“Hey!!! Let me get you—just once!” Elina puffed up her cheeks in a sulk, glaring at the mosquito clinging to the wall with her big, beautiful eyes.

That little pest seemed determined to get on her nerves. Every time she lunged, it slipped away with some ridiculously slick maneuver. So cheap—it reminded her of those sneaky campers in games who wouldn’t fight you, then taunted you while recalling back to base. And the worst part was, you couldn’t even kill the little thing. It was so grossing this cat out. What a terrible gaming experience!!!

There was another reason she didn’t want to waste the food. One hand had to hold the takoyaki, so she could only wait for Caro to bring the juice and have it with the takoyaki. That would make it easier to swallow. It was a little spicy, but it actually tasted pretty good.

Just as Elina was at her wits’ end with the mosquito,

a calm male voice sounded from behind her. “What are you trying to catch?”

The sudden voice made Elina’s body jolt. Had she really run into some creepy old guy? This dark alley really did look like the kind of place where those lewd doujinshi scenes were always set, meow!

No way. She had to run—now!

Elina immediately crouched low like a cat and hopped a few steps away, retreating into the corner. When she realized she had nowhere else to go, she crouched down, set the takoyaki aside, folded her arms across her chest, and warily stared at the boy in front of her. “What do you want?!”

Ryan covered his face with one hand. “Relax. I’m a good guy. I’m not after you. I just wanted to ask what you were hopping around trying to catch. And even if I were a bad guy, you should’ve run out of the alley. Why’d you run deeper inside? Were you waiting for me to catch you? You’re so silly.”

Elina realized at once how stupidly she’d acted. A blush rose to her cheeks, and she turned her head away, stammering, “Oh, I see, meow~ But I… I… Anyway, I’m not silly! Don’t call me silly! You’re silly! Your whole family’s silly!”

Looking at Elina’s adorable, embarrassed-and-annoyed expression, and hearing the meow at the end of her words that made his bones go soft, Ryan suddenly felt like teasing her mercilessly. But his reason told him he couldn’t. He was just an ordinary commoner, and there were lines he couldn’t cross. He forced himself to hold back and sighed. “So what exactly are you trying to catch?”

Elina realized she might have gotten a little carried away. She cleared her throat a few times, hesitated, then said, “A mosquito.”

“A mosquito? All right, I’ll catch it for you. Then you should get going.” Ryan sighed helplessly. Was catching mosquitoes the latest fad among noble ladies? Well, it wasn’t his business. He’d catch it for her and send her on her way. She’d probably come here by herself, and it wouldn’t be good to make her family worry.

“You’ll catch it for me? That mosquito’s really clever,” Elina said, tilting her head.

“No problem. I’m not like you noble ladies. In summer, there are so many mosquitoes in our homes that it’s unbearable. We have to swat them ourselves, so even the sneakiest mosquito is easy for us to deal with.” Ryan spoke confidently.

Elina nodded, only half convinced. “All right, go ahead. It’s on the wall. Look, over there.”

All she wanted was for the mosquito to disappear. Then she wouldn’t feel like swatting it herself.

Ryan checked where the mosquito was, nodded, then sprang straight toward it.

But the mosquito made a sharp, darting spin and dodged Ryan’s attack. Watching this, Elina sighed in disappointment. Figures. This guy was no good after all, meow~

……