Takahashi didn't pull his hand back. His whole body had gone rigid, as if his soul had been ripped out and his body frozen in place.
The thing felt strange to the touch: soft and cold, like cloth, though I couldn't tell what it was made of.
It pressed against Takahashi's hand and moved little by little, as if a small animal were rubbing against his fingers.
Once, twice...
It definitely wasn't the wind. It was some kind of living thing.
I didn't reach out to check. With just my eyes and my senses, I couldn't detect the thing at all.
But Takahashi's sense of touch wasn't lying.
The thing had appeared without warning, then vanished just as suddenly.
I kept holding my breath. I'd even lost track of how much time had passed.
Takahashi let out a breath. His rigid body seemed to be able to move again.
The people who had seen the cat also came out of their dazed state. Voices rose all around us, and someone nervously suggested that they go back to their rooms.
Takahashi tried to get up.
He braced his hand against the floor and raised his upper body.
Seeing this, some of the people nearby moved to help him.
Takahashi's hand was about to move away.
Something grabbed his fingers...
A hand! A human hand!
I stared wide-eyed, but I still couldn't see anything in the snow. There was nothing in the gap beneath the floor, either.
Takahashi panted heavily, his body going rigid again.
The fear that suddenly showed on his face left everyone stunned.
"Taka..."
The hand let go, then reached out again and grabbed Takahashi's wrist. Its nails dug into his skin.
"Ah!" Takahashi screamed. A monstrous force yanked him off his feet and flung him out of the