My Childhood Friend Meows Under My Skirt. (GL) - Chapter 1

“Meow”

When I called out to the three cats lounging on the fence of a house, they bolted away in an instant. Left behind was only a high school girl, foolishly mimicking their sounds. No matter how much she tried to ingratiate herself, she would never be accepted among them, and the real ones could see right through her.

Just as I was about to give up and walk away, one calico cat returned to me. She had a white body, with one ear brown and the other gray, a charming little creature. She was also a tall, slender beauty. I could tell she was a girl without having to rudely check her lower half. It was one of the skills I had acquired from living in this town for so long.

This cat was “Mimi,” who claimed the territory between the third and fourth blocks. Her distinctive ear colors made it easy to remember her name. Naming stray cats is considered bad manners in this town, but I think everyone does it to help remember them. Each stray cat surely has many names, a testament to how much they are loved.

“Meow”

“Meow”

I tried to mimic her again, undeterred. It still didn’t sound right. It was only natural, given that humans and cats use different vocal organs.

Without showing any signs of annoyance at my imitation, Mimi stayed right there. I quickly took out my smartphone and began to take pictures. Perhaps thinking I was going to feed her, Mimi stared intently at the device I had pulled out.

“That’s it, that’s it! Yes, perfect! Hee hee hee!”

Amid the sound of the shutter, a murky human voice slipped out. I nearly drooled, wiping my mouth as I checked the photos I had taken, feeling satisfied. I immediately stored the pictures in the folder I had created for Mimi.

“Meow”

Mimi meowed again. Then, she lifted her right front paw for just a moment, as if to swat at the air. Realizing she was prompting me, I took out a small bag of bonito flakes from my bag.

I opened the bag and gently sprinkled the flakes on the fence where Mimi was sitting. In just five seconds, she finished eating and, as if the contract had been fulfilled, she leaped away. To ensure fairness among all the cats, I always put the same amount of bonito flakes in the same type of bag. Exactly five grams. I always keep at least ten bags in my bag.

By the way, feeding them without permission is technically against the rules. A familiar sign is attached to the nearby telephone pole, written in large yellow font:

“Please do not feed cats human food!”

Next to the text is a silhouette of a cat, drawn in black, with a human hand. The fact that they specify “human food” before the word “food” is quite characteristic of this town.

The town has long since given up on regulating feeding cats altogether, and now they only plead that we refrain from giving them harmful things. It seems there are violations that go unnoticed in this world. The escalator will surely always have one side left open, and trash will continue to be secretly put out the night before.

I can recall at least three more rules related to cats off the top of my head. All of this is why Miyage Town is known as “the town with the most cats in Japan.”

The buzz about Miyage Town as a cat haven began when I was three years old. For some reason, cats started to settle here a few years prior, and their numbers grew rapidly. My father, who had lived here for a long time, said this had never happened before, while my mother whimsically interpreted the timing as a sign that cats began to increase because I was born.

Because of this connection, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with all the cats in town. Now, thirteen years later, as a second-year high school student, it seems they never expected me to become so obsessed with cats. It’s a testament to my education. It’s not my fault.

Because I was sidetracked by the cats, I was about ten minutes late for school. My smartphone rang, and when I checked, it was my classmate, Sakura. I answered while running.

“Hello, Mimi-chan.”

“This isn’t Mimi. Who did you mistake me for?”

“Oh, sorry. My cousin. I mistook you for my cousin.”

“There’s no cousin named Ichika. You were playing with cats again, weren’t you?”

Sakura could see through my lies easily; we had been friends for a long time. She was the first friend I made when I entered high school.

“Well, Mimi-chan is just so cute. Remember the calico cat with different colored ears?”

“Isn’t she one of the many in the infinite folder on your phone? I don’t know.”

“There are many types of cats, and each one deserves to be loved and cherished, which adds up to quite a number.”

“Calm down, your honorifics are falling apart. Don’t force it.”

By the way, the reason we became friends was that I got to visit her house to see her Scottish Fold. The first time I went over, I took over a hundred pictures from various angles.

“Hurry up. Being late on the first day of second year is so uncool,” Sakura said, worried.

“Yeah, I’m running now.”

“They’ve already announced the classes.”

“Are we in the same class again this year?”

“Run faster than the cats and come check.”

The call ended. I needed to hurry, so I picked up my pace. I’ve always liked running and have decent stamina. I’ve been invited to join the track team several times, but I’ve declined and remain in the non-club. I have a very important life work of wandering the town and playing with cats after school.

Cats have become a symbol of the town, accepted and now seen everywhere. On the streets, on the fences of houses, on the awnings of shops in the shopping district, in someone’s garden.

“Meow”

Once again, I heard a voice from somewhere today.

“So, you were late.”

Without giving me a moment to catch my breath, Sakura scolded me at the entrance.

In the end, after that, I had a little photo session with two more cats in another spot. Satisfied with the photos, I saw the time displayed on the screen and felt my bl00d run cold. I had run non-stop to get here. Sakura’s long ponytail seemed like it could be used as a finish line tape if stretched out, but of course, she didn’t do that when I arrived.

“I’m not late. I’m safe. It’s okay, there are still six minutes left.”

“Just hurry and check the class.”

Prompted, I headed to the bulletin board in the hallway just inside the entrance. Perhaps because it was just before the start time, there were only a few other students around.

I quickly checked and found my name, “Ichika Natsume,” in Class A. Sakura’s name was right next to it. That meant we were in the same class for the second consecutive year. I tried to high-five Sakura as she approached, but she easily dodged me.

“Wait, you were in the same class and still waited for me? How kind.”

“Oh, right,” Sakura suddenly remembered and pulled out her smartphone.

“I took a picture of a cat while I was on my way to school too. It’s cute. Want to see?”

“Wait, really? What kind of cat? I want to see, I want to see!”

In Miyage Town, there are territories for each cat, more or less. Since she has a different route to school, the types of cats we encounter change.

“But what should I do? It’s so cute that it feels a shame to show it for free. If I had two pieces of bread from the school store, I might just loosen my fingers and send it to you.”

“Is that the reason you were waiting…?”

“The market value fluctuates. If you don’t decide quickly, it’ll go up even more. Three pieces of bread.”

“Two, please!”

“Alright. Let’s go to the store now.”

“I’ll be late!”

“It’s okay, there are still six minutes left.”

She smiled, looking sharp and upright, like a Russian Blue cat. But I was starting to wonder if I should really be happy about being in the same class with her.

Just as I was being pulled away from the bulletin board, I caught sight of something moving outside the window. My body reacted reflexively, and I pressed against the window. It was indeed a cat. A beautiful one with a pristine white coat. It wasn’t a completely white cat, as the tips of its fur were a pale pink.

“I’ve never seen that one around here…”

“How long do you think it’ll take to get to the classroom?”

Sakura sighed, as if exasperated.

“No, I really haven’t seen that cat before. It wasn’t a newly born kitten either. I wonder if it’s a newcomer? It’s not in my folder.”

The white cat walked away outside the window.

As I tried to chase after it, moving to the next window across from the bulletin board, my feet stopped again.

My gaze was drawn to a name on the Class A roster.

“Matsuhara Maki”

The gravitational pull of that name rendered me immobile.

The only presence that could make me forget about chasing after cats.

Matsuhara Maki. This year, she was in the same class as me.

“What now?” Sakura asked, looking in the same direction.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Let’s go after all.”

Turning my back as if to escape from her name.

Sakura has been one of my important friends who has never been put off by my cat-loving personality since we entered high school.

But I had.

A childhood friend, who I had known longer than anyone else.