My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 652

Have you seen my calico cat?

The squad leader shook his head, then said casually:

"It seems my cat has run away too."

I can't understand it. Even though it's a stray cat, and her own cat is missing, how can she be so calm?

"It's a shame, but that's just how cats are."

That's what the class monitor said.

I still remember that sentence.

We rescued it from the drain, fed it every day, and took good care of it, but it still disappeared without warning.

Is that something a cat should take for granted?

Are cats really that kind of creature?

The thought of it makes me feel betrayed, I can't accept it, and I'm extremely sad...

So I gave up looking for the cat.

After that, I tried my best to avoid thinking about that kitten. I never met the girl with the braided hair again, and my daily life returned to the state before I met that kitten.

"...Yes, that's about it."

Yuihama concluded with this sentence.

"It's not really a sequel, but I learned a little cat fact later. I think you all know that cats seem to disappear when they're nearing their end... It would be so sad if that cat hid away because it didn't want me to see it looking weak."

She was clearly depressed, and Yukinoshita kindly comforted her:

"...Your cat must be very happy."

"Yukino... thank you."

The two gazed at each other tenderly.

I couldn't say a word. The story Yuihama told kept swirling in my mind.

She got up from Yuihama Station.

"Perfect timing, let's go to the cat cafe."

Yukino and I agreed and left the clubhouse.

The sky began to darken.

As Yuihama walked through the school gate, she suddenly stopped.

"Oh! I forgot my phone! Sorry, I'll go get it right away, just a moment!"

Yuihama rushed back to the school building without waiting for our response.

I was left standing with Yukinoshita in front of the school gate.

I solemnly opened my mouth, which had been closed the whole time.

"...Hey, Yukinoshita."

"What's up?"

"What Yuigahama said—"

"Hikigaya-san."

Yukino interrupted me, staring straight at me.

His gaze held a hint of reproach.

"I think it's a sad story... but it's all in the past. There's no point in thinking about it now."

"...Yes. You're right."

I nodded and shut my mouth, waiting for Yui to return.

Yukinoshita probably thinks the same way I do.

She realized it too.

Yuihama's cat probably didn't disappear because it knew its death was near.

After Yui returned, the three of us headed to the cat cafe together. It seemed to be located just a few minutes' walk from the school. It was also the first time for the two of them to go.

Yuihama and Yukinoshita walked and chatted together, while I followed behind them alone.

Occasionally, Yui would bring up a topic for me, but I was thinking about other things and could only respond absentmindedly.

Other things. Needless to say, it's about Yuihama's cat.

I pondered repeatedly, as if searching for hope, or rather, as if trying to dispel unease, but all I came to was a tragic conclusion.

Yuihama believed the cat had disappeared because its "death was imminent."

Before hearing that story, I thought so too. Cats that have been domesticated but haven't lost their wild instincts will run away if they know they're about to die, unless they trust their owners completely.

If a cat loses a battle for territory or can't find food, it will run away to a faraway place and never come back.

However, this time it is neither of the two.

I believe the cats disappeared because of human intervention.

To be more specific, I suspect the culprit is the girl with the braided hair.

The girl with braided hair wanted to take over caring for Yui's cat, but was refused. The next day, Yui's cat disappeared. I really don't think the two things are unrelated.

Let's revisit the story of the girl with braided pigtails.

Why did she approach Yuihama's cat? Because her friends in the same apartment building were all focused on the cat, leading to her being ostracized. The girl with the braided hair definitely wanted to reconcile with her friends, so she wanted to find common ground.

It's Yuihama's cat.

Is the girl with braided hair trying to get Yuihama to let her take care of her cat so she can fit into her social circle?

However, Yuihama refused.

So the girl with the braided hair resorted to force.

She stole the cat while Yui was away. After that, all I had to do was hide the cat well to avoid Yui finding out, and only bring it out when I was playing with my friends... I've thought about that before, but it's difficult.

First, the girl with the braided hair lives in the same apartment building as Yui. I don't think she can hide forever. Therefore, the girl with the braided hair must take over the cat with Yui's permission.

But as I just mentioned, Yui rejected the girl with the braided hair. The girl with the braided hair had no choice but to give up Yui's cat.

So what will she do?

How can I avoid being ostracized?

The girl with braided pigtails should be quite annoyed. She's probably thinking of solutions like a primary school student.

After fretting over it, I guessed that this thought crossed her mind.

As long as there are no cats, it's fine.

Ultimately, the reason the girl with the braided hair was ostracized was because of the cat. If she could get rid of the cat, wouldn't she be able to go back to the life where the three of them played together? She thought to herself.

But how do you get rid of the cat? Catching it yourself? It's not impossible, but the cat might come back. And if a friend sees it, it won't just be a matter of ending the friendship.

We need to rely on the strength of others.

Then she thought of the cat-hating zookeeper.

The girl with the braided hair must have heard Yui mention the administrator. So, she took advantage of that.

What you need to do is very simple. Just tell the building manager that there are cats living in the apartment building.

That way, the administrator will help catch the cat owned by the girl with the braided hair.

...I don't know if the girl with the braided hair's plan is going smoothly.

No, we can't even be sure if she really has this intention.

But at least two cats are indeed missing.

One is Yuihama's cat. The other is the class president's cat.

If the building manager searches the apartment building, it will explain why the two cats disappeared at the same time.

I'm not sure what fate awaits the cats that are sent to the health center.

However, at least we can be sure that it's not a hopeful future.

…Ahhh.

Ugh, I hate how I can't help but think the worst.

It's all just my conjecture. There's no concrete evidence.

Yukinoshita was right, it's all in the past. Stop thinking about it.

"—Hey, you autistic guy, are you listening?"

"Hmm, oh, what?"

I raised my head, which had been lowered, and Yuihama was standing next to me at some point.

"Your expression is so gloomy. Your eyes are lifeless."

"I've always been like this. Leave me alone."

For some reason, she murmured happily, "That's true," and then said:

"...Thank you for listening to me. Thanks to you, I feel a little more at ease."

"I didn't do anything."

"I'm just grateful that someone listened to me. Because the story is quite heavy."

"That's right."

Yui chuckled softly, and whether it was her imagination or not, her gaze fell on the ground.

"I've regretted it before, but I want to try to face it. Otherwise... I wouldn't feel good about it to the cats."

...Those cats?

"Yuihama, you've discovered it—"

"Ah! Is that the shop?"

Yuihama pointed ahead. There was a small shop in the direction she was pointing. Was that the cat cafe?

"It seems so. Let's go quickly."

Yukino walked quickly towards the shop door. She really loved cats...

Yuihama and I jogged after Yukinoshita and arrived at the entrance to our destination. The three of us went inside together.

Then I selected a consumption plan and a beverage at the counter, and listened to the staff explain some simple precautions.

"The cats in this shop are all protected cats adopted from health centers."

The shop assistant said this last thing and then led us to the room where the cat was.

Snowfall's footsteps were unusually light, while Yuihama was tense and walked with a rather stiff gait.

Soon after, we arrived at the room with the cat.

There were a bunch of cats in a space of about four square meters. It seemed like we were the only guests.

Yukino immediately spotted the black cat grooming itself by the window and tiptoed over. So fast. Do you remember our original purpose...?

As for Yuihama, she stood there motionless.

Rather than being too scared to move, it was more like being stunned.

Ahead of her gaze was a calico cat curled up. It looked very old.

"That cat..."

Yuihama slowly walked towards the cat and reached out a trembling hand to stroke its head.

The calico cat purred contentedly.

Yuihama's eyes welled up with tears.

On the way back from the cat cafe.