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Chapter 9
Dragon… he's changed ever since that day.
Every time I walk past him, he grabs me and starts sniffing nonstop.
"MEOW!!!"
LET ME GO!!
I'm exhausted from dealing with him.
Thankfully, Leopard has saved me a few times.
But whenever he does… that feeling of being protected makes me feel strange.
After all, I used to be a guy.
"Hey, want something to eat?"
Dragon tempted me with a fish.
"Meow…!!"
Even though I was scared, my instincts made me crawl back—
Only to get caught again.
"MEOW!!!!!!!"
Fear and exhaustion kept me from shifting back into my human form.
"Meow…!!"
And so… I escaped outside once more.
I decided to explore this world.
Even if it was all ruins, it was enough for a little adventure.
"Meow...?!"
A small cave appeared before me.
I crawled inside.
A strange place lay beyond it—
A cave leading deeper… into the unknown.
An abandoned base.
Dust-covered machines.
Scattered relics of something long forgotten.
Energy stones—glowing faintly.
It looked like someone had been mining them,
Then left everything behind in a hurry.
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