A disc about as wide as an adult man’s shoulders.

It was a bit large but still manageable to throw.

So, I’d thrown it far, only to find out it was a hoverboard meant for riding.

Items in a world with magic were truly difficult to understand.

"I’ve never seen anything like this before…"

"That’s normal. You can only use it in authorized areas, so it’s not something you see every day."

"Oh…"

So, there were specific places where you could use it.

Nodding in understanding, I suddenly realized something.

I’d never seen anyone riding a hoverboard in our park before.

"Is it okay to use this in the park?"

"Yeah, it’s fine for us."

"F-For us only…?"

Was this some kind of privilege where guild members could break the rules without consequence?

I didn’t like the idea of abusing power like that.

I hesitated, gripping the disc tightly.

As if reading my thoughts, Jeong Yuna quickly waved her hands.

"It’s not like that. On land owned by a guild, only guild members are allowed to use magic. The hoverboard counts as a kind of magic."

"Oh… is it for security reasons?"

"Exactly. If outsiders started using magic recklessly in guild territory, it could cause problems."

If it was a rule everyone followed, then it wasn’t really an abuse of power.

I decided it wasn’t something to worry about.

"Got it… but how do you ride this?"

I held the disc out to Jeong Yuna.

She didn’t take it, instead awkwardly scratching her cheek.

"It’s meant for kids, so it’s hard for me to ride. Saebyeok, want to give it a try?"

"Yes."

Saebyeok’s tail wagged furiously.

Levinas reached between the wagging tail with her fingers, like a child poking at a spinning fan.

Slap!

A sharp sound rang out where tail and fingers met.

Levinas jumped back in surprise, holding her fingers with a tearful expression.

"Levinas, are your fingers okay?"

"Yes…"

"You can’t just stick your fingers anywhere. You might get hurt."

"Okay… I won’t…"

I patted Levinas on the back to comfort her before handing the disc to Saebyeok.

She placed it on the ground and stepped onto it.

Whirrrr—!

The mana activated, and the disc began to hover.

Saebyeok’s body floated about a meter into the air.

"Whoa…!"

Levinas, who had been sulking moments ago, now looked on with wide, curious eyes.

She circled around Saebyeok, full of childlike wonder.

"Leader! The Queen of Darkness is floating!"

"Y-Yeah…"

Honestly, I found it fascinating too.

As I looked up at Saebyeok with curious eyes, she began moving around the tent area.

It felt like watching a hoverboard straight out of a sci-fi movie.

"Wow! Wowwww!"

Levinas jumped up and down, chasing after Saebyeok.

I followed Levinas, worried she or Saebyeok might get hurt.

"Hehe."

Behind me, I heard Jeong Yuna laughing softly.

I stopped running and turned to her.

"Isn’t this dangerous?"

"Not as much as it looks. It’s pretty safe and easy to control."

"Oh… but just in case, please keep an eye on them."

If the kids collided or fell from above, it could be serious.

I asked Jeong Yuna for help, as she was a mage, to prepare for any unexpected accidents.

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on them. And Gyeoul, don’t be too scared."

"Okay…"

They were beastfolk kids, after all.

Falling from a meter high probably wouldn’t hurt them much.

Trusting Jeong Yuna’s reassurance, I tried not to worry too much.

"When it’s your turn, I’ll pay extra attention."

"…?"

Shouldn’t she focus more on the kids?

I was about to protest when the children came toward me.

"Leader of Darkness! Levinas too! Levinas needs a turn!"

"Okay."

Even though floating around on the hoverboard seemed fun, Saebyeok stepped off without hesitation.

She was surprisingly selfless.

"Here I go…!"

Levinas stepped onto the disc.

Her body floated up gently.

"W-Whoa…"

Her legs trembled violently, not from fear but from struggling to balance.

Her shaky legs and the wobbling disc created an odd sight, yet she didn’t fall.

Beastfolk agility was truly impressive.

Maybe she’s actually doing a good job balancing?

I stared up at her in awe.

Tremble-tremble-tremble.

Levinas’s shaking became even more intense, as if there was an earthquake.

"The disc is sh-shaking!"

Her voice wobbled along with her body.

Eventually, after a long while, she came back down.

"Levinas, are you okay?"

She hadn’t been able to move as freely as Saebyeok.

What if she felt disappointed?

Worried, I fidgeted with my fingers in front of her.

But Levinas just jumped up and down excitedly.

"Leader! That was so fun!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Did you see me shaking like crazy?"

Levinas giggled and imitated her shaking movements.

Her ability to find joy in any situation was truly admirable.

It was a mindset worth learning, even from a child.

"Is it my turn now?"

"Yes!"

We took turns riding the hoverboard.

For some reason, whenever it was my turn, Jeong Yuna made sure to hold onto me.

It was probably because of my small stature.

Of course, I didn’t tell her she didn’t need to.

I enjoyed the fact that she held onto me.

We didn’t head home until evening.

The hoverboard was placed in Levinas’s treasure box.

That box usually only held her most prized possessions, like animal king trading cards or her shark plushie.

It seemed she had really taken a liking to the hoverboard.

"Kids, if you’re back, wash your hands first."

"Okay."

We washed our hands together in the bathroom.

Using the pump-style soap dispenser, we got thick foamy bubbles to scrub our hands with.

For some reason, Saebyeok always handled the soap.

If Levinas and I held out our hands, Saebyeok would pump foam onto them.

"You have to scrub thoroughly like this."

Saebyeok demonstrated as we followed her lead.

She often took charge in teaching us things like this.

As the oldest, it should’ve been my job, but since Saebyeok enjoyed it, I let her.

"Make sure to clean under your nails too."

"Okay."

"Got it!"

Saebyeok had a knack for teaching.

Maybe she’d become an instructor someday?

After washing up, we returned to the living room.

Levinas dried our wet hands with a towel.

I felt grateful for these kids who always tried to help.

"Are your hands clean now?"

"Yes."

I sat down next to Midsummer, who was holding her smartphone.

"Are you texting someone?"

"No, just browsing the internet."

"Oh."

I didn’t pry further since internet browsing was private.

As I turned my attention to the TV, Midsummer suddenly handed me her phone.

"Gyeoul, look at this. Doesn’t it look just like you?"

"This is…"

The screen showed a social media post titled, Gyeoul Collection.

"A collection of me?"

She said it looked like me, so it wasn’t actually me but something similar.

Curious, I scrolled quickly through the post.

"Huh."

It turned out to be nothing special—just a compilation of cat videos.

The clips showed kittens doing adorable or silly things.

Midsummer’s favorite was a video of a kitten trailing closely behind its owner.

"Does this really look like me?"

"Yes! It’s totally you!"

"Hmm…"

I didn’t see the resemblance at all.

Was it just because I was a feline beastfolk?

I turned to Saebyeok for her opinion.@@novelbin@@

"What about Saebyeok?"

"Saebyeok is similar too, but you’re an exact match."

"…"

What part of me looks like that?

Puzzled, I glanced down at myself.

Before I could dwell on it further, Levinas ran over, clutching her shark plushie.

"Wow! This one looks just like you, Leader!"

Levinas pointed to a video of a white kitten waddling over to its owner and flopping onto its side.

"You think that’s like me?"

"Yes!"

"…Why?"

"I don’t know!"

She didn’t know?

Maybe it was the vibe or atmosphere.

I thought about it for a moment before getting off the sofa.

"Even if we’re both cats, our walks are completely different."

I mimicked the kitten’s walk from the video

—tiny, dignified steps that were adorably deliberate.

As a feline beastfolk, it was easy for me to imitate a cat’s movements.

"You already walk like that, Gyeoul."

"I do…?"

I walk like that normally?

What does my usual walk even look like?

I blinked several times and approached Midsummer.

I decided to mimic the kitten’s action of flopping down beside its owner.

It felt embarrassing to act so out of character, but I wanted to prove my point.

"But I don’t normally do this."

I flopped onto Midsummer’s lap and looked up at her.

For some reason, she seemed flustered.

I could hear her heart pounding.

Her breathing grew uneven.

"Uh…!"

"Huh?"

"Wha-what is this, Gyeoul?!"

Midsummer wrapped her arms around me tightly.

Her embrace was so suffocating I couldn’t breathe.

Somebody save me.

I squirmed helplessly in her arms for what felt like an eternity.