"You got a cat..?"
The animal in question was a small short-haired tabby perched on Shingo's bed, staring the two boys down as if peering into their very souls. One of its ears was notched: a remnant of some past fight. Yuya didn't peg Shingo as much of an animal person.
"I didn't mean to, he sorta followed me home," Shingo answered, scratching the back of his head. "Papa said I can keep him, so long as he doesn't scratch the place up."
"What's his name?" Yuya asked, looking from the cat to his friend.
"Little Sawatari."
Oh. Of course. Little Sawatari meowed at them as if answering to his name, then started to absently groom himself, licking his paw and sweeping it across the top of his head.
After a beat, Shingo put his hands on his hips, his face scrunched up into a scowl. "So what do I do, huh?"
Was he serious? Yuya tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean, 'what do you do'? It's a pet, you… you know, take care of it. Feed him, pet him, get him some toys and a litter box—"
"A what?"
"Shingo, if you don't know how to take care of him, maybe you shouldn't keep him…" Yuya offered gently. "Mom's always taking in strays, we could take him in. I'm sure Core would get along great with him."
"No way!" Shingo blurted out, sounding deeply incensed by the suggestion. He stepped over to the bed and swept the cat up in his arms. Little Sawatari protested at first by taking a swing at his new owner, legs scrambling for purchase against Shingo's arms before he seemed to calm down. Yuya realized the cat's name might have been fairly appropriate after all.
"Nobody wanted him. He came to me, so I'm looking after him."
Yuya looked at him standing there with the cat and saw the resemblance. Maybe this cat meant a little more to Shingo than just a pet. The boy knew what it was like to be unwanted, and what it meant to have someone care for him regardless. In a way, Shingo was his stray too. Yuya smiled and relented, softly shaking his head.
"Okay, okay. I'll show you some good brands of food for him."
Little Sawatari meowed again and Shingo grinned from ear to ear, affectionately hugging the animal to his chest. Distracted as he was by his new friend, he didn't notice the blush that had crept across Yuya's face.