> "Haaah~..." I yawned while scratching my head. "What time is it…?"
My eyes darted around the messy desk as I searched for my phone.
There it is.
I grabbed it—
"WHAT!? 6:50?! Oh no, I'm late!"
"Mom! Why didn't you wake me up!?"
"Ah—sorry, Arata! I've got a lot of work today!" Mom shouted from the kitchen.
I threw on my bag and rushed out of the house.
---
> Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself.
My name's Ren Arata, sixteen years old.
My mom's always busy with her job.
As for my dad… he passed away when I was five.
Mom said it was an accident.
Yeah, it's sad—but life doesn't stop, does it?
---
> "Sorry, teacher! I'm late again!" I shouted as I slid open the classroom door.
"Aah, you again, Arata. Why are you always late?"
"I overslept, hehe…" I scratched my head awkwardly.
The class burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Alright, enough. Sit down already."
"Yes, sir! Thank you!"
---
> As I took my seat, my classmate waved.
"Hey, Arata! Wanna go to the internet café after school?"
That's Noiri Tanaka, one of my closest friends.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds fun."
"Alright then, let's continue the lesson."
---
> I tried to focus on the board—
but my eyes drifted… toward the window.
There she was.
Yume Takahara.
The girl who always smiled softly, even when the class was loud.
Sunlight brushed her hair, and for a second, everything else faded.
Wah… she's really beautiful today, I thought, resting my chin on my hand.
My chest tightened for no reason.
Maybe this is what they call… a crush.
---
> The school bell rang.
Finally, class is over.
"Hey Arata! I just got a new hero in the game—he's so strong!" Tanaka grinned as we walked toward the gate.
"Oh yeah? Let's see him at the café."
We laughed, heading toward the street when I suddenly noticed Yume walking with her friends.
My eyes widened. "Wow… she's so pretty…" I muttered, completely frozen.
"Hey! Arata! Are you even listening to me?" Tanaka nudged me. "Wait… don't tell me—you're looking at Yume again?"
"Eh!? N-no! Well… maybe a little…"
"Hah! Come on, man. Girls like her? That's hard to get, you know."
I chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah… I know."
They were lost in a conversation about their problems, so absorbed that the world around them seemed to disappear.
"Ayo, Tanaka… help me!" Arata called out.
"Wait… wait…" Tanaka laughed, his eyes darting around.
Hahaha… look at him, true to his character—no pants!
Two hours later, they were still talking, laughing endlessly, as if the outside world didn't exist.
"Haaah~... ugh, my back hurts..."
I stretched my arms and let out a tired laugh.
"Haha, we played games too late again, huh, Tanaka?"
"Yeah, no kidding. Hey, aren't you worried your mom will get mad if you come home late again, Arata?"
"Worried, huh?" I looked down, thinking for a second.
"Maybe... she probably is."
"Crap! I totally forgot! My mom's gonna kill me!" Tanaka shouted, jumping from his seat.
"I'm heading home, Arata! See ya, bro!"
I smiled faintly. "Haha... take care, bro."
The net café went quiet once Tanaka left.
I walked home alone through the dim streets, but my head just wouldn't calm down.
'Aren't you worried your mom will be mad?'
That line kept echoing inside my head.
"Why is that stuck in my mind…?"
I sighed deeply. "Aaah, damn it…"
---
> Meow... meow...
"Huh?" I stopped walking.
"What was that sound?"
I followed the noise toward some bushes nearby.
There — a small kitten, dirty and limping on one paw.
"Hey, hey... you okay there?"
I crouched down slowly. "Hmm... looks like your leg's hurt."
The kitten didn't move, just stared at me — its eyes glowed faintly gold under the streetlight.
"Haha... talking to you's kinda pointless, huh? It's not like you can understand me."
I smiled softly. "But don't worry. I've got medicine back home."
---
> A few minutes later, I finally reached my house.
"Phew... finally home."
I looked around.
"Hmm... looks like Mom's out working again."
I grabbed the first aid kit and sat on the floor.
"Alright, let's take care of that leg of yours."
The kitten just watched quietly, but its eyes... somehow felt like it understood.
I carefully wrapped a small bandage around its paw.
"There. All done."
"Oh, right... you must be hungry."
I stood and opened the fridge.
"Hmm... what do we have here? Milk... fish…"
I smiled. "I bet you'll like these."
I poured some milk into a small bowl and placed a bit of fish next to it.
"Here, eat up."
The kitten stepped closer and began licking the milk, its tiny tongue making soft sounds.
Meow...
"Heh, you're kinda cute, you know that?"
I leaned back on my chair, watching the kitten quietly.
"For some reason... I feel like tonight's gonna be a long night."
> "Arata-kun… I like you."
"I like you too, Yume…"
Ringing… ringing…
My phone blared.
"Ugh…" I groaned, rubbing my head. "Why now? Just had a dream about Yume… hmm… maybe I can sleep a bit more…"
"Hey, Arata… oi, Arata…"
I snapped awake. "Why does it feel like someone's calling me?" I blinked and looked around my messy room.
"Who's calling me now? Sleep was nice…"
"I'm the one calling you."
"Eh? Didn't you just talk earlier?"
I stared at the little cat. Maybe I was still dreaming. "I… I really can talk," the cat said, his golden eyes locking on mine.
I rubbed my eyes again. "No… no way. I'm stressed out or something… even a cat is talking to me?!"
"Hey, cat… I'll take care of you later. Let me sleep first."
"No. I can talk. My name's Shiro, Arata."
My jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"
"Hey… don't scream," Shiro said calmly, tail swishing.
I pointed my phone at him like it was a weapon. "Hey! What do you want from me?! You think you can scare me?"
"Hmm… are you really Arata Daiki's son?"
I froze. "Eh… wait. How do you know my dad's name?"
Shiro licked his paw slowly. "Like I said… I need to reintroduce myself. My name's Shiro Arata, and I'll be your bodyguard."
"Ha? Bodyguard?" I groaned, swinging my legs off the bed. "Ugh… I think I'm losing it…"
"Hey. Don't ignore me, Arata. Don't underestimate me."
I looked down. "Oh yeah… where's my mom?"
"She hasn't come home from work yet."
I huffed. "Hey, cat… you seem alright. Maybe I can just shoo you away."
"WHAT?! Shoo me away? I'm your bodyguard!"
"Yeah, yeah… you're a bodyguard. And another thing—you're a cat, not a dog. Cats can't protect people. If it were a dog… maybe I'd trust it to protect me."
Shiro narrowed his eyes, looking seriously mad. "How dare you underestimate a cat. Fine… I'll show you what I can do!"
I munched on some bread while watching. "Whoa… the water bottle's floating? But why isn't it going higher?"
"Yeah… you're really weak," Shiro muttered.
"What?"
In Shiro's mind: 'It's because I'm hungry… ugh, didn't expect it to feel so heavy.'
Ringing… ringing…
I picked up my phone. "Oh… looks like I'll go to the net café later this afternoon. You can be free then. Go out if you want."
"Hey… I'll follow you."
"No need. I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone helping me… and I certainly don't need an animal."
Shiro went silent. His eyes dimmed, tail drooping. He looked… sad.