Natsume sat in the field, the wind blowing at his hair, and when he turned, Reiko was there. She was laughing, and he could feel like it was because of something he'd said, but he couldn't remember. The sun was warm on their backs, and the air smelled of spring. Suddenly there was scratching, and the dream faded, rippling and finally disappearing like an image in a pool when a rock was thrown in.
He woke, blinking blearily at the ceiling. It was winter, and his blankets were pulled all the way up. A warm weight sat against his legs, where Nyanko-sensei had curled up for the night. Natsume was surprised he hadn't weaseled his way under the blankets. He smiled to himself, but then there was the sound of scratching at the window again. A quiet groan as he rolled off his futon, and into the chill of his room. A shiver ran down his spine as his bare feet padded across the floor to crack open the window.
As usual, a spirit. He pulled the window open, and a draft of cold air came in before he could shut the window against it, shuddering with cold. Nyanko-sensei roused, opening one eye lazily to stare at him as he returned the spirit's name. Once he'd managed to get it back outside, he went to crawl back under the blankets, but Nyanko-sensei had spread himself out so he couldn't get his legs back under without contorting awkwardly.
Natsume sighed, smiling to himself in the dark as he pulled the blankets over himself as best he could without disturbing the spirit sleeping away at his feet, the thought drifting through his mind.
"You really are just a cat, huh..."
本当猫だけいますね…