Two familiar hands suddenly grasped at my sides.
A sharp jolt ran through my body.
The unexpected touch made my skin crawl, sending a wave of goosebumps across my arms. Without thinking, my instincts took over.
Mana flared from within me like a reflex—an uncontrolled burst of energy surging outward.
"O-Ouch!"
The sudden resistance made the intruding hands retreat, and I quickly turned around—only to see a human-sized cat tumbling backward, rolling in midair like a smoke-wrapped ball of fur.
"Cheshire?"
The familiar entity flickered in and out of his ever-shifting, smoke-like form, floating just above the ground with a mischievous grin plastered across his feline face.
"My~ My~ Riley, you're still terrible when it comes to affection, aren't you?" Cheshire drawled, his tone laced with exaggerated disappointment. He stretched his arms lazily, as if shaking off the lingering effects of my mana burst. "But I must say~ that's exactly what makes you so fun~! Hehehe~"
