The Cotton Paw Punch That Stopped the Tiger's Beam
The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, painting golden stripes across the bed.
Under the soft, comforting blanket, I felt my breath catch as I stirred awake.
“Uum… Blanc… it’s so warm…”
“Kyaaung…”
Let go, Butler…
My chest was pinned down by Princess Kailian’s slender white arm, blocking my ability to move.
Am I really a dead man?
I wriggled in her embrace, but Kailian’s hug was far too strong.
I was starving…
Inside my belly, the little me was demanding food with a tantrum.
I slowly turned my head and looked up at Kailian’s face. She was still fast asleep, completely unaware of the world.
The faint smile on her lips suggested she was enjoying a pleasant dream.
I’m starving here, but you’re sleeping peacefully?
The Butler who’s oblivious to my hunger was really annoying.
“Hey, wake up, Butler. I’m hungry and thirsty.”
I pressed my front paw firmly against her face, but she only mumbled in her sleep and showed no sign of stirring.
Guess I had no choice. I had to use my secret technique.
I extended my rough, scratchy tongue long and pointed it straight at her cheek.
Slurp. Slurp.
I licked the soft skin of her cheek with the fuzzy part of my tongue.
“Uum…”
Kailian’s eyebrows furrowed.
I didn’t stop. I kept going and licked her nose tip and then her forehead. She never lets me do this normally, but she’s letting me do it today.
“Uuu… it’s wet… and scratchy…”
Kailian blinked awake, rubbing her eyes. She looked at me with half-closed, sleepy eyes, then smiled brightly the moment she focused.
“Fwaah… so my Blanc woke me up?”
She pulled me into her arms and rubbed her face against mine.
“Sleep well? Our Blanc must be hungry, right? Let’s get you washed and fed first.”
Her voice was full of deep affection. I slipped out of her embrace and stretched lazily.
“Yeah… food. The important thing is food.”
While Kailian finished her morning wash and brushing her long silver hair, I was busy too.
I had to pay respects to the Emperor first thing in the morning. As a divine beast of the Imperial Palace, I needed a neat appearance.
I settled on the fluffy rug.
First, the right front paw.
Slurp, slurp.
I carefully cleaned the dirt trapped between my toes and made my paw pads shine like jelly beans.
Next, the belly fur.
I bent my waist flexibly to straighten the curls of my belly fur. Maybe because I’d eaten a bit extra yesterday, my belly looked slightly more prominent.
Finally, the face wash!
I gathered spit on my front paw and scrubbed it behind my ears.
“Perfect.”
Looking in the mirror, I saw a dazzlingly white fur ball sitting proudly.
Last, I took the water the maid brought, swirled it in my mouth, and spat it out.
“Oh, Blanc. You look even cuter today?”
After her grooming was complete, Kailian walked over and lifted me into her arms.
“Let’s go. His Majesty must be waiting.”
---
In front of the Emperor’s office.
The royal guards guarding the door straightened up the moment they saw us, offering crisp greetings.
“Her Highness the Imperial Princess and the divine beast! Good morning!”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Kyaa.”
Good morning.
Kailian waved her hand casually and opened the door.
The Emperor sat behind his massive desk, wrestling with piles of documents.
He moved his fountain pen with an air of solemnity, but my sensitive hearing caught every detail.
The moment the Butler opened the door, he was urgently sorting something.
“Your Majesty, I am here to pay my respects. I trust you have been well throughout the night?”
Kailian bowed her head.
I jumped down from her arms and approached the Emperor’s desk.
“Kyaa.”
Grandpa, good morning. I’m here.
I rested my front paw on the desk and wagged my tail.
Only then did the Emperor look up, as if he had just noticed us.
“You’ve come? I was so busy with state affairs I didn’t realize.”
Liar. He’d been peeking at me since the moment I entered.
The corners of the Emperor’s mouth twitched, and his stern expression finally crumbled.
“Your fur looks especially bright today.”
He stood up and pulled me into a tight hug.
“I heard something quite interesting happened yesterday.”
“Kyaaung.”
I spilled it!
I opened my mouth wide and showed him my beam. Unfortunately, the beam didn’t come out.
His hands kept stroking my back without pause.
“Kyaaung.”
The skill of getting exactly where it itches is the best in the world.
The way he strokes the itchy spots has reached an awe-inspiring level.
I rubbed my head against his beard. This was my service.
“Hahaha, as expected of my grandson. You look healthy today as well.”
The Emperor smiled as if he had the whole world. Kailian’s face next to him looked slightly stiff.
“Your Majesty, your daughter doesn’t seem to be around.”
“There’s no way. I’m always thinking about you.”
“… Yeah.”
Kailian turned her face away, embarrassed by the Emperor’s embarrassing words. The corner of her mouth was slightly upturned.
If I’d done this well with my tsundere Butler at the beginning, I’d have been the best.
At first we glared at each other to kill each other, but now we’re still a bit stiff, yet we can exchange sweet words.
“Kyaa!”
You’re full of energy from the morning.
I received strokes from the Emperor and Kailian as I finished my morning greeting.
---
Breakfast time.
Just like every other morning, the long table was filled with food.
But today’s breakfast table had a strangely tense atmosphere.
“… Hey.”
Kailian frowned and opened her mouth.
“Why are you two here?”
Her gaze turned toward the table opposite.
There, two uninvited guests sat as naturally as if they owned the place.
Saintess Lina and Tower Master Rosalia.
Lina had a graceful napkin draped around her neck, while Rosalia held a fork and knife, her eyes sparkling.
“Oh, Your Highness. Why such a sour face? Sharing breakfast builds bonds.”
Lina smiled brazenly.
“Exactly. And to analyze the divine beast’s nutritional intake, observing mealtime is essential.”
Rosalia stared straight at me while saying this.
Kailian shot a glance at the chef, who was standing like a criminal because he couldn’t raise his head.
Her eyes held the accusation that she had prepared everything yet the chef still couldn’t stop the saintess and tower master from pushing in.
“Kyaa.”
You’ve been working hard… The saintess and tower master barged in, what could the chef do?
“… These two really have their guts hanging out.”
Kailian pressed her forehead.
“This is the royal family’s private dining room! Go eat somewhere else!”
“I refuse.”
“We reject.”
Both women answered at the same time.
Kailian’s eyebrows twitched. She wrapped aura around her knife, ready to slice them at any moment.
“Kyaa! Kyaaung…”
Hey, stop! I’m hungry!
I grabbed Kailian’s arm to stop her.
“Kyaa!”
Hey, chef! Bring the food quickly!
At my desperate eyes, the chef signaled the kitchen and attendants wheeled in a cart full of food.
Steak, salmon salad, cream soup, freshly baked bread.
The aroma of the food spread, and the tense atmosphere instantly turned toward me.
“Kyaa!”
Eat first, then fight!
I sat at the table and tapped the surface with my front paw. Fight or no fight, I’m eating.
“Oh, the divine beast must be hungry. Come on, ah~.”
Lina quickly sliced the steak and held it to my mouth.
“Come on, since it’s breakfast, chew it properly.”
Slurp.
I accepted it without refusal.
“Divine beast, please try this too. It’s salmon. It’s very good for your health.”
Rosalia offered the salmon as well.
Slurp.
This tastes good too.
“These two… get out of the way! I’ll feed Blanc!”
Kailian sensed the danger and shoved them aside to join in.
“Blanc, I’m here. Eat this. I might be mixing in weird things.”
She piled mountains of meat onto my plate.
The three women’s hands kept feeding me nonstop.
“Here!”
“Here!”
“Blanc, look.”
My cheeks were stuffed full of food.
This was paradise.
In the end, I only got up from the table after my belly was completely full.
---
After breakfast, we went to the garden.
Warm sunlight, rustling breeze, and fragrant tea.
Everything was perfect.
Except for the saintess and tower master who followed me like stalkers.
Blanc, with a full belly, sprawled on the grass.
The white fur bundle sparkling in the sunlight healed anyone who looked at it.
“Phew… I feel like I’ve gained a bit.”
I set down my teacup and looked at Blanc.
Blanc had chased butterflies until he got bored, then flopped onto his back to bake a slice of bread.
The peaceful afternoon felt as calm as a dream after yesterday’s chaos.
At that moment, Blanc lying there slowly closed his eyes, lifted his head, and opened his mouth.
“Kyaaung…”
His small tongue curled, and his whiskers trembled.
It was clearly just a yawn. A completely natural bodily function.
But in my mind, yesterday’s scene flashed like a slideshow.
The white flash that cut through the sky and tore clouds, nearly blowing away the palace roofs.
And the exact angle his mouth opened now overlapped strangely with yesterday.
‘No.’
My instincts screamed a warning.
If another beam came out of that mouth right now? This time it might not just be the sky it destroyed.
‘I have to stop it!’
I didn’t think. I threw down my teacup and lunged.
“Blanc! No!”
I sprinted over and stretched both hands toward Blanc’s open mouth.
Thud!
My palms sandwiched his upper and lower jaws like a sandwich.
“Eep?!”
Blanc’s mouth was forcefully closed.
The yawn he was about to let out got swallowed back in.
“Haa… thank goodness.”
I gripped Blanc’s muzzle tightly with both hands, breathing heavily.
Thankfully, no light or smoke came out. It had just been a normal yawn.
I let out a sigh of relief and slowly loosened my hands.
“Phew… thank goodness. I thought you were shooting again.”
I smiled awkwardly and looked down at Blanc.
“Sorry, Blanc. Did I scare you? Because of what happened yesterday…”
But Blanc didn’t answer.
The moment I let go, he whipped his head around and glared at me.
The instant I saw his eyes, my heart dropped.
They were filled with deep betrayal, resentment, and distrust.
His pupils were wet.
‘I was just sleepy and about to yawn…’
Blanc’s eyes were saying exactly that.
Because his mouth had been forced shut, he had slightly bitten his tongue. Blanc smacked his lips and then let out a long, deep sigh toward me.
“… Kyaa.”
“Ah, no… Blanc. That’s not…”
Just as I was about to explain, Blanc’s front paw slammed down on my hand back.
Thud!
“Huh?”
Slap! Slap-slap! Thud!
Blanc didn’t stop there. With a furious expression, he started rapidly striking my arm with his front paw.
“Ouch! Blanc! Sorry! I’m really sorry!”
I raised my arm to block, but Blanc’s anger didn’t subside.
Slap! Slap!
His long fluffy tail whipped like a whip and smacked my calf.
“Ow! It hurts! Talk!”
“Kyaa! Kyaaang!”
It’s noisy! I won’t play with you! I hate you!
Blanc pushed me with his paw, smacked me with his tail, and even bit my sleeve, causing chaos.
“Okay! I was wrong! I’m sorry! I’ll give you a special treat tonight!”
The moment I shouted, Blanc’s cotton-paw punches froze in mid-air.
Blanc stood there with his front paw raised, staring at me.
“Kyaa.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then lowered the paw he’d been striking with. He let out a fart and turned away.
But he didn’t go far.
He plopped down on my leg with a loud thud as if to show off, then peeked at me and once again opened his mouth wide to yawn.
“Ha-aaam…”
This time the beam didn’t come out.
I let out a sigh of relief and rubbed my swollen hand back.
Even though my hand back hurt, Blanc’s body heat leaning against my leg was warm.
I stroked Blanc’s back and made a vow.
If the beam comes out again next time, I’ll just take it… calming a pouting Blanc would be even harder…