Kid looked at Jiang Xia, then at the Black Panther. "..."
...Animals liked him?
But why didn't this leopard's reaction seem quite right? It looked more like it was scared...
Kid: "..." No, that wasn't the point—the point was, what exactly about this leopard, which looked taller than a person when it stood up, had anything to do with a "small animal"??
Jiang Xia also noticed the Black Panther shrinking back.
His hand, raised in midair, paused as he cast a faint glance at the enlarged Eating Cat.
"!" Its beastly instincts stirred. The Black Panther resumed its halted steps, lightly trotting over to Jiang Xia's side. It docilely rubbed against his hand and even let out a flattering "Meow~."
Satisfied, Jiang Xia gave the leopard's head a few pets and scratched under its chin.
Kid, silently watching: "..."
They happened to be between two buildings, where there was little lighting.
Although Jiang Xia had turned on the flashlight on his phone after the police left, it was still dim around them.
Watching the leopard act cute and clingy in front of him, practically one step away from rolling onto the ground and showing its belly, Kid gradually dismissed his earlier suspicions—at night, it was hard to make out a black leopard's expressions and demeanor.
Kid figured that perhaps he had only thought the Black Panther was afraid because it was too dark and he had seen wrong. Of course, it might also have been wary of the presence of a stranger like him near Jiang Xia.
...Compared to that, the Black Panther's current clinginess toward Jiang Xia was quite clear.
Looking at it this way, perhaps Jiang Xia had a point in calling this Black Panther a "small animal"...
As he was thinking, the Black Panther's happily swishing tail