"Sato, you're back. Did you enjoy your holiday?"
"Not bad. Didn't you head home, Kobayashi-san?"
"I had to work overtime yesterday!"
Kobayashi let out a soul-weary sigh, her shoulders slumping as though the weight of life had broken her spine.
She looked up at Sato with dead eyes and offered heartfelt advice,
"Sato…"
"Yeah? I'm listening!"
"You must remember this! Never, ever become a programmer. It's the ultimate form of corporate slavery!!!"
By the end, she was practically yelling.
Sato stared at her blankly, then slowly nodded.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed as Tohru came bounding down the stairs. When she saw Kobayashi, her face lit up and she waved.
"Kobayashi-san!"
"Tohru..."
Kobayashi forced a smile and waved back, only for her expression to change drastically a second later.
"Hey! Tohru! Don't—!"
"Kobayashiii-sannn!"
Tohru dashed at her like a child running into their mother's arms, wearing a bright, beaming smile. Kobayashi was finally back!
Kobayashi's face filled with terror as Tohru leapt toward her. You're way too big to act like a child!
She didn't have time to dodge. Bracing herself, she caught Tohru head-on.
Sato watched the scene unfold, stunned.
When Kobayashi caught Tohru, he saw her take several staggering steps backward. Her legs visibly trembled, and there was even a suspiciously crisp cracksound.
"...Kobayashi-san, are you okay?"
Recovering from his daze, Sato twitched as he asked.
Kobayashi gently lowered Tohru, propped one hand against the wall, and pressed her other hand against her lower back with a blank stare. Her lips barely moved.
Huh?
Sato leaned closer and barely caught her broken whisper:
"My... back..."
Sato: "…"
…
After helping Kobayashi back to the fourth floor, Sato finally returned to his apartment. Raising a dragon really had made her life a lot harder than before.
He opened the door. Since his apartment had windows on both ends, he could see straight through to the opposite side.
His gaze passed through the hallway, the living room, and landed on—
Huh?
Halfway through changing his shoes, Sato snapped his head up and stared at the balcony.
There was Takanashi Rikka, crouching on his balcony, waving at him.
"Yo!"
Yo your head!!
Sato squinted suspiciously and slowly approached her.
"What are you doing here? And… why is there a cat here?"
He was suddenly stunned. Rikka had been playing with something fuzzy, and he'd assumed it was a toy, but it was alive.
The cat looked up at him with curious eyes and showed no fear of strangers.
"This is my summoned familiar!" Rikka declared.
"Try that in human language."
"I found it."
"You found it?"
Sato crouched down and patted the cat on the head. The cat pawed his hand gently and meowed.
Hearing that soft meow, Sato couldn't help but smile.
He actually liked cats and dogs. His family even had one back home.
Rikka, who had been watching his expression carefully, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
After playing with the cat for a bit, Sato turned a sharp look on Rikka.
"Don't think you're off the hook. Explain why it's here."
Rikka looked at him seriously. "It's the choice of Steins;Gate!"
Sato wordlessly yanked her ahoge.
"I'll give you one more chance. Use real words."
"Um… Onee-san won't let me keep her!"
Huh?
Sato thought for a second. He hadn't interacted much with Rikka's older sister, but he knew she was a cool, somewhat aloof woman.
"She doesn't like cats?"
"She's allergic."
"I see…"
Sato paused, then looked at Rikka. "Still, you should consider your sister's health too."
Rikka bit her lip but didn't reply.
Sato suddenly scooped up the fluffy cat. It stretched out limply in his arms.
He raised an eyebrow, cats really are flexible.
"Is it a stray?"
"Not… sure. I saw it hanging around the same spot for days. When I played with it, it followed me. So I think so?"
Rikka didn't sound confident.
"You…" Sato sighed. This didn't seem like a fancy breed. Hard to say.
"So why bring it to my place?"
"Can you keep it?"
Rikka looked up at him with rare seriousness.
Keep it?
Sato looked at the cat. It gazed back with pretty eyes, meowing sweetly.
"First, try to find its owner. What if it's not a stray?"
After a moment's thought, he added, "But in the meantime… it can stay with me. I like animals anyway."
Rikka's face lit up with joy, but then she coughed awkwardly.
When Sato looked again, her expression had shifted, she now wore that proud, lofty look as though she had once again become the wielder of the Tyrant's Eye.
Though honestly, with her baby-faced features, it only made her look cuter.
"Hmph! As expected of my servant. You—"
Bonk!
"Ow!"
Sato gave her a chop to the head.
There she goes again, getting carried away. He hadn't even scolded her yet for sneaking into his apartment.
Rikka clutched her head, looking up at him pitifully.
Seeing his stern face, she quickly changed the subject and pointed at the cat.
"Why don't we give it a name?"
Hmm? That could be fun.
Sato rubbed his chin, eyeing the cat. For some reason, he blurted out:
"How about… Chocola?"
"Huh? Why that name?"
Rikka blinked at him, her ahoge twitching.
"Why…?"
Sato scratched his head. "I'm not sure. It just kind of popped into my head. Maybe from some distant memory."