[kakurenbo]
by blue_cage
The Cat Coalition
Kaneko liked cats. She'd liked them since last year her class raised kittens left in the park until they were adopted, and she found them adorable. She didn't get to play with them much before they were taken away, but from then on she would look for strays in the neighborhood, trying to befriend them.
Her mother told Kaneko in no uncertain terms that pets were not allowed in the apartment, saying the landlady didn't like animals messing with the furniture and wooden flooring, though Kaneko knew better. Her mother simply didn’t like cats, saying their poop smelled funny, and that cats were some of the most selfish creatures that walked the earth. But she did let her daughter collect Hello Kitty-themed items. So a shelf in Kaneko's room was brimming with the famous cat, from stuffed toys to pencil cases and the occasional fast food collectible. But they were only objects, and things didn't compare to a real live cat.
Kaneko saw the cat on her first day to school. Her mother had walked her that day to make sure she remembered the landmarks, and the tabby cat sunning itself under a tree. She'd stared at it for a good long while, watching the tail swish lazily back and forth, then turned away. If her mother noticed she would definitely tell her she could not go see the cat, and Kaneko really, really wanted to reach out and pet it.
She walked past the tree on her way home, but it was gone. Kaneko saw it again the next week. It was on the wall of the small studio across the park. Every day she'd walk closer and closer to the wall, memorizing the cat's features. There was a little notch on the cat's left ear, and its nose was a darker rose than the kittens. There was also a small bend on the cat's tail, like it was stepped and never healed quite right. And to Kaneko it was the cutest cat in the world.
She’d never given the cat a name. She would always call it the Cat in her mind, because she didn’t know if it was a he or a she. And just before school she'd stop to look at it, and sometimes it would look back, bored. She'd whistled and called to it, but the Cat was stubborn. Sometimes it would walk closer, looking at her like it was waiting for Kaneko to give it something, then jump back with its tail arched upwards if she tried to pet it. She figured it wouldn't hurt to try bribery, and when she passed by again this time she had a bit of sardine she snuck out from breakfast. Cat was on the same spot, but rolled over and ignored her when she offered the fish.
"Come on, all cats like fish," she urged. The cat yawned, and flopped back. It began to lick its front paw. She left the sardine on the wall and rushed off when she heard the first morning bell.
The next day she returned to the wall with some egg and ham, but again the cat ignored her. She never figured out if the Cat did eat it, or if some other stray finished the meal, but after classes Cat would be on the same wall, feigning disinterest when she passed by. They went on like this for a week, Kaneko determined to find a meal the Cat liked.
She finally figured out why it ignored her one morning. Kaneko was on her way to the Cat when she stopped, and didn’t turn at her usual corner. Instead she hid by the nearby electric post, trying to keep her head out of sight.
There was an orange-haired boy crouched by the Cat, and he was idly scratching behind the stray’s ear as the Cat nibbled on a piece of yakisoba bread. The Cat, done with her meal, jumped up the fence and began cleaning itself.
"Stupid," the boy said, but there was affection in his voice. "See ya tomorrow."
The boy whistled as he headed off. The cat stopped licking itself, and watched him leave. Kaneko wondered who the boy was, and if the cat never wanted breakfast because of him. It all made sense. If the Cat was eating in the mornings, it would say no to anything Kaneko gave, because cats didn't like to eat a lot in one go.
From then on she left school earlier, and the cat would eat the remains of her lunch. Kaneko never hung around to see if the boy would pass by with his own offering of food. She knew no one should find out about her feeding the Cat, the same way the boy probably kept his feeding the cat a secret. It was like a secret coalition for the care and feeding of the Cat on the wall, except the two members never met.
It lasted for a month. And then May turned to June, and the weather changed from sunshine to rain. Kaneko always went to school carrying her own umbrella, and the cat would sometimes be there, but was often gone for days at a time. The cat would eat whatever she offered though, and pleased, Kaneko would try to visit it again when the weather let her, to bring a bit of bread. She never saw the boy in the afternoons, and she took the time to persuade the Cat to come closer. Soon the Cat would sit on her lap for a bit after eating. She was always careful about brushing the cat hair from her knees before going home. She imagined what it would be like to bring the Cat home with her, but knew her mom would kick it out before she could enter their apartment.
It was a wet afternoon in mid-June when she met the boy again. She was on her way back home from the convenience store with a can of sardines for the Cat hidden among her purchases. The boy was by the wall, clutching something orange against his chest. She stopped walking. He looked up.
"Sorry, but do you know where's the nearest vet? I think the cat's sick."
She gave him directions, all the while looking down at the Cat huddled in his arms. It mewled and tried pawing the air. She asked, "But it's a stray, isn't it?"
The boy answered, "I'm adopting him now. I asked my sister about it and it's okay."
"Oh." So she was going to lose the Cat's company. He glanced up at her, then back at the cat, and then back at her. She flushed. It was almost like the boy knew exactly what she'd been doing all this time with the cat.
"Well I live two blocks from here. If you want to see him again and stuff, look for us. I'm Mitani."
"I'm Kaneko."
The Cat Coalition
Kaneko liked cats. She'd liked them since last year her class raised kittens left in the park until they were adopted, and she found them adorable. She didn't get to play with them much before they were taken away, but from then on she would look for strays in the neighborhood, trying to befriend them.
Her mother told Kaneko in no uncertain terms that pets were not allowed in the apartment, saying the landlady didn't like animals messing with the furniture and wooden flooring, though Kaneko knew better. Her mother simply didn’t like cats, saying their poop smelled funny, and that cats were some of the most selfish creatures that walked the earth. But she did let her daughter collect Hello Kitty-themed items. So a shelf in Kaneko's room was brimming with the famous cat, from stuffed toys to pencil cases and the occasional fast food collectible. But they were only objects, and things didn't compare to a real live cat.
Kaneko saw the cat on her first day to school. Her mother had walked her that day to make sure she remembered the landmarks, and the tabby cat sunning itself under a tree. She'd stared at it for a good long while, watching the tail swish lazily back and forth, then turned away. If her mother noticed she would definitely tell her she could not go see the cat, and Kaneko really, really wanted to reach out and pet it.
She walked past the tree on her way home, but it was gone. Kaneko saw it again the next week. It was on the wall of the small studio across the park. Every day she'd walk closer and closer to the wall, memorizing the cat's features. There was a little notch on the cat's left ear, and its nose was a darker rose than the kittens. There was also a small bend on the cat's tail, like it was stepped and never healed quite right. And to Kaneko it was the cutest cat in the world.
She’d never given the cat a name. She would always call it the Cat in her mind, because she didn’t know if it was a he or a she. And just before school she'd stop to look at it, and sometimes it would look back, bored. She'd whistled and called to it, but the Cat was stubborn. Sometimes it would walk closer, looking at her like it was waiting for Kaneko to give it something, then jump back with its tail arched upwards if she tried to pet it. She figured it wouldn't hurt to try bribery, and when she passed by again this time she had a bit of sardine she snuck out from breakfast. Cat was on the same spot, but rolled over and ignored her when she offered the fish.
"Come on, all cats like fish," she urged. The cat yawned, and flopped back. It began to lick its front paw. She left the sardine on the wall and rushed off when she heard the first morning bell.
The next day she returned to the wall with some egg and ham, but again the cat ignored her. She never figured out if the Cat did eat it, or if some other stray finished the meal, but after classes Cat would be on the same wall, feigning disinterest when she passed by. They went on like this for a week, Kaneko determined to find a meal the Cat liked.
She finally figured out why it ignored her one morning. Kaneko was on her way to the Cat when she stopped, and didn’t turn at her usual corner. Instead she hid by the nearby electric post, trying to keep her head out of sight.
There was an orange-haired boy crouched by the Cat, and he was idly scratching behind the stray’s ear as the Cat nibbled on a piece of yakisoba bread. The Cat, done with her meal, jumped up the fence and began cleaning itself.
"Stupid," the boy said, but there was affection in his voice. "See ya tomorrow."
The boy whistled as he headed off. The cat stopped licking itself, and watched him leave. Kaneko wondered who the boy was, and if the cat never wanted breakfast because of him. It all made sense. If the Cat was eating in the mornings, it would say no to anything Kaneko gave, because cats didn't like to eat a lot in one go.
From then on she left school earlier, and the cat would eat the remains of her lunch. Kaneko never hung around to see if the boy would pass by with his own offering of food. She knew no one should find out about her feeding the Cat, the same way the boy probably kept his feeding the cat a secret. It was like a secret coalition for the care and feeding of the Cat on the wall, except the two members never met.
It lasted for a month. And then May turned to June, and the weather changed from sunshine to rain. Kaneko always went to school carrying her own umbrella, and the cat would sometimes be there, but was often gone for days at a time. The cat would eat whatever she offered though, and pleased, Kaneko would try to visit it again when the weather let her, to bring a bit of bread. She never saw the boy in the afternoons, and she took the time to persuade the Cat to come closer. Soon the Cat would sit on her lap for a bit after eating. She was always careful about brushing the cat hair from her knees before going home. She imagined what it would be like to bring the Cat home with her, but knew her mom would kick it out before she could enter their apartment.
It was a wet afternoon in mid-June when she met the boy again. She was on her way back home from the convenience store with a can of sardines for the Cat hidden among her purchases. The boy was by the wall, clutching something orange against his chest. She stopped walking. He looked up.
"Sorry, but do you know where's the nearest vet? I think the cat's sick."
She gave him directions, all the while looking down at the Cat huddled in his arms. It mewled and tried pawing the air. She asked, "But it's a stray, isn't it?"
The boy answered, "I'm adopting him now. I asked my sister about it and it's okay."
"Oh." So she was going to lose the Cat's company. He glanced up at her, then back at the cat, and then back at her. She flushed. It was almost like the boy knew exactly what she'd been doing all this time with the cat.
"Well I live two blocks from here. If you want to see him again and stuff, look for us. I'm Mitani."
"I'm Kaneko."