"Ah-choo!"
Without warning, an unbearable itch flared deep inside Greg's nose. He let out a loud sneeze, jolting awake.
He groggily opened his eyes. His vision blurred at first, then came into focus.
A jet-black cat sat squarely on his chest, her round rump planted right over his heart, her big, fluffy tail leisurely brushing his cheeks and the tip of his nose.
"...I knew it."
Greg's voice was hoarse with sleep and resignation. He raised a hand, caught the tip of the offending tail with a gentle pinch, and moved it away from his face.
"I told you not to put your paws on my face, so you switched to your tail?"
In her black-cat form, Nightmare lazily turned her head and glanced at him with slit pupils. Then she lowered her head and began leisurely licking the pads of her front paw, a faint purr rumbling in her throat. Her entire demeanor said, I do as I please. What can you do about it?
Greg shook his head and checked the time.
Eight in the morning.
There was still an hour until the Academy's first class of the day.
Before, he would have finished washing up by now and been ready to head out for his Student Council duties.
But now, a heavy fatigue permeated his entire body, from his muscles to his bones. The mental exhaustion, in particular, made even moving a finger feel like a chore.
Yesterday, thanks to a miraculous assist from the silver-tongued Wendy, Ellie's chief steward, he had finally managed to calm Ellie down just as she was about to lose control.
Things had been much simpler afterward.
Once they had agreed on their story, Greg had led Ellie, who had suddenly become remarkably quiet and even a little docile, back to the