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

I found the name of my homeroom teacher on the seating chart on the wall outside the staff room: Kobayakawa-sensei. She’s the physical education teacher, with short brown hair, glasses, and always sporting dark circles under her eyes. If the times allowed it, she might even be seen wielding a bamboo sword, but even if she were that kind of teacher, I still had to face her now. I wanted to avoid running into my estranged childhood friend every time for an entire year.

Just as I was about to knock on the staff room door, my hand missed, and the door swung open in front of me. There stood Matsuhara Maki. The encounter was too soon.

My body froze at the unexpected situation. Her half-open, languid eyes widened slightly as she recognized me.

“Uh, um…”

“…Get out of the way.”

As I stepped aside, she quickly walked away. That was our first conversation in a year and a half.

I stood there for a few seconds, or perhaps tens of seconds, before snapping back to reality and saying, “Excuse me,” as I entered the staff room, heading for Kobayakawa-sensei’s desk.

She was about to take a sip of hot coffee, stirring in a sugar stick. Four used sugar stick wrappers were already scattered beside her desk.

“Natsume, huh? You’re not here to complain about the committee, are you?”

“Eh, how did you know?”

“Figures. I can’t believe it.”

I thought it wasn’t as bad as that coffee.

I swallowed my words and instead asked, “What do you mean by ‘figures’?”

“Matsuhara just came in a moment ago to make demands. She wanted to switch committees. When I asked her why, she said she didn’t want to be with you.”

So that’s why she was in the staff room.

It seemed my thoughts and actions had overlapped.

“Is that the same reason for you?”

“Uh, well, yes…”

“Then my answer is the same as for Matsuhara. The answer is no.”

Kobayakawa-sensei took a sip of her coffee. It might be more accurate to say she was sipping sugar-laden coffee. I had to persuade her before she collapsed from some illness.

“Please. It’s a bit difficult to be with Maki for a year.”

“I don’t care about student disputes. It’s your fault for being lazy. Besides, it’s not a job where you’ll be face-to-face all the time, so just deal with it.”

“What exactly does the beautification committee do?”

“Beautification activities within the school and on the premises. For Class A, it means patrolling the school grounds after school and chasing out any stray cats that have wandered in.”

At the mention of cats, my face, which had been looking down, lifted. I realized I had a predictable personality.

“Does that mean I get to meet and play with the cats?”

“No. I said to chase them out.”

“But to chase them out, you have to find them, right? So it’s fine if I play with them first and then gently encourage them to leave.”

“Scary, scary, scary, and too close. I’m backing off.”

“That coffee is pretty scary too, so I’m backing off.”

I blurted that out in the chaos.

However, she ignored me and continued.

“If you love cats that much, you’re the perfect fit. It’s decided.”

“Ah, no, but I can’t with Maki…”

“Just do it. By the way, I hate cats. They always come around when I’m smoking.”

“You hate them? That’s a waste, living in this town.”

“This town wasn’t always like this. It’s been changing a lot lately. Cats, cats, cats everywhere, right and left, up and down.”

As she said, Miyage Town, which should have just been one of the suburban bed towns, has seen a significant increase in cat-loving newcomers in recent years. Tourists have also been increasing year by year, and the town has started hosting cat-related events each season.

Last year, buoyed by its momentum, Miyage Town seriously considered applying to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the town with the most cats in the world. After researching, they found out that a small island nation called Malta, south of Sicily, has 700,000 cats, and it seems they quietly gave up on the Guinness challenge.

I don’t know the exact number of cats in town, but I’m sure it’s definitely less than 700,000. To borrow the teacher’s words, they’re everywhere, right and left, up and down, but at a density lower than 700,000.

“Got it? Get going. You’ll start tomorrow. Come back after school.”

With that, she concluded the meeting and waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a cat. I decided to give up and leave.

Just before I opened the staff room door, the earlier scene flashed through my mind. Worried about running into her again, I quietly opened the door this time.

Of course, Maki wasn’t there.

________________________________________

I often worry about what I would have liked if I hadn’t liked cats, but surprisingly, my accessories, stationery, and bags aren’t influenced by cats at all. While I sometimes collect or create cat-themed items, I don’t use many cat goods for myself. The reason I didn’t fall into that trap is that I feel no matter how cute or realistically depicted a cat is, it can’t compare to a living, breathing one.

In contrast, it was Maki who collected cat goods.

“Ugh.”

A shock ran through my forehead, and when I woke up, my mother had entered my room. I realized she had dropped a part of a cat tunnel she was making, which was a plastic ring meant for the entrance.

“Why does everyone drop things on their heads! What if you become an idiot!”

“I’ve given up since I wrote ‘Lord Cat’ in the space for a general’s name on the Japanese history test, Mom.”

I glanced at my alarm clock, which had no cat stickers or patterns. It was almost time to be late. This doesn’t usually happen. I usually leave early to wander around and play with the local cats. It seemed that wouldn’t be possible today. I had trouble falling asleep last night. There was one reason for that.

“Mom,” I called out to my mother as she was about to leave the room, “are you still in contact with Maki’s mom?”

“Not much lately. Why?”

“…I ended up in the same class as Maki.”

“Oh, really? It’s been a while since I heard Maki-chan’s name.”

My mother continued.

“Have you made up?”

“Look, it’s not that simple. Humans aren’t that straightforward.”

“It would have been nice if you could have become a cat.”

“Don’t call the revered cats simple creatures!”

“Before you worry about your relationship with Maki, make sure you don’t isolate yourself in class, okay?”

With an exasperated expression and a sigh, my mother left. A few seconds later, I felt her sigh linger. I think this is the first time I’ve wished for the afternoon not to come.

In the end, I had no time for detours and made my way to school, which felt like an eternity since I last did so. Today was the orientation period, where textbooks were distributed, schedules announced, and seating arrangements made.

My new seat was in the back row against the wall by the hallway. Sakura-chan had cleverly secured a seat by the window with a nice view, and in between us was Maki’s seat. I glanced over a few times, but she still had that air about her that kept others at bay. It was as if a boring painting hung only there, with no one looking at Maki or starting a conversation.

As noon arrived, we had an early end to the school day. Before the chime finished ringing, Sakura-chan approached me. “I’m awake today,” she said, striking a fighting pose, and I was met with a wry smile.

“Isn’t today the day you start with the committee, Ichika? You’re going to do it after all.”

“The teacher seemed like she’d lower my grades if I didn’t.”

“Are you joining any clubs?”

“It feels a bit late to join in the second year, you know? Why?”

“There are a few committee members in the club, but they always skip the committee for club activities. If you join a club, you might not have to show up.”

“I see.”

A club, huh. Even if I’m not interested, maybe I should join something casually.

“Are you not coming over? Ichika, you’re fast. You stood out at last year’s sports festival.”

“Eh, but running is tiring.”

“Well, think about it. If you really hate the committee, that’s one way to get around it.”

Leaving behind unexpected wisdom, Sakura-chan walked away. I glanced at Maki, but she was already gone. She might have headed to the staff room or decided to skip and go home. For now, I decided to get up from my seat.

As I walked toward the staff room, I thought about joining a club. Which one would be good? Joining a new community now feels burdensome. Maybe the track team, where Sakura-chan is, since it seems relatively easy to fit in. I heard they run more outside the school grounds than on the school field. There might be time to play with the cats.

When I arrived in front of the staff room, Kobayakawa-sensei and Maki were already there. Maki seemed to be pleading about something again, and Kobayakawa-sensei was shaking her head.

“Natsume, you’re here too. Let’s start the explanation.”

The teacher went back into the staff room for a moment, then opened a nearby locker and brought out a long net, a broom, a dustpan, and a garbage bag.

“Basically, you’ll patrol the premises and chase away any cats that have wandered in. There might be students secretly feeding them, so if you find those spots, remove the food.”

“What’s the net for?” Maki asked.

“To scoop up any cats trying to climb trees and escape. The opportunities will be rare, though. The broom, dustpan, and garbage bag are for cleaning up as well.”

The teacher offered both to us. Before I could reach out, Maki grabbed the net. It was clear she chose the task with less work with remarkable speed. I shot her a look of protest, but she walked away without any intention of negotiating.

Our eyes met, and the remaining broom, dustpan, and garbage bag were offered to me.