The Norwegian Forest Cat's Tribute

Perhaps drawn by the aroma of fried chicken, or perhaps because they had discovered that only a few young wizards had appeared in the woods, the cats that had fled earlier gradually sauntered back in twos and threes, utterly shameless—from the bushes, the treetops, cracks between rocks, tree hollows, and every other nook and cranny Zheng Qing could or could not think of, cats of all sizes emerged, a sight both eye-opening and astonishing.

"I never knew there were so many places to hide around here!" The black cat propped himself up on his tail and stood on his hind legs, turning his head this way and that as he watched his subordinates grooming one another and purring. He sighed with feeling. "Well, fuck me, that was enlightening!"

"It should be, 'That was really enlightening today!'" Fatty Xin immediately seized on the publicly funded student's slip of the tongue and brazenly reached out, as if intending to stroke the black cat's head. "You, a dignified Merlin Medal recipient and publicly funded student of Jiuyou Academy—how could you use foul language in front of minors?"

The black cat twitched his ears, shot the fat man's chubby hand a threatening sidelong glance, and bared a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Fatty Xin's hand snapped back at once and slipped back into the bucket of fried chicken, as though Zheng Qing had merely imagined his earlier intention.

"Meow." A tiny voice sounded beside Fatty Xin's feet.

Zheng Qing lowered his head. The Ragdoll Kitten had already finished the half piece of fried chicken on the ground and was sitting beside Fatty Xin, gazing longingly at the bucket in his arms. Its tail swished now and then, its eyes full of yearning.

Ragdoll Cats, nicknamed "puppy cats," were naturally quiet but also clingy by nature.