Why had I felt such fear from a simple yawn? I looked up at Yeoreum, but she only hesitated, not offering any explanation. It seemed I’d have to ask directly.

"What’s hissing?"

"Well…"

"Well?"

"Well… you know how cats hiss when they feel threatened?"

Yeoreum imitated the hiss of a fierce feline, almost like she was about to pounce on me and sink her teeth into my neck.

"Um, with Levinas here, it’s probably best not to show anything too scary…"

"R-Right. Sorry, that was a bit mean of me."

Accepting her apology, I glanced over at Levinas, concerned that …