I turned my head.
And my heart instantly jumped straight into my throat.
Standing in the doorway was a woman in sleek, form-fitting leather armor with a silver-hilted rapier resting effortlessly on her hip.
She had piercing green slit eyes, smooth pale skin, and absolute pitch-black hair.
And twitching right near the top of her head were two perfectly real, velvet-black feline ears, matching the long, sleek tail casually swaying behind her boots.
[Cat girl!] My brain completely short-circuited, instantly forgetting… just about everything.
I'd seen cat-girls back in Shinkotsu from a distance, watching them walk through the bustling markets or guard the passing merchant caravans.
But this was the very first time I was actually standing within speaking distance of one.
Jian, beside me, immediately puffed out his chest like a pigeon.
