Yukima Azuma, embarrassed, quickly turned his eyes away.
"Ah, that's right, I still haven't thanked Kato-san for helping me bandage the wound."
"That's a bit annoying, you know," Megumi replied with a playful smirk.
"Huh?! Why's that?"
"Aren't we friends? There's no need to thank each other for things like that. Or...?"
"Stop, stop! Of course, we're friends!" Yukima Azuma quickly interjected, flustered.
It was rare for Yukima Azuma to feel unsure of how to respond.
They both arrived at the supermarket near the school station, the same place they had visited during the spring break, to buy the cooking ingredients.
Afterward, they headed toward the station.
But halfway there, they stopped in a narrow alley.
The sound echoed, a little pitiful yet full of life.
"Nyan~ nyan~ nyan!"
Both Yukima Azuma and Kato Megumi looked toward the source of the sound.
It was a small cardboard box placed at the end of the alley, and inside was a tiny gray kitten curled up.
Its fur was matted and unkempt from lack of care, but its eyestwo different colorsstood out the most.
One eye was golden, and the other was a pale blue.
"Looks like it's been abandoned, doesn't it?" Yukima Azuma remarked.
"Seems like it," Megumi replied softly.
"Do you want to adopt it?" he asked.
"My house probably isn't an option. My mom's allergic to animal fur," Kato Megumi said, her expression tinged with a little sadness.
"Then I guess the only option left is to take it to an animal rescue center," Yukima Azuma sighed.
"My house has a tenant. It would be a bit irresponsible to suddenly adopt a stray cat," he added.
This time, Kato Megumi didn't respond.
"Do you know of any animal rescue centers nearby, Kato-san?" Yukima Azuma asked.
Megumi seemed to be thinking for a moment, hesitating to answer.
Seeing this, Yukima Azuma took out his phone to search for one.
"I think there's one nearby. Let me take you there," Megumi said, standing up.
Yukima Azuma nodded and carefully picked up the box containing the kitten.
The kitten seemed to sense the movement, curling further into the corner of the box.
Yukima Azuma gently reached into the box and stroked the kitten's matted fur to calm it.
Seeing this, Kato Megumi suddenly reached out her hand and gently touched the kitten.
"If you scare it, it might jump out of the box and run away," Kato Megumi warned.
He turned to look at Kato Megumi, slightly puzzled.
Over the time they'd known each other, Megumi had always been so cautious and thoughtful. It was rare for her to do anything that might cause trouble.
"Yeah, it could run away," she said, poking a different part of the kitten's body.
Yukima Azuma raised an eyebrow at the scene.
The kitten didn't run away. It merely flicked its tail, brushing it lightly against Megumi's fingers.
Together, they carried the kitten to the nearest animal rescue center.
— —
hmm, I checked my library and saw that a lot of the translated stories had been taken down, which made me a bit scared.
— — — — — — — — — — —
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Chapter 43: Adopt a kitty
The two of them carried the cat and walked to the wild animal rescue center.
The staff there immediately approached them. After listening to the situation, they began preparing to take the cat.
"Ah, have you two considered adopting it?"
Before taking the cat, the staff asked.
Yukima Azuma gently shook his head.
"I really want to, but for practical reasons, I don't think it will be possible."
Hearing that, the staff just responded with an "oh" and said nothing more.
Yukima Azuma looked at the cat in the box.
Its eyes were two different colors, one yellow, the other light blue, shining with a rare beauty.
"Can I visit it later? I feel a connection with it, and I can also donate some cat food."
Yukima Azuma asked.
The staff looked a bit stunned at first, then immediately shook their head.
"I'm afraid not. If you want to do it, do so now; there may not be another chance."
This made Yukima Azuma furrow his brows.
"What do you mean there won't be another chance?"
"We'll post its information on the adoption website. If someone adopts it within the given time, it will be taken away. But if no one adopts it by the deadline, on the next euthanasia day, Tuesday or Friday, it will be put down."
Upon hearing this, Yukima Azuma looked at the cat in the box again.
Its two-colored eyes, even in this situation, still glimmered with captivating beauty.
"Take me to do the adoption procedures."
Yukima Azuma said softly.
The staff immediately smiled upon hearing this.
"Please follow me. Do you have your ID with you?"
"Yes."
"If you adopt, you'll need to get at least one vaccination."
"Do all the necessary tests and vaccinations. Is there a service to bathe cats here? I'm not professional enough to bathe it clean in this condition."
"Yes, after you fill out the form, we'll give it a bath."
"Also, prepare some essentials for me like food, a litter box, and cat litter."
"Yes, you're such a kind person."
After filling out the form, the staff joyfully took the cat inside.
A guy who was willing to spend money on a stray cat like this was likely to be a good owner, not just acting on impulse.
Even though she worked here, she didn't want to see any cats die by euthanasia.
While waiting for the cat to be bathed and checked, Yukima Azuma turned his gaze toward the side, where Kato Megumi was standing.
Kato Megumi avoided his gaze, feeling a bit guilty.
Yukima Azuma reached out and gently pinched her cheek.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought Yukima-san already knew..."
"If you were worried, you should have told me directly," Yukima Azuma said, pulling her cheek a bit harder. "Aren't we friends?"
The words Yukima Azuma had just used to question him were now thrown back at her, word for word.
Even a calm and composed girl like Kato Megumi couldn't avoid looking away at this moment.
Yukima Azuma felt both annoyed and amused.
What Kato Megumi had done earlier, poking at the cat, was clearly an attempt to scare it into running away.
That way, it wouldn't be taken to the rescue center and face euthanasia.
Yukima Azuma didn't know the regulations of rescue centers in Japan, but Kato Megumi must have known very well.
Yet, she kept it all to herself, not saying a word.
And still had the nerve to ask, "Aren't we friends?"
Thinking back on it made Yukima Azuma laugh.
"Taking a stray cat to a rescue center is the right thing to do. If I had said anything, it would have made Yukima-kun feel awkward, like adding more moral burden," Kato Megumi explained when she saw his anger.
In response, Yukima Azuma raised his other hand and pinched both of her cheeks.
"That's why I said, aren't we friends? From now on, just call me by my name!"
Kato Megumi's cheeks were stretched out, and she stammered:
"Az... Azuma-san..."
Yukima Azuma released her.
"Hey, Kato Megumi, please try to be consistent next time, both in your demands for others and for yourself, okay?"
"Don't be so strict with yourself like a saint, while being lenient and lowering standards for others."
Kato Megumi seemed like she wanted to say something in response.
But when her eyes met Yukima Azuma's, she lowered her head and quietly mumbled, almost indistinguishably:
"Got it... Azuma-san."
The wait wasn't short.
Finally, the staff came out, holding a small cat, completely white like snow.
"It's been bathed, nails trimmed, and dewormed both inside and out. These services are all free of charge."
"The vaccination, however, does have a fee. From now on, you'll need to bring it in once a month for three months, and after that, just once a year."
"The cat care supplies have been prepared over there. If there's anything you don't need, you can return it."
Yukima Azuma nodded.
Compared to thinking about the cost, Yukima Azuma's attention was entirely focused on the cat.
The little cat, which had initially appeared grey, now had fur as white as snow.
It was hard to believe.
If it weren't for the staff's certainty, Yukima Azuma might have suspected that the cat had been swapped for another.
He gently cradled the cat.
Yukima Azuma felt like he was holding a puff of cloud.
The soft fur of the cat fluffed up, emitting warmth, and its eyes, with their two colors of golden yellow and light blue, were still breathtakingly beautiful.
The tiny pink paws of the cat pressed against Yukima Azuma's arm, and the sensation was incredibly soft.
"I didn't expect this little one to be a shiyu-shouhyou-ren."
Yukima Azuma sighed in awe.
Kato Megumi tilted her head, curious.
"Shiyu-shouhyou-ren?"
"Yeah, it's a term in Chinese culture used to describe cats that are completely snow-white with eyes of two different colors like this."
"Sounds really sophisticated. Are there any other names?"
"There's a whole naming system. For example, if the body is black but the paws are white, it's called 'Twilight Spring, Searching for Plum Blossoms'; if the back is completely black, with a white belly and paws, it's called 'Black Cloud, White Snow on the Belly'"
(*t/n: i think so...?*)
"Sounds like poetry."
"Yeah, it does."
Yukima Azuma and Kato Megumi looked at each other and laughed.
Holding the cat in his arms, they both walked out of the rescue station.
"I think I'll take a taxi back to the apartment. This little one can't take the subway."
Yukima Azuma said as he looked down at the cat, curled up in his arms.
"Let me help. After all, I was the one who found it with you. Now that Azuma-san has adopted it, I should take some responsibility too."
Kato Megumi raised her small hand, looking serious.
Chapter 44: Kato Megumi: Ill Take Responsibility!
Chapter 44: Kato Megumi: I'll Take Responsibility!
Since she said she would take responsibility, Kato Megumi followed Yukima Azuma back to his home.
The process left Yukima Azuma quite surprised.
He pulled out his keys and opened the large door of the apartment.
"Sorry for the trouble," Kato Megumi said as she stepped into the foyer.
Yukima Azuma glanced down the hallway toward the living room, and upon seeing that there were no small shoes belonging to Kasumigaoka-senpai, he suddenly remembered.
Earlier, Kasumigaoka Utaha had mentioned that she would be busy with work, promoting her fourth book at the Fushikawa publishing house. She would be home late and might not even have dinner here.
"It looks like Azuma-san's tenant isn't home?"
Kato Megumi looked into the empty living room, her gaze finally resting on the coffee machine in the kitchen.
"Yeah, that person has work today and won't be back until later."
Yukima Azuma replied truthfully.
He took a new pair of cherry blossom-colored slippers from the shoe cabinet.
Luckily, after the incident with Sora Ginko stepping on his slippers, Yukima Azuma had prepared some new pairs, and now was the time they came in handy.
Kato Megumi took the slippers and smiled softly.
She placed the pure white cat on the floor.
The cat cautiously looked around. Once it sensed no danger, it began sniffing around.
Kato Megumi and Yukima Azuma then found an empty room on the first floor.
After preparing essentials like a cat bed, climbing toys, and a litter box, Yukima Azuma continued with his tasks.
Once the litter was in place, he started to feel anxious.
"How do I teach it to use the litter box? If it goes everywhere it'll be such a hassle."
He thought about Kasumigaoka Utaha's likely annoyed expression and felt a headache coming on.
"Hmm, it's not difficult," Kato Megumi said, stepping out of the room and bringing the cat back inside.
She placed it in the litter box.
Then, Kato Megumi took a cup of water from a corner of the room and poured it over the litter.
She continued by gently taking the cat's two small paws and started digging in the litter.
After just a few scoops, the cat instinctively began covering its waste.
Seeing this, Kato Megumi let go of its paws and clapped her hands together.
"Cats have an instinct to bury their waste to hide the scent and avoid detection by enemies. It's in their naturejust a little stimulation, and they do it right away."
Yukima Azuma clapped his hands in praise.
"Megumi-san, you're really good at this."
"It's nothing special. I just watched a few videos on YouTube to learn," Kato Megumi said, watching as the cat finished burying its waste and jumped out of the litter box.
She then took a toy wand from the new cat playset, opened the packaging, and handed it to the cat.
"You need to create a reward-and-punishment system. That way, it's easier to train a cat."
"Should we give it a name?" Kato Megumi asked, offering the cat some food as she looked up at Yukima Azuma.
Yukima Azuma nodded.
"Do you have any ideas, Megumi-san?"
"Since it's your adopted cat, Azuma-san, I think you should name it."
"Hmm..." Yukima Azuma looked at the cat and thought for a moment. "How about Shiratamaru?"
And so, the name Shiratamaru was decided.
"Shiratamaru, be a good cat," Kato Megumi called its name and gently scratched its chin.
Shiratamaru clearly wasn't used to its name yet.
However, it let out a happy "grr-grr" sound when Kato Megumi scratched it.
After settling everything for Shiratamaru, Yukima Azuma glanced at the clock and couldn't help but exclaim.
"It's late, past dinner time already."
It was inevitable; after class, they had to go to the animal rescue station, then wait for the cat to be bathed. It had taken up a lot of time.
"Stay and have dinner with me," Yukima Azuma suggested.
"Sure, is there anything I can help with?" Kato Megumi asked.
"Do you know how to cook, Megumi-san?"
"Just a little."
They both walked into the kitchen.
Kato Megumi's "just a little" was clearly very modest.
Although she was only assisting, her handling of the ingredients was swift and efficient, and the quality was excellent.
