The boy was knocked to the ground, with two people pinning down his arms.
The remaining person was about to hit him when he saw the marks on his face from where the boy had struck him earlier.
The boy kicked at him with all his strength.
He struggled desperately.
But one person's strength could never overcome that of three.
Just as he braced himself to be given a brutal beating, "Meow~"
A shrill cat's cry rang out.
It was followed by an even more miserable human scream.
The boy froze.
He instinctively got to his feet, only to realize that the people pinning down his arms had let go at some point.
He looked up. "...Little Black?"
The Little Black Cat stood majestically in front of him, while his three classmates covered their faces and hands, all of them grimacing in pain.
When the one covering his face lowered his hand, the boy finally saw the scratches across his face.
An enlightened look appeared on his face.
"Meow~"
The Little Black Cat lowered its body, and the deep, dangerous sound rumbling from its throat carried an unmistakable warning of attack.
It was completely different from the slightly childish meow he had heard before.
The three across from it exchanged glances, the wounds still aching faintly.
They grew wary.
"We're going back."
"It's getting late."
After saying one of these things each, two of them turned and left.
The third followed.
The one bringing up the rear seemed unwilling to give up and turned back to glare viciously at the boy.
"Meow~"
The Little Black Cat scraped at the ground with its claws, producing a harsh scratching sound.
The boy was startled, and his hand instinctively covered the mark the cat had just scratched into him. The pain became