Floating Disks and Feline Antics
The winter cat disk was roughly the width of an adult man's shoulders. It was a bit large, but not so big that it couldn't be thrown. I'd simply tossed it far away, yet it turned out to be a rideable board. Objects in a world with magic were truly baffling.
"I've never seen anything like this before..."
"Yeah. You can only ride it in designated areas, so it's not something you see often."
"Ah..."
So there were specific places where you could play on it. I nodded in understanding, then suddenly realized something. I'd never seen anyone riding a disk in our park.
"Can you ride this in the park?"
"Yeah. It doesn't matter for us."
"J-just us...?"
Did being part of the guild mean you could ignore the rules? I didn't like this kind of power abuse. Hesitating, I clutched the disk to my chest.
As if reading my thoughts, Yuna waved her hands frantically.
"Only guild members can use magic on guild-owned land. The floating disk is a type of magic too."
"Ah... is it for security?"
"Yeah. It'd be troublesome if outsiders used magic freely on guild grounds."
According to Yuna's explanation, it wasn't an abuse of power after all. If it was a rule everyone followed, there was no need to worry.
"I see... But how do you ride this?"
I held the disk out toward Yuna. She didn't take it, instead scratching her cheek awkwardly.
"It's made for kids, so I can't ride it. Want to try, Saebyeok?"
"Okay."
Saebyeok's tail began wagging at an incredible speed. Levinas slipped her fingers between the swinging tail. She looked like a child sticking her hand into a spinning fan.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out where the tail and fingers met. Startled, Levinas stumbled back several steps. She clutched her fingers with a pouty face.
"Levinas, are your fingers okay?"
"Ung..."
"You could get hurt, so don't go sticking your fingers anywhere."
"Ung... Got it..."
Pat pat. I tapped Levinas's back and handed the disk to Saebyeok. Saebyeok set the disk on the ground and stepped onto it.
Whirr!
Mana stirred, and the disk lifted into the air. Saebyeok's body, standing on the disk, rose with it. She seemed to have gone up about a meter.
"Whoa...!"
Levinas's pout vanished as her eyes widened like a horned rabbit's. With the pure curiosity only a child could show, she circled around Saebyeok.
"King! The darkness king is floating!"
"Y-yeah..."
Honestly, even I found it fascinating. Looking up at Saebyeok with curious eyes, I watched as she started gliding around near the tent. It was just like seeing a hoverboard from a sci-fi movie.
"Wow! Wooooow!"
Levinas bounced after Saebyeok. I chased after Levinas, worried the two might get hurt.
"Hehe."
Yuna's laughter drifted from behind. I stopped running and turned to look at her.
"Isn't this dangerous?"
"No. It's safer and easier than it looks."
"Ah... Still, just in case, could you keep an eye on them?"
It would be bad if the kids bumped into something or fell from up there. To prepare for any unexpected situation, I asked Yuna, the mage, for help.
"Got it. And Winter, don't be too scared either."
"Mm... Okay..."
They were beastkin kids. Even if they fell from a meter up, they probably wouldn't get seriously hurt. Just like Yuna said, I decided not to worry too much about them getting injured.
"I'll watch extra carefully when it's your turn to ride, Winter."
"......?"
Shouldn't she be watching the kids more than me? Just as I was about to say it was fine, the children came running over.
"Darkness King! Levinas too! Give Levinas a turn!"
"Okay."
Even though flying around on the disk looked fun, Saebyeok stepped off without a hint of greed. Landing, floating, and moving—I still had no idea how any of it worked.
"My turn...!"
Levinas stretched her foot toward the disk. Her body began to float gently upward.
"W-whoa..."
Shake shake shake. Levinas's legs trembled uncontrollably. It wasn't from fear, but because she couldn't keep her balance. Even as her legs and the disk wobbled wildly, she didn't fall. It was thanks to a beastkin's natural physical abilities.
At that level, wasn't she actually balancing pretty well? I looked up at Levinas with my mouth hanging open.
Shake shake shake shake. Levinas's trembling grew even more violent. It was to the point where I wondered if an earthquake had started.
"The disk is shaking so muuuuch."
Even Levinas's voice trembled along with her body. It was a long while before she finally stepped down from the disk.
"Levinas, are you okay...?"
She hadn't been able to move around freely like Saebyeok. I fidgeted with my fingers in front of Levinas, worried she might be disappointed. But contrary to my concerns, Levinas simply bounced up with a big smile.
"King! That was fun!"
"It was fun?"
"Yeah! Did you see Levinas shaking like crazy?!"
Levinas giggled and shook her body. I couldn't help but admire how she always found joy and happiness no matter the situation. Even as a child, she had an attitude worth learning from.
"Can I try riding it now?"
"Yeah!"
And so we took turns riding the disk. For some reason, Yuna only held onto me when it was my turn. It was all because of my small height. Of course, I didn't bother saying she didn't need to hold me. Just the fact that Yuna was holding me felt nice.
**
We didn't return home until evening. The disk went into Levinas's treasure box. It was a box that could barely fit things like the Animal King card or the shark plushie, yet she seemed to like the disk quite a lot.
"Kids, wash your hands first thing when you get home, okay?"
"Okaaay."
We washed our hands together in the bathroom. Using the hand wash that dispensed foam when you pressed it firmly, we cleaned up. I wasn't sure why, but Saebyeok was always the one to squeeze out the foam. When Levinas and I held out our hands, Saebyeok would dispense the foam onto them.
"You have to rub them thoroughly like this."
Saebyeok demonstrated by rubbing her hands together. She sometimes taught us things this way. As the oldest, it should have been my job, but since Saebyeok wanted to do it, I let her.
"You have to wash under your nails too."
"Okay."
"Got it!"
Surprisingly, Saebyeok had a talent for teaching. Maybe she wanted to become a teacher someday?
After washing our hands, we returned to the living room. Levinas dried our damp hands with a towel. I was grateful that the kids wanted to help.
"Did you all wash your hands?"
"Yes."
I went and sat next to Han Yeoreum, who was on the sofa. She was holding a smartphone.
"Are you texting?"
"No, I was just browsing the internet."
"Ah."
The internet was personal, so I didn't ask to see. I turned my gaze toward the television when Han Yeoreum held out her phone to me.
"Winter, look at this. It looks exactly like you, doesn't it?"
"This is..."
What she showed me was a post on social media. The title was "Winter Collection."
"A collection of me?"
Since she said it looked like me, it must be something similar to me rather than actually me. Curious, I quickly scrolled up on the phone.
"Huh."
The content of the post was surprisingly ordinary. It was filled entirely with cat videos. Baby kittens doing cute things or silly things. Han Yeoreum's biggest reaction was to a video of a cat following its owner around everywhere.
"Does it really look like me...?"
"Yeah! It's totally Winter!"
"Hmm..."
It didn't look the same at all to me. Was it because I was a cat beastkin that I got that feeling? For no reason, I turned my gaze toward Saebyeok.
"What about Saebyeok?"
"Saebyeok is similar too, but Winter is on a whole other level of identical."
"......"
Just what part of me was she looking at? Feeling puzzled, I looked down at my own body. Levinas, hugging her shark plushie, came running over to my side.
"Whoa! This one looks exactly like the king!"
Levinas pointed at a cat on the screen. It was a white cat walking over and flopping down next to its owner.
"This looks like me?"
"Yeah!"
"...Why?"
"I don't know!"
She didn't know. Maybe it was the atmosphere or something. I thought for a moment, then got off the sofa.
"Even among cat beastkin, our walking styles are different."
I imitated the cat's walk from the video. With my small body, I walked with a certain dignified yet adorable gait unique to cats. Maybe because I was a cat beastkin myself, copying a cat's movements came easily.
"...But Winter, you already walk like that normally?"
"I do...?"
I walked like this normally? Now that I thought about it, what was my usual walking style like? I blinked for a long while before approaching Han Yeoreum. I wanted to imitate the cat flopping down next to its owner. It was embarrassing to do something I didn't normally do, but I endured it to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Still, I don't just flop down like this."
I lay down in Han Yeoreum's lap and looked up at her. But for some reason, her condition seemed strange. I could hear her heart pounding. Her breathing naturally grew rough.
"Ugh...!"
"Ugh?"
"Uwaa! What is this?! What's going on, Winter?!"
Han Yeoreum pulled me tightly into her arms. My face was buried in her chest, making it stuffy and hard to breathe. Someone save me. I could only squirm in her embrace for a long time.