"Can someone tell me what exactly happened here?"
Sherwin pressed his swollen temples and looked gloomily at the embarrassed-looking Huamei Meow.
Those unconscious fishman guards were obviously the work of huamei technique, but wasn't Huamei supposed to keep the other Felynes from causing trouble? How did she end up acting herself?!
"Mm… this might not be Miss Huamei fault either, meow…" The only one who hadn't gone to tour Ryugu Palace—Seijuro—spoke up to defend the others.
"This mermaid princess scent is far too enticing for us. Even I'm feeling the urge to join in right now, meow."
While Seijuro spoke, his eyes never left Shirahoshi tail, and the tail behind him kept swishing nonstop.
So Poseidon had such a bizarre trait?
The corner of Sherwin mouth twitched violently.
"Waaah! Father! Save me! They want to eat my tail—it too scary!"
Seeing her father and brothers appear, Shirahoshi immediately dove into King Neptune arms.
The little Felynes clinging to her tail were caught off guard and went tumbling.
Only Jinx still had her mouth firmly latched on, getting dragged along all the way to Sherwin group.
"Let go of your mouth already! Can't you see you're scaring her to tears?!"
Sherwin rushed over, grabbing the scruff of the little blue cat and yanking her off Shirahoshi tail.
"I wasn't even biting hard! It not like a little nibble would take off any meat, meow! Just let me gnaw for five minutes! Three minutes is fine too, meow!"
Jinx stared longingly at the "delicacy" growing farther away, stretching out her paws in a dramatic "cat" pose.
Fortunately, Sherwin Kato-cat handling skills were reliable.
After some firm discipline, the little blue cat finally stopped fussing, curling obediently in his arms and purring—though her eyes still wandered toward Shirahoshi from time to time.
Terrified, the mermaid princess tried her best to hide her enormous body behind King Neptune.
"Ahem… well… sorry. I didn't expect something like this to happen either."
Sherwin gave an awkward smile, then waved at the troublemaking Felynes. "You four, get over here and apologize!"
"Sorry, meow. Klee Meow didn't mean it. It just that you smell so good, meow… slurp."
(=Φ﹃Φ=)
Already well-practiced in the routine of cause trouble → apologize, Klee Meow hopped onto Sherwin shoulder and spoke with a guilty look.
But as she apologized, the little ragdoll attention drifted once again to Shirahoshi deliciously fragrant tail.
"Sorry~ mermaid sister. I didn't really want to eat you. I just wanted to lick a little, meow~ For us cats, licking is actually a way of showing closeness~ So… could you let me lick you again, meow?"
(=Φ＜=)
Shermie gave Shirahoshi a mischievous wink, then licked her lips.
"Mm. I only wanted to study the source of the scent. Maybe I can use it in future potions to improve their aroma, meow."
Haibara Meow stated solemnly, spouting nonsense with a perfectly straight face.
"Purrr… Hmph, do you know what my three guns mean? They mean—absolutely no apologies, meow!"
Jinx lifted her chin proudly after Sherwin flicked her on the head. Then she abruptly changed tone.
"But if you let me gnaw for a bit longer, then… maybe we can negotiate, meow."
The apologies of the Four Little Felyne Kings only made Princess Shirahoshi—already trembling behind King Neptune—shake even harder.
"Uuuuu… Father! The cats are scary!"
Sherwin stared speechlessly at the four little Felynes, then glanced at Huamei Meow for help.
But Huamei Meow only gave a strained, guilty smile and looked away…
She had originally planned to scold the little Felynes sternly, but remembering she was the first one who acted, she simply couldn't bring herself to lecture them now.
So Huamei had no choice but to pretend she didn't notice Sherwin gaze.
Head lowered, she followed the other Felynes forward to apologize to Princess Shirahoshi.
Compared to the four little troublemakers who always created a fuss even while apologizing, the remaining four Felynes behaved far more normally.
But with such "performances" going first, their sincere apologies had little effect.
The timid princess continued hiding behind her father and brothers, not daring to make even the slightest eye contact with the Felynes.
Seeing her like this actually made the little Felynes feel embarrassed. They might be mischievous, but deep down, they were still kind-hearted.
Especially Klee Meow, who could sense the emotions of others. The moment she felt the fear in Shirahoshi heart, she immediately jumped off Sherwin shoulder and darted onto the princess.
"Don't be mad~ Klee knows she was wrong. Please forgive Klee, okay, meow?"
(=ω=)
The little ragdoll stretched her neck and rubbed her head under Shirahoshi chin, acting spoiled.
"Uu… huh?"
Still wiping her tears, Shirahoshi lowered her head and found Klee Meow gazing up at her pitifully with wide, shining eyes.
(=ω=)
"Klee won't scare you again. Please don't cry, meow~" The little ragdoll reached out her paw, gently tapping Shirahoshi cheek with her soft, pink pad.
Shirahoshi had been startled when the small cat head suddenly approached, but the pure goodwill radiating from Klee Meow quickly melted her fear.
The princess who had been screaming moments ago now gradually calmed down.
And as she settled, the Observation Haki she inherited from Queen Otohime began to respond.
She couldn't hear hearts as Otohime once did, but sensing emotions—just like Klee Meow—came easily…
One of the biggest reasons she had been terrified earlier was that her Observation Haki clearly felt the overwhelming aggression of the Felynes who had gone into "hunting mode."
"R-Really… you're really not going to eat me?"
Feeling the shift in the Felyne attitude, Princess Shirahoshi burst into relieved tears. "That wonderful… uwaaaah! I was so scared just now!"
But this time, after crying for a short while, she quickly calmed down with King Neptune and Klee Meow soothing her.
And to cheer her up faster, King Neptune even told her a piece of good news that wasn't fully confirmed yet—
"Oh, Shirahoshi, Sherwin agreed to help us capture Vander Decken, so soon you won't have to hide in the Hard-Shell Tower any—"
King Neptune suddenly froze mid-sentence.
"Wait! Vander Decken! Shark Star! Emperor Star! Flip Star! Hurry, close the door!"
Almost as if to match his fears, a massive short sword suddenly flew in from afar, shooting straight toward the completely unguarded Princess Shirahoshi.
"Fish-Man Karate: Shark Tile Punch!"
Jinbe jumped up immediately, throwing a punch toward the incoming blade.
But Shermie moved even faster…
"Lightning Style: Chidori Meow!"
Her body crackled with electricity as she leapt ahead of Jinbe, slapping her paw against the huge short sword hurled by Vander Decken, successfully stopping it.
After the attack was dealt with, King Neptune hurriedly led his sons to quickly seal the Hard-Shell Tower, while Sherwin explained Shirahoshi situation to the Felynes.
"Don't worry, Big Sister Shirahoshi! Klee will definitely help you take down that bad guy, meow!"
(=`н=)
The little ragdoll who had already become friends with Shirahoshi within moments puffed up her cheeks and promised indignantly,
"When it comes to finding people, Klee is the best at it, meow!"