[ต^._.^ต Sorry. We’ve been having communication problems… It took a while to reconnect.]
Another message arrived from Kkami.
I imagined a black tuxedo cat standing on two legs and rapidly tapping away at a keyboard.
[ต^._.^ต It must have been really inconvenient suddenly ending up in a cat’s body, right?]
“Maong?”
A little?
By now, I’d gotten pretty used to living in a cat’s body.
[ต^._.^ต We originally planned to put you into a human body, but we couldn’t find one in this world that was compatible with your soul! ㅜㅜ]
So that was why.
[ต^._.^ต That’s why I wanted to provide you with the latest version of some features that might make living as a cat a little easier!]
“Myaaang?”
Features?
[ต^._.^ต Yes! As you’ve probably already noticed… parts of the story are starting to change because of your involvement.]
“Myaa. Awooolk, mawoong.”
Yeah. I was already feeling uneasy because things have started happening differently from the webtoon.
[ต^._.^ต And since you’re not human right now, you’re more vulnerable if something dangerous happens.]
[ต^._.^ต So I prepared a few small but useful new features for you. I’ll update you right now!]
[ต^._.^ต …Updating 12%]
[ต^._.^ต …Updating 23%]
A pink progress bar began filling up.
I felt my whiskers and paw pads grow warm.
When I turned over my left paw, the pink beans were glowing faintly.
[ต^._.^ต …Updating 99%]
[ต^._.^ต …Update complete, meow!]
The glow soon faded.
A strange rush ran through me, making my whole body shiver from head to tail.
But what changed?
I looked exactly the same.
I was flexing and spreading my front paws, trying to find something different, when the pink holographic window blocked my vision again.
[ต^._.^ต The first feature is danger detection! If you’re ever about to end up in a dangerous situation, your whiskers will sense it and warn you!]
Oh.
That sounded useful.
[ต^._.^ต The second feature is a Ground-Shrinking Technique built into your paw pads! I heard you liked martial arts fiction, so I tried making one for you…!]
Holy shit.
A Ground-Shrinking Technique?
That sounded badass.
“Mya-hyong, mya-woong? Yang, owaong, mya-woong!”
So I have to build up internal energy in my core and train like some martial arts master before I can use it, right? Great. I’ll start training hard today!
My blood was pumping.
I clenched my cotton-fluff-white front paw into a determined little fist.
[ต^._.^ต Nope, you don’t have to train at all! Just shout, “Shrink the Earth to an Inch, meow-meow-meow!” and you can use it instantly!]
“Myak?”
There went all the badassness.
[ต^._.^ต There are a few things you need to be careful about. You can’t use this ability indoors. Also, if there are any living creatures nearby, they might get swept along with you, so make sure you only use it when no one else is around!]
“…Mya-mi-myang. Myaaa, meow-meow-meow-aong?”
…Kkami. I really like it, but do I absolutely have to say the “meow-meow-meow” part?
[ต^._.^ต Yes! It’s there so you don’t activate it by accident… Think of “meow-meow-meow” as a second safety lock! ㅠㅠ Um… do you not like it?]
Kkami had made it for me, so I couldn’t exactly say it sucked….
Fine.
What was the big deal about adding three extra meows anyway?
I extended my dewclaw and held it up like a thumbs-up.
“Wao, waong!”
Wow, it’s super easy and convenient! You worked hard on this, Kkami. Thanks!
[ต^._.^ต Hahaha, yes! I’m glad you like it!]
[ต^._.^ต That’s everything I needed to explain! If any more features are added, I’ll let you know! And if you experience any inconvenience while using them, □□□□]
[ต^._.^ต □□?]
[ต^._.^ต Mr. Rohun! There’s an error with the communica□□]
[ต^._.^ต Soryy! I’ll □□ contact you ag□in next time]
Maybe Kkami had started typing frantically with cat paws and made a bunch of typos.
Cute.
I gazed fondly at the holographic window and gave it a little blink in farewell.
“Roro. Why are you crying like that? Hmm?”
A few minutes after the hologram disappeared, Aria came over from the kitchen.
She stroked my head and smiled gently.
“Was there a bird outside or something?”
I stretched as if nothing had happened and looked out the window.
******
“Good night, Roro.”
Aria, dressed in her pajamas, wished me good night in a warm voice.
You sleep well too.
“Maong.”
I climbed into my hideout.
Soon the lights went out and the room sank into complete darkness.
I watched Aria walk toward the bed, then crawled all the way inside my little den.
Curled up in the cozy space, I slowly began to doze off.
Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep.
Bzzzt—
My whiskers tingled.
What the fuck?!
I jolted awake and scrambled upright.
For a second, I thought someone had grabbed my whiskers and yanked them, but there was nobody there.
In the pitch-dark room, I could hear Aria breathing evenly.
The night was clearly quiet and peaceful.
And yet, for some reason, a creeping sense of unease began crawling over me.
Don’t tell me… danger detection?
I remembered my conversation with Kkami earlier that day.
Kkami had said my whiskers would warn me whenever danger was about to happen….
I shot out of the hideout.
Then I went to the closed door, stood on my hind legs, and grabbed the handle.
Careful not to wake Aria, I quietly opened the door, slipped out, and closed it again behind me.
My whiskers were still trembling faintly.
I immediately headed down the stairs to the first floor.
I scanned the teahouse.
Then I turned toward the window—
And saw a black silhouette standing outside.
For one second, I thought I’d walked into a horror movie.
It’s that bastard!
That shitty straw-colored hair was unmistakable.
Blocking the moonlight, the man was doing something outside the window.
He still hadn’t noticed me.
I quietly crept toward the space beneath the windowsill.
Then—
A thin rod suddenly poked through the gap in the window.
It wriggled around for only a moment before flicking the latch open.
This fucking lunatic! He’s trying to break in!
The man silently opened the window and climbed over the sill.
My personal cushion tumbled to the floor.
The instant his foot touched down—
“KHYAAAOOW!!”
I launched myself at him.
He clearly hadn’t dreamed I would already be downstairs, because he freaked out and toppled backward.
I didn’t waste the opportunity.
I raked my claws across his face.
Even in the darkness, his jutting cheekbone made an easy target. I slashed it hard, and he snarled in pain as he swung a fist at me.
But a cat’s reflexes were seriously fucking incredible.
I darted out of the way of his fist, then sank my teeth into his arm as hard as I could.
“You… fuck!”
He grabbed me by the scruff with his other hand and hurled me at the wall.
He was probably expecting me to smash into it and crumple to the floor.
Instead, I planted my springy hind legs against the wall, kicked off, and landed safely on the ground.
Meanwhile, he was bleeding from the scratches and bites I’d left all over him.
Well, who told you to break in?
“…You fucking cat… I’m gonna kill you….”
He muttered darkly, eyes rolling with rage.
I responded by pretending to puke at him.
“Hurk! Hurk! Huuurk!”
My stomach actually started heaving, so I hurriedly stopped before I really threw up.
The bastard stomped toward me and reached out with both arms, trying to grab me.
Now’s my chance!