« Hi, Okita-senpai. »
He never expected that Midori could be waiting for him when the bus stopped in front of the school. They had grown so much apart these past few weeks… but here she was anyway, with a radiant smile on her face. Somehow, he was glad to see her like this. Maybe being truly apart for some days made her feel lonely. Did she really miss him ?
« Hey, Midori-chan. I'm so glad to have such a pretty welcome committee. »
« Takahashi-san. »
« Hi, Saito-senpai. »
« Souji, I will go to my locker and then back home. I'll see you tomorrow. »
« Sure. Don't forget about the sword ! »
« Which one ? »
« The one you have home, dummy ! You promised I could see it. »
« Right. I will ask my mother if we can have you visit in the weekend but I can't promise anything. »
« Cool. » smiled Souji while Midori passed an arm around his waist as if to mark her territory. It was funny considering everything that happened between Souji and Hajime while in Kyoto, but there was no way she could've known.
« How was Kyoto, Okita-senpai ? » asked Midori out of the blue, dragging Souji out of his thoughts while he was watching his friend go away from him.
« Pretty cool. » he smiled to his girlfriend « you'll see next year. We went to a lot of great places. It really has a different vibe from Tokyo. It feels less busy and kinda lost in time. I mean, there's still the subway and buildings and stuff but you can tell how much the city stays in the past somehow… we have temples and stuff here but it doesn't feel the same. »
« You took pictures ? Will you show me ? »
« Sure. As soon as I deleted all the bad shots, I'll show you the best ones. »
« I can't wait. » she smiled.
« Ne, Midori-chan. You waited for me to arrive ? »
« Yes. »
« Why ? You missed me ? »
« Yes. You're my boyfriend after all. Is it weird ? » she bit her cheek in a pouty way.
« No, I'm glad. » he shook his head, weaving his fingers in hers « I guess I have to take you back home to thank you, then. »
« Thank you… »
« Give me a minute. »
He quickly took his bag to his room in the dormitory and got back out to grab Midori's hand, who hadn't moved, waiting patiently for him like a cute little girlfriend.
« So, what's new since I've been gone ? »
« Not much… Chizuru and Heisuke-kun are still lovebirds… I think one girl in my class has a thing for a guy from you kendo club, Itou-senpai… but I'm not sure. Nothing really interesting. »
As soon as they passed the corner, Midori took a cigarette out and lit it, handing her packet to Souji.
« No thanks » he shook his head, searching in his pocket for a lollipop. Unfortunately, he didn't have any left.
« As you want. » she shrugged, not insisting.
She blew the smoke out in a satisfied sigh and kept walking with him until she raised her gaze to the sky.
« Ah, rain. »
Souji raised his head too and felt a drop of water crash on his nose. Quick to react, Midori got an umbrella out of her bag and they hurdled themselves together under it. Fortunately, it wasn't pouring but just raining a little. It wasn't that uncomfortable and soon enough, they got to Midori's home.
« Wanna get in ? » she asked « my parents aren't home. »
« I'll pass for today. » he winked with a smile « the train tired me and my body aches. Maybe next time. »
« Okay. » she nodded, visibly a little disappointed. « I'll see you tomorrow ? »
« Sure thing. You're making me a bento ? »
« Of course ! » she smiled with enthusiasm.
Things have definitely changed. Midori hadn't made him a bento in weeks. He didn't know where this change of heart was coming from, but it warmed his heart a little. With her caring about him and only him, he could set aside his feelings for Hajime, even if only for a while.
Considerate, she handed the umbrella to him. He watched her arm extended in his direction and caught it, grateful.
« Thanks, Midori-chan. Good evening. »
« Hurry back before you're drenched, Okita-senpai. »
He nodded with a smile and kissed her cheek goodbye before turning his heels away. He got his headphones out of his pocket and managed to unknot them with only one hand and his teeth, his other hand busy holding his rain shield up. The quiet beats of some lo-fi calmed his mind and blended well with the pouring sound of the rain which was gradually worsening.
When he arrived to his dorm, he suddenly turned around, not sure if the peculiar sound he heard was coming from the lo-fi mix or from outside. He cut the music, alert, and waited a few seconds in the doorway.
« Meow… »
It was outside. Now he was sure of it. He didn't move and waited for another one to guide him.
« Meow…. »
The quiet voice guided him to a nearby trashcan and he found the black and white cat underneath. It wasn't too young, but it didn't look old either… to be fair, he wouldn't even know how to judge the age of a cat who wasn't a kitten. It was trying to protect itself from the rain by staying underneath the trashcan and hissed when Souji crouched and approached his hand.
« You're feral, little guy ? » he asked, approaching his hand again « gonna scratch me ? »
The cat seemed distrustful but it didn't scratch not hissed and let Souji land his hand on his fur. It was bony. Probably it didn't have a home with owners feeding him. Chances were that it was trying to find something to eat in this trashcan before it started raining and, despising water, it quickly hid until the rain would stop.
« You're hungry ? » he asked « what do cats eat anyway ? »
Cat food, he bet. Was that expensive ? No idea. He stood up and went away, ignoring the insistence of the meowing guy. He came back from the conbini shortly after and opened a can of tuna next to the cat.
« Here. » he said « there wasn't any cat food but I guess that would do. »
The cat didn't hesitate and he dug his entire face in the can, sometimes looking up to check that Souji wasn't trying anything weird.
« It's not a trap. » he chuckled « go ahead, eat it all. »
With a smile, he stood up again and turned his heels, letting the cat enjoy his meal in peace. Pets weren't allowed in the dorm anyway and a feral cat would prefer the outside world, he guessed. He will bring him food sometimes to be sure he doesn't starve but it'll stop at that.
… At least, that had been the initial plan.
But as soon as he was in his room and could see the distress of the little guy from his cosy room, he went back downstairs and picked it up, closing his sweatshirt on his little body.
« Hiss ! »
« Shut up, it's not that bad » Souji scolded « you'll be better inside but keep quiet. »
He brought it all the way to his room and used a towel to dry his fur. Visibly unhappy, the cat wiggled and ran under his desk before he shook his entire body and started throughly licking his fur to clean himself.
« Suits yourself. » Souji smiled « if it's not raining tomorrow morning, I'll being you back outside. In the meantime, do whatever you want. »
He put the half eaten tuna next to his desk and the distrustful animal watched him without moving, his paw up, until it decided that it was okay to keep grooming itself. How prideful. He looked almost royal.
« I wonder if you're a boy or a girl… »
He'd look up later on the internet how to tell them apart. For now, he undressed himself and put on his pyjamas, laying on the bed with his hands behind his back. Je should go eat something, he guessed, but he wasn't hungry and he didn't want to leave the cat alone. Who knows what it could do in his absence.
He looked at it again and saw that it was still grooming his paw. What patience… He had been at it for minutes now.
« You're clean, you know that ? » he chuckled.
The cat didn't answer and superbly ignored him.
« Nevermind. » he shrugged.
It was kinda soothing to watch it. Souji always liked cats but it was the first time for him to be so close to one for so long. He wished he could keep it but it was a vain hope. No matter what, no pets in the dorm. Even Kondou-san couldn't allow him to keep it.
« You'll miss me when I'll take you back outside ? You'll hate me ? » he asked « or maybe you hate me now, because I trapped you here. »
Again, no answer, just grooming. Souji approached his hand and the cat froze before it left the cosiness of under his desk to go a little farther, where Souji couldn't reach him.
« Ungrateful brat. »
Souji sulked and turned over, superbly ignoring the cat in the same way it was ignoring him. Soon, he could hear the metallic sound of the tuna can being pushed all around the room. It should have been bothering him, he guessed, but instead, it soothed him, that sound, that certitude not to be alone….
He fell asleep not long after, as if the sound of the can was a chime guiding him into dreamland.
