"Wahaha—! This castle is so big, meow!"
(=`=)The energetic Klee Meow darted around the castle cheerfully.
"Klee, remember not to run too far, meow."
Huamei Meow didn't stop the excited little ragdoll, only giving her a reminder, ensuring that the little one stayed within a range where she could respond quickly.
"Got it~~~ meow~~~"
Klee Meow wavering, drawn-out voice floated over from ahead, muffled slightly, most likely because she had crawled into something again.
"Sigh…" Huamei Meow let out a helpless sigh, then turned her head to the maid following behind them and said,
"You'd better go after Klee and keep an eye on her. Don't let her crawl into somewhere she shouldn't be. We'll follow behind and won't go far, meow."
"Yes, Miss Huamei."
The maid had already been worried about this, so she naturally hurried forward without hesitation.
Once she was out of sight, Huamei Meow used Observation Haki to confirm that there was no one else nearby before fixing her gaze on Haibara Meow and quietly asking,
"What are you planning, meow? That masked guy is annoying, but he still the king of an allied nation. Don't casually cause trouble for the Admiral, meow."
"Don't worry, Sister Huamei. Klee and I won't go causing trouble on our own, meow~"
Haibara Meow narrowed her eyes, swishing her tail, grinning slyly like a little devil plotting tricks. She deliberately emphasized the words "Klee" and "on our own."
Hearing her reply, Huamei Meow whiskers twitched sharply, but she didn't try to stop her any further.
First of all, Haibara Meow wasn't the type to cause trouble without reason… Actually, Klee Meow wasn't either, because most of the time, the little ragdoll didn't even realize she was causing trouble.
The second reason was naturally that Huamei Meow had no fondness for Judge and his people.
She trusted Haibara Meow to know her limits. Even if something unexpected happened on Klee Meow end, she was confident she could handle it.
So, she nodded. "As long as you know what you're doing, meow."
At that moment, both cats almost simultaneously turned their gaze forward, then quickened their pace to head over.
…
"Damn Hunter! Damn cats!"
Niji, who had just been "fixed," walked out of the laboratory. Because he was the fastest, he had slightly dodged Sherwin sword net earlier,
so his injuries were lighter than the other two, making him the first to be "repaired." But even though he was now back to normal, his mood was still foul.
Unfortunately for the maid who had been chasing after Klee Meow, she happened to run right into the ill-tempered Niji.
"What are you doing here? Is this a place for a servant like you?!" At that moment, Niji had no intention of showing mercy to a woman. He only wanted someone to vent his pent-up anger on.
"P-Prince, I was ordered by the Princess to accompany the little guest in touring the castle."
The maids of the royal palace all knew how difficult these princes were to serve. She quickly bowed and explained.
"Little guest?" Niji was stunned for a moment, then his expression twisted into a snarl. "You mean those cats?! What kind of guests are they?!"
Triggered by the reminder of his humiliation, Niji reached out, intending to grab the maid… After all, he had just been beaten badly by those so-called "guests" and was brimming with anger, with nowhere to vent it!
But just as his hand was halfway outstretched, a small red-and-white figure suddenly dropped down from above.
Klee Meow swiped at Niji hand, knocking it aside, and landed between the two of them.
"Ah! You're one of those idiots who almost got cut in half by Brother Sherwin, meow!"
∑(=ΦДΦ=)σThe little ragdoll smacked away Niji hand, then, as if realizing it afterward, raised her little paw to point at him and "honestly" said that.
"You're looking for death!"
Already bad-tempered and holding in a bellyful of anger, Niji instantly exploded. He lifted his foot and kicked straight toward Klee Meow little head.
However, after being forced to train by Huamei Meow for so long, Klee Meow efforts were clearly not in vain.
She didn't even use her elemental transformation relying only on her own trained skills, she easily dodged Niji attack.
After evading, the little ragdoll immediately made a face and continued taunting, "Can't hit me~ Can't hit me~ You stupid idiot can't hit Klee Meow~"
Smack!
Blue veins popped on Niji forehead. That previous kick, he had somewhat held back his strength, mindful of Sherwin presence.
But now he truly couldn't hold back anymore.Electric sparks burst across Niji body as he kicked toward Klee Meow again, this time at a much faster speed.
"Klee can use Lightning too, meow!"
Though Klee Meow speed was still slightly slower than Niji in her Felynes mode, her natural feline agility and Observation Haki prediction allowed her to evade even his full-strength attacks.
"Meow-hahaha~ You just can't hit Klee Meow~ Stupid~ Stupid~"
(ノ)`(ヽ)The little ragdoll dodged while making faces, continuing to taunt Niji, all while intentionally or unintentionally leading him toward the areas that those maids had previously blocked her from entering.
Growing more and more impatient, Niji even drew his electrified sword, but still couldn't land a hit on Klee Meow. Instead, he ended up destroying much of the decorations and structures along the way.
By the time Huamei Meow and Haibara Meow arrived, several walls had already been destroyed by Niji, exposing all kinds of experimental equipment inside, along with terrified scientists and lab assistants scattering in panic.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Niji chasing and attacking Klee Meow, while the little ragdoll only dodged without recklessly throwing bombs, Huamei Meow immediately dropped the urge to lecture her. Instead, her dislike for Niji deepened.
"Xiao Ai, find a place to hide for now, and don't get caught in the crossfire. I'll stop them, meow."
Knowing Haibara Meow wasn't strong enough, Huamei Meow gave her this warning first. Then she drew the longsword, Cangming, from her waist, her body also sparking with electricity as she charged toward Niji, who was still chasing Klee Meow.
Using the silent footwork she learned from Seijuro Meow, Huamei Meow flashed forward, appearing in front of Niji and intercepting his electrified sword.
"Stop right now, meow! Attacking a child as small as Klee—aren't you ashamed, meow?!"
"Huamei Big Sister, Klee didn't cause any trouble! This guy suddenly came out of nowhere trying to attack Klee. Klee even held back and didn't fight back, meow!"
The little ragdoll accused him first like a mischievous cat, though she wasn't exactly lying—Niji was indeed the one who attacked first. She had only spoken a few blunt truths…
Anyway, that exactly how Brother Sherwin usually handles things, meow!The more Klee Meow thought about it, the more justified she felt.
She even stopped running, placing her hands on her hips, raising her chin, and puffing out her chest as she stood proudly behind Huamei Meow.
Pouting and glaring with wide eyes, she continued to taunt Niji, who was now blocked.
＜(=へ=)＞
Seeing two more cats appear, Niji—who had just calmed down a little—was once again triggered without fail.
"Get out of my way! Or I'll kill you too!"
Seeing the other party relentlessly shouting and demanding a fight, Huamei Meow face darkened, her ears flattening as she revealed a sharp fang on each side of her slightly parted mouth.
"Ha—! If you have the guts, then repeat what you just said!"
(=◣皿◢=)Lord scarlet tiger glared viciously, the fur all over her body bristling as she let out a low growl.
Her voice wasn't loud, but even Niqi, who had never known fear, felt a chill crawl up his spine, a coldness shooting from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
Even the little ragdoll kitten standing behind Huamei Meow instinctively shrank her head.
Uuuu… why does Big Sister Huamei feel even scarier than usual, meow…
Klee Meow eyes darted around nervously, and she carefully shuffled back a few steps, sneakily planning to slip away.
Then she heard that blue-haired fool actually repeat himself: "Get out of my way! Or I'll kill you and that stupid cat behind you too!"
Before Niji even finished speaking, he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure erupting from the tabby Felyne standing in front of him, suffocating and impossible to ignore.