Days had gone by. Again.
It wasn't like Yuuji was really counting, but he knew time was passing all the same. School, traveling on the train, home, traveling, friends, school, home, school, school… it all mixed together in a blur. Sometimes infinitely fast, sometimes achingly slow, one sunrise melted into another until it achieved the rhythm of the eons themselves. It was only when Yuuji bothered to look up that he realized not much had actually happened during those short periods.
Somehow, it almost felt as if he was marking his days by how often a certain boy appeared in them.
…But really, this winter felt like it was lasting forever. The air held a biting chill, although at least people were finally dressing for the depths of the season, in thick fashionable coats and scarves. Cheerful holiday decorations hung behind windows speckled with frost. The wind carried with it a scent of broken wheat-stalk, blowing into the Tokyo suburb from the fields located to the west.
And Yuuji stared down at a message on his phone.
Yuuji, Im sorry to be so sudden, but are you available? if you're free i could rly use your help. Don't worry. It's nothing big. If OK, plz text back and meet me at—
It then listed an address.
Yuuji ran his finger absentmindedly over the buttons along the side of his phone. He must have read every single word of the text message over and over by now, so why was he still staring at it?
He shrugged and put the phone away, already getting the feeling that he had made a decision. Honestly, Yuuji was surprised that there was something—anything—that Nagisa would need his help for, but Yuuji wasn't about to say no.
He was nearby, anyways. It was winter break now, during that weird timeframe in the few days after Christmas but before the hustle and celebration of New Year's. Yuuji had already given his parents the excuse of going out to do some shopping-related stuff, so he supposed he could stop by Kunugigaoka on his way back. Besides, it would be nice to be in Nagisa's cozy-looking neighborhood again.
And so Yuuji found himself here.
As Yuuji made his way down the familiar paved road, the tan sides of fences scrolled by on either side. Rows of pleasant, two-story white buildings lay just beyond them. Yuuji glanced around for a moment before facing ahead again. It was incredible how he had begun to become intimately familiar with these streets just over the past few weeks. Why, there was the magnolia tree peeking out over the top of the neighbor's fence. Beyond that down the street, two lampposts. Yuuji strolled confidently past them. Yes, he knew where he was. He was nearly to Nagisa's house-
A loud thud and a blur came immediately on his left.
"WAUGH!" Yuuji jumped, limbs jolting as if they had been struck by lightning.
A teenage boy crouched there just behind the lip of a nearby corridor, having dropped down under the cover of shadow. He stood, stretching out his legs with care. His eyes were a pale blue, and his hair was the color of the sky. "Shh," said Nagisa, holding one finger to his lips in response to Yuuji's shout. "Sorry. I kinda got started without you."
"Nagisa," Yuuji breathed, feeling his heartbeat race and then slowly start to settle back to normal. One hand stayed frozen up where he had raised it. "You startled me."
The other boy shrugged. "Sorry," he said again.
For some reason, Yuuji's eye caught on a bit of dirt on the shoulder of Nagisa's jacket. The cream-colored material was thick enough to guard against the season, but it showed a smattering of dust across the sleeves and edges. Some soot was smudged on the boy's cheeks as well. Was it just Yuuji's imagination, or did Nagisa look a bit…ragged?
Yuuji cleared his throat. He dug out his cellphone and held it up. "So, what's the trouble? Your message sounded kind of serious."
Nagisa frowned. "Nah, it's nothing too important. It's just…" He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I need help finding a lost cat."
Yuuji blinked. "A cat?"
"Yeah," said Nagisa. "The two old ladies on my block asked me to find it. The thing's been missing for five days now, and they're getting worried."
"Old women, huh? Are those the same two you've told me about before?" Yuuji grinned and brought a teasing edge to his voice. "My, aren't you popular with the ladies—even old ones!"
Nagisa grumbled. "Stop it."
"Anyway, the cat's name is Tubbs," Nagisa began to explain. "He's huge, and fat, with all-white fur. He's a shorthair. And he's got a thin collar around his neck. That's how you'll know it's him. Given the size of him he can't have gotten far, but that cat seems to have a talent for appearing and disappearing from places."
Yuuji swallowed as he listened. Silently, his mind flashed to old memories. A cat? That meant coughing. That meant a stuffy, runny nose coupled with gross sneezing, and itchy eyes that just wouldn't quit. It meant feeling miserable for the better part of three days. A cat meant-
He shook himself. "Pet searching, huh?" said Yuuji. "I mean, I guess I've got some time. Dunno why you'd call me for it, though."
Nagisa shrugged. "All my friends are busy at the moment. I could use an extra set of eyes. And…I don't know. I wanted to see you." He looked off to the side.
A silent bell went off inside of Yuuji's head. He frowned for a moment. Something was up. Nagisa kept his gaze aimed away, with both hands stuffed deep inside of his pockets. The boy's shoulders were lowered. In fact, his entire frame seemed to be less energetic than usual.
"What's wrong?" Yuuji said.
Nagisa's eyes came to meet his for a second, but the look was fleeting. "It's just…a lot of things have been happening lately," the boy said at last. "It makes me feel like I should keep better tabs on the people I care about."
The two of them let the statement fade away into silence.
"I'm not sure what I should do," Nagisa muttered. "What ways could we use to get that cat? We could drive it into a corner, or try to set a trap... Maybe think ahead and figure out what it might do next… Or determine what it knows how to do, what its abilities are, then work around that… There's always the possibility of calling others in to help, but I really feel like it's our responsibility at this point… Whatever we do, it has to happen quick."
Confusion kept Yuuji rooted to the spot. It almost didn't sound like Nagisa was talking about an animal anymore. "I don't get it," he spoke up from the sidelines. "Isn't it just a cat? I mean, all we have to do is find the darn thing, right?"
Nagisa glanced up, surprised. He slowly blinked back to normality. "Oh… Yes," he said, still staring at Yuuji as if the clouds had suddenly parted behind the boy.
Nagisa shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, I'll search above. You take below. I'll try to look into some garages while I'm at it. Maybe Tubbs got stuck in something."
Yuuji nodded, deciding not to ask how Nagisa planned to search peoples' garages. "Just one condition."
He pointed up at Nagisa with a finger. "If we find that thing stuck high up a tree somewhere, you're the one getting it down."
At last, the worry fled from Nagisa's face as the boy laughed.
They parted, Nagisa trotting off out of sight with a little wave. Yuuji waved back, then set his arm down by his side and stood. The street was motionless all around him.
Yuuji gave a little stretch. Well, might as well get started. Hopefully this wouldn't take more than an hour or two. He did have to get home eventually…
As Yuuji walked, peering into all nearby corners, crevices and corridors, he tried to ignore the slight prickle of shame within his heart. Nagisa had wanted him specifically? No way. Yuuji had to be the least brave, least capable person on the face of the earth. But if Nagisa wanted him to be…
Yuuji straightened his back. Then he would try!
Nagisa might have had the advantage with his speed, mobility, and for all Yuuji knew, formal investigation training. But Yuuji had his own secret weapon now: motivation.
Wouldn't it be great, he thought as he jogged down side streets, if he found the cat before Nagisa did, with the boy's literal junior-soldier-in-the-making skills? The thought sent a surge through Yuuji's limbs. He looked up, down, and all around while he searched. Now he felt doubly inspired.
After peering into every nook and cranny, standing on tiptoe to inspect low rooftops, and knocking over a few of the neighbor's flower pots, Yuuji ended up scouring a good amount of the neighborhood. But the journey was littered with false starts. In fact, Yuuji would have passed right by the trash pile if he hadn't been determined to be so careful.
It was just a small rubbish heap, barely more than a few bags set out for collection, pressed up against the wall and bordered on one side by a pole. Yuuji eventually found the darn cat wedged in there, behind a misplaced piece of cardboard and some bricks. If Yuuji got down on his hands and knees, squinted, and used his phone as a flashlight, he could just see a large blob of white fur. The cardboard had created a nice little pocket protected from the rain, and a cat was looking quite comfortable sitting there nestled on top of a gigantic cushion—some kind of square piece of foam. From what Yuuji could see, the cat had crumbs beneath its self-satisfied smile and chin.
Yuuji brought his attention away from the trash pile for a moment. The pavement was a textured slab beneath his palms. He took a deep breath. "Oh boy…" Yuuji muttered.
He struggled down onto his belly, elbows shifting roughly against the ground. Yuuji held his breath as he reached in, trying not to inhale any of the cat's fur. The cat cracked open one amber eye to stare at Yuuji warily. It didn't do anything. Just watched him.
At last Yuuji relented, exhaling a puff of air. His hand fell flat, empty. He didn't like the way this cat seemed to not be afraid of him. Maybe there was a back way out of this trash heap. Maybe the cat knew it could use that to escape if it felt threatened. Then he might never see it again. Yuuji's blood ran cold. After all the boastful thoughts that he had been entertaining earlier, Yuuji didn't think he would be able to handle embarrassment at that level.
No, reaching in to grab the cat was out of the question.
Yuuji huffed. He sat down outside of the trash pile and began to think. He was all but certain that this was the cat they were looking for. The description checked out.
Well, if that cat was so comfortable, then it was no wonder it hadn't moved. Yuuji's mind churned. Let's see, what did cats need? He didn't have much experience with felines, honestly. His family had never owned one, although he had begged and cried for a pet as a kid. But, nope. Couldn't happen. Not with the allergies for both him and his mom.
The thing was an animal, right? So it must need warmth, Yuuji reckoned, judging by how the cardboard box was set up and how even humans were reminded of their need for heat in this weather. It needed shelter too, which the damn thing already had. Then what could he use? Entertainment? Yuuji frowned. He might be able to fashion his jacket sleeves into a cat toy, but that lardass didn't look like it was fond of moving at all. Water? It could have gotten that from the rain. Stupid animal wouldn't even need to stick its head out too far to find a puddle.
Yuuji brought one hand up to his chin. What was he missing? It felt like he was overlooking something very basic…
The cat yawned. Yuuji's gaze flickered back for half a second, drawn by the movement. For the briefest of moments, he caught sight of crumbs as they fell from the animal's immense chin…
A thought hit Yuuji like a falling brick.
Food! Of course! The most important requirement of all. Yuuji scanned the nearby area. Luckily the cat didn't seem to have any snacks in there at the moment, and Yuuji could see no obvious food sources nearby. And even if you did have some food, you could always use more, right?
Yuuji shifted around to reach for his bag. Flipping open the main flap, he dug out a snack bar. He had been saving this for later, but it was still relatively fresh. Slowly, he stepped away from the main entrance to the animal's den, sneaking out of its line of sight. Then he opened the snack bar, making sure to crinkle the wrapper loudly on purpose.
Yuuji couldn't tell, but he liked to imagine the cat's ears twitching slightly.
Just before he put the snack bar down, Yuuji paused. He took off his outer jacket and laid it over the pavement. He placed the bar on top of the black material, crinkling the wrapper even more so that the granola spilled out. Then he quietly pulled back behind the trash bags, and waited.
And waited.
As it turned out, animals were supremely careful creatures. Yuuji waited so long that his knees began to hurt from where he was crouched, but he didn't give up. Nagisa was surely doing much harder things out there. Nagisa was surely doing much more, and probably with much more endurance too. Even if this was all that a normal person could do, Yuuji could at least do it well. That was all he was capable of.
At last, just when Yuuji thought he might have to risk startling the animal out, the cat eventually moved. It exited, dolloping out of the entrance to its hideaway with languid, measured steps. It was like watching a living marshmallow. The cat galumphed over to the snack bar like a fuzzy avalanche, belly swinging. Once on top of the jacket, it lowered its head and began to eat.
Yuuji sprung at once.
He leapt forward in a flash and scooped up the edges of his jacket. The sleeves all came together in his hands, forming a makeshift net. The cat inside gave an indignant yowl, and Yuuji could hear the sounds of claws puncturing through the expensive material. Yuuji squeezed his eyes shut. That was gonna be pricey to replace. But that didn't matter. The important thing was that he had caught it.
A grin came to Yuuji's face as triumph burst through his chest. "Haha, that's what you get!" he exclaimed, pumping one fist in the air as crumbs of granola filtered out of the holes in his jacket. "The ingenuity of humans is unstoppable!"
Yuuji took a moment to look inside the bag. It was as if he wanted to make sure that the animal was really there. One yowl and a flash of fur later, he pulled back. Achoo. Achoo. Achoo. Yuuji closed his eyes as sneeze after sneeze rocked him, but still he did not let go of the makeshift bag.
Oh god, Yuuji blinked the tears from his eyes. Allergies.
He fumbled around for his phone. Thank every single god in existence, he had left it in his back pocket and not inside his jacket somewhere. "Nagisa?" he sniffed after the boy picked up on the second ring. "Yeah, I found him."
Nagisa blinked. "That's Tubbs."
"I figured as much," Yuuji groaned.
Nagisa had met him back at the corner where they had joined up originally, running this time instead of jumping down from a building like some kind of undercover superhero. His face was stained with dirt, showing that he really did have the skills to go where he said he was going. Yuuji didn't even want to think about the kinds of places he had crawled into.
"You actually managed to do it," Nagisa said, voice betraying a hint of admiration. He inclined his head slightly in recognition. "Even though I was searching so many places, you still found the cat before I even got close. I mean, you were sorta in the right place at the right time, but still. I'm impressed."
Yuuji nodded, feeling a slight buzz of happiness. That was it—the words Yuuji had wanted to hear. Maybe later, when he could think past the growing stuffiness in his nose, he would be able to get more excited about them.
A bundle of fur squirmed against his chest. Yuuji was currently holding the cat semi-wrapped in his jacket, supporting the black-and-white mess with both arms. He had been worried about the cat not getting enough air inside of the makeshift-sack. Plus, this way it seemed like the creature would be more comfortable and less likely to run. Maybe. Yuuji didn't have a freakin' clue how cats worked.
But as the moments passed by, Yuuji was starting to regret his choice. The animal lazed in his arms, a lump of lard, getting heavier by the moment. Yuuji shifted on his feet, trying to hide the motion from Nagisa. Was it possible for a cat to actually increase its own gravity after time?
Yuuji sniffed roughly. Augh, allergies. C'mon, keep it cool… He looked straight ahead and tried to keep his breathing steady, no matter how much his throat burned or his eyes began to itch.
"Well, here you go," Yuuji said, motioning for Nagisa to take the cat from him. Please. Please take the cat from him. "See? It didn't have to be anything militaristic. It was just a search-and-rescue mission."
Nagisa nodded silently. He accepted the bundle with open arms, holding the cat securely so that it wouldn't escape. "If you say so," he mumbled. Yuuji noticed that his gaze was slightly downcast, and Yuuji couldn't help but feel a sinking in his own heart at the morose tone in the boy's voice. His blue hair hung down over his eyes.
Nagisa held the cat securely to his chest. "For a moment, I thought we would never see him again," Nagisa muttered. "Imagine what might have happened if we hadn't found him in time. What if we had been just a few days late? He might have been hunted, or starved or been eaten, or wandered off somewhere. Or other people could have taken him to a shelter, where he would have been put down…"
Yuuji stood, confused. He didn't see what the big deal was. They had found the blasted cat, hadn't they?
Nagisa was quiet as he buried his fingers into the cat's soft fur. Then, he suddenly spoke. "Hey, Yuuji…"
"Hm?"
"What would you do if you just found out something very important about a person? Like, you thought that you knew them, but now… Everything's different." Nagisa sighed. "I mean, you're both still friends, but you can't quite look at them in the same way. Your…your entire view on them is shifted. And something has to happen, but you don't know what would be the right thing to do, or how to go forward with them anymore…"
A few moments passed in silence. The mood seemed to darken a little more with each heartbeat, sinking down until it reached a low point and just hovered, thick, at the level of bog mist. A flash of regret was starting to show in Nagisa's face, and Yuuji opened his mouth to speak before the other boy could tell him 'nevermind'.
"I don't see what the big deal's about."
Nagisa looked up sharply.
"I mean, we found the blasted cat, didn't we?" Yuuji said, pointing to the creature. "So now none of that bad stuff can happen to him. It's not even a possibility. We saved him, and now we get to move on according to that path."
Yuuji tilted his head to one side. "Does it really have to be all about the cat dying? Why not focus on saving it instead?"
"And as for that person you're talking about…" Yuuji sniffed and swallowed a cough. "I would encourage you to stick to your dreams. Be positive, and all that jazz. You're good at that. Whatever secret that person had, you should be even better friends now that you know about it, right? I mean, if they're still worth associating with, that is…"
"Besides, if the person you're talking about is really so important, then you gotta stand up for them, right?" Yuuji continued. "I mean, you and your classmates are something super-impressive. You guys have skills and stuff that I don't even know about. So if it's you, I'm sure that you can do anything."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "And honestly, if they're someone who inspires you, Nagisa, then they must really be worth fighting for."
Silence fell while Nagisa just stared at Yuuji in awe. Then, slowly, a relaxed look came to the boy's face. His expression lightened and then settled back to normal, giving just a glimpse of how he used to be. "Yeah…" Nagisa said. His voice sounded reassured. "I think you're right, Yuuji. They sure are…"
Suddenly a change seemed to come over him. Nagisa gasped sharply. "Yuuji, what did you say earlier?"
"Huh?"
"Earlier. What you said."
"Oh." Yuuji's mind whirled with the effort of recalling. "Uh, I said a lot of things."
"About finding the cat."
Yuuji's face twisted in confusion. "Um… 'search-and-rescue mission'?"
Nagisa stared at him for two seconds, but judging by the slightly glassy look in Nagisa's eyes, the boy was not really seeing him. Yuuji could almost picture the gears beginning to move inside his head.
"Thanks, Yuuji! I need to go talk to some people." Nagisa shouted over his shoulder as he turned. He ran off, breathless with excitement.
"What? Oh… You're welcome," Yuuji said, raising one hand in farewell before a certain realization struck him. "Uh, hey, wait!" he called. "My jacket!"
With an almost audible screech, Nagisa put on the brakes and jogged back. He handed the jacket over to Yuuji, somehow managing to transfer the clothing into Yuuji's hands while moving the marshmallow cat into his own without disturbing the creature. He smiled once more at Yuuji, grin flashing bright as the sun. Then Nagisa jogged away, a fluffy white tail poking out from behind his elbow.
Yuuji stared after the boy, struggling to process what had just occurred. But he couldn't stop an amused smile from coming to his face. Well, at least the worry had cleared up from Nagisa. Whatever he was concerned about appeared to have been addressed.
Yuuji looked down at his jacket, now pinpricked with holes and covered in white bits of fur. He could only imagine the immune system reaction if he put it on. And it was a long way away from home.
His eyes teared up, though whether due to emotion or the coldness or allergies he couldn't tell. Why? he thought.
He would give anything to not be normal.
Afterword: Ta-da! And so Nagisa got the idea to "save" Korosensei from Yuuji. :)
This chapter is intended to take place sometime after chapter 141 of the manga but before chapter 142, over the course of Kunugigaoka's winter break. In other words, right after Korosensei's confession of his past as the God of Death.
And finally, "Tubbs" here is modeled after the infamous cat on the Neko Atsume app.
