A/N: If you are not familiar with this game, then you will be utterly lost. Enjoy!
"Kiku, you need to see this, quick!"
"What is the matter?"
"It's . . . Cream-san."
"Are you serious? Let me take a look."
Heracles passed his phone to Kiku. True to his word, the illusive beige-colored kitty was resting in a clear vase, seemingly liquid.
It is currently lunch time. A perfect day to enjoy the beautiful, sunny weather outside, and yet, the two high school boys remain rooted on the usual bench by the soda machine and stare at their phones to play Neko Atsume – a cell phone game that involves entertaining cats. The goal of the game, if there is one, is to take pictures of all the cats that visit your backyard. The title of the application literally translates to Kitty Collector.
"I have been playing this game for weeks, and I have never seen Cream-san. The other rare cats are easy to entice in comparison, like Ramses the Great." Kiku said, slightly jealous of his friend. Cream-san was the last kitty he needed a picture of to complete his Catbook.
"Have you collected all of them, yet," Heracles asked while snapping a quick screenshot of his newest cat.
"Not the pictures. All of the cats have visited at least once, but I'm missing Cream-san's picture."
"Hmm . . . We are experiencing a rare occurrence here, a chance encounter. Aristotle once said that 'chance as well and spontaneity are reckoned among causes: many things are said both to be and to become as a result of chance and spontaneity.' His stand on what is now called Indeterminism, along with other philosophers such as Epicurus and Leucippus further argued that the addition of clinamina or 'swerves' in atoms allows for random atomic motion to 'break the bonds of fate.' Or perhaps, this was not by chance. Predeterminism and Fatalism both bear similarities in that . . ." The Greek rambled on about who knows what anymore.
At some point, Kiku broke his train-of-speech by asking him about the cat's profile. He already knew it, but that was beside the point. "What does the Catbook say about Cream-san?"
"It seems her name is Peaches. Colors: tan and orange. Personality is capricious. Power level is 45." Heracles read off each fact in his usual slow manner of speaking. "It makes sense that she is hard to find. Her power level is pretty low. What a shy kitten." The Greek smiled at the cat stuck in the vase.
"Why does it say Peaches? I thought the cat's name was Cream-san, as you said," Heracles asked.
"The Japanese name is クリーム which means cream. I am not positive as to why the English translation decided on Peaches," Kiku pondered out loud.
"Ah, yes. Sorry, Kiku. Maybe you will be able to have your own picture of Cream-san, too, one day." He patted his friend on the shoulder.
Kiku sighed, "I hope you are right."
The raven-haired boy hadn't been playing the game for very long, yet, his best friend was able to find Cream-san before him, and Heracles only just started last week. Kiku should check his phone more often, since he kept missing the cat when he'd accept the gifts left by all his guests.
The playful background music of the game filled the air between them, the occasional meow sound effect joining it every time one of them purchased a new item for their potential feline visitors.
Just then, the school bell rang its familiar tune, signaling for their next class.
"We do not want to be late, Heracles-san." Kiku reminded him, although Mr. Vargas was a free spirit and wouldn't mind if the boys walked in a few minutes late.
" . . . All right." Heracles slowly makes to stand up and gather his things, paying sole attention to his phone at the same time.
Kiku patiently waits for his friend. A part of him knew he shouldn't have shared the game with him; he knew Heracles would devote all his time to entertaining fictional cat-pixels. But, Heracles understood his fascination for cats. The Japanese teen needed to share the cartoon cuteness. Those kitties are so adorable! And no, of course his phone wallpaper is not from the game. That's ridiculous.
As they walk to AP World History class, Kiku's mind wanders to his own Zen Style yard. He hopes that Cream-san will visit when he checks his phone next time. He'll check it ten times during class, just to make sure.
A/N: If you love cats, you must download this game now. It is the most adorable cat game ever.
Don't forget your sources. Aristotle quote: Aristotle, Physics, II, 4, 195b
Anyway, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this short story about cat fixation. All reviews will go towards purchasing more food and toys for my cat visitors, especially Peaches. I need more pictures of Peaches.
I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers, nor any of its characters. All rights go to Hidekaz Himaruya.
