My Childhood Friend Meows Under My Skirt. (GL) - Chapter 2

On the weekend, Maki arrived at school wearing a mask. She sat down without making eye contact with anyone. As I watched her, wondering if she was feeling unwell, I received a message from her a few meters away: “In the empty classroom A at the back on the fourth floor.”

Maki stood up first and left the classroom. I sighed at her roundabout way of communicating and followed her out.

In the empty classroom, Maki was sitting on a desk, swinging her legs as she waited.

“Why here? Isn’t the usual rooftop landing good enough?”

“The janitor comes to clean there in the morning. No one comes here since cleaning is done last.”

“Looks like you’ve skipped class here a few times.”

“Don’t say such rude things. I’m just studying.”

As she answered, Maki got off the desk.

Then she faced me and casually took off her mask.

I had a feeling that her wearing a mask wasn’t due to a cold or poor health.

My gaze was drawn to the long white whiskers sprouting right next to her nose, leaving me momentarily speechless.

“You’re not screaming, so I guess you’ve gotten used to it.”

“Well, I mean, that’s…”

The new aspect of her cat-like transformation. This time, whiskers. It seemed there were still many variations in how it manifested. Just like when I first saw her cat ears and tail, a jolt hit my brain. And as expected, I couldn’t suppress my impulses.

I moved closer and reached out.

As expected, I was promptly swatted away.

“Let me touch it.”

“Of course not. Do you want to be pricked by two thousand needles?”

“Then at least let me take a picture.”

“That’s not allowed either.”

“Come on, a picture should be fine!”

“How can you get so indignant so boldly?”

As if responding to Maki’s emotions, the whiskers perked up. Seeing that reaction made me want to touch them even more. After all, we were alone, lured to a place where no one would find us, and yet I couldn’t even touch them—this was pure torture.

“I just wanted to report. Ichika’s hypothesis might be correct.”

“If that’s the case, then after those whiskers settle down…”

Maki nodded cautiously.

“I’ll be captivated by that white cat again.”

What she truly feared was not being seen with parts of her cat transformation. If it was just cat ears, a tail, or whiskers, I felt like she could at least pass it off as cosplay. But if something like what happened in the classroom occurred again, the lies I would have to prepare would become much more complicated. By the way, the classroom was currently buzzing with gossip about the relationship between the math teacher and the gym teacher.

“Did you feel any tingling before the whiskers appeared this time?”

“Yeah,” Maki replied.

“These whiskers will probably disappear today or tomorrow. That’s fine, but I can’t handle the part where I get captivated alone.”

Her gaze changed at that moment. It shone like a cat’s eyes, staring at me.

“…Could it be that you called me here not just to show me the whiskers?”

“This is more like bait to lure you in.”

Maki seemed to be formulating some kind of strategy.

And it appeared that I was to cooperate with her. It was likely to be quite troublesome. Before I knew it, Maki had changed her position and was standing neatly in the doorway, seemingly intent on not letting me leave until I agreed.

She began the details of her plan with a simple phrase.

“Can you clear some time this weekend?”

________________________________________

I received the message that the white cat’s whiskers had fallen off on Saturday afternoon. After getting ready, I left the house on my bicycle. There were hardly any traffic signals, and I rode smoothly, but it still took about twenty minutes to reach Maki’s apartment. Even though we lived in the same neighborhood, our houses were almost at opposite ends, east and south.

When I pressed the intercom at the entrance, Maki appeared, dressed for going out.

“Oh, are you going out?”

“When I told my grandma that Ichika was staying over, she insisted I make something and gave me some pocket money for dinner.”

She was going out now to make sure she used it all up.

Maki’s revealed plan (or strategy) was simple: to keep something nearby to manage herself when she was under the control of the white cat’s consciousness.

Once the physical transformation into a cat occurred, the next phase of consciousness transformation wouldn’t take long to follow. Just as Maki had initially suspected, it would likely happen this weekend. So today, she planned to stay holed up in her room.

“Is it okay to go outside?” I asked.

“It’s just after the whiskers disappeared, so I think it’ll be fine. But let’s hurry.”

As Maki was about to start walking, she immediately stopped when she saw the bicycle I had ridden. If speed was the priority for shopping in the neighborhood, there was no better vehicle than this. It even had a basket.

“Are you going to use it? We can ride double.”

“No way. That would be illegal.”

“You’re so serious…”

Still, perhaps unable to resist the temptation of speed, Maki swung her leg over the saddle and began adjusting the height for herself. It seemed she had decided to ride double after all. Moreover, she was going to be the one pedaling.

“Then I’ll ride to the shopping street, so follow me.”

“Huh, what?”

“You run fast, right?”

“Are you telling me to run alongside you!?”

I protested.

“That’s my bicycle!”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll take good care of it.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about!”

In the midst of our banter, I was caught off guard and Maki took off running. I was not satisfied. I reluctantly decided to chase after her, telling myself it was because I would be getting dinner money.

Matching the relentless speed of the bicycle, I ran for about ten minutes until we reached the main street with the shopping district. Maki got off her bicycle and started walking.

“I’ll pedal on the way back,” I said, panting.

“I know. Of course.”

She responded with a dazzling smile. It was definitely a lie.

Miyamige Town Shopping Street was a lively area where local residents and tourists constantly mingled. Cat illustrations and silhouettes adorned everything from shop signs to noren curtains, manhole covers, and telephone poles. This time on a Saturday, there were particularly many people. With that, the bicycle I had brought became quite a nuisance. I had to stop several times and wait for the crowd to pass. There were also places where tourists had gathered, likely taking pictures of hidden cats with their smartphones in the alleys between shops.

We arrived at the supermarket, and I parked the bicycle. Nearby, there was a drugstore and a coin laundry that locals frequently used, and the shopping street was cleverly divided into areas visited by tourists and those frequented by residents. The attire of the people around us was not the clean, outwardly appealing style of those who arrived by train or car, but rather casual outfits that suggested they lived just a few hundred meters away. Living in a tourist area can be inconvenient with the crowds, but I felt a sense of joy, as if I were being told I didn’t have to return to the amusement park I had come to visit.

“Come on, stop daydreaming and let’s go.”

“Sorry.”

Prompted by Maki, I entered the supermarket. I grabbed a cart while she immediately took hold of a basket. Maki silently filled the basket.

“What are you even making?”

“Curry.”

“How classic.”

“I couldn’t eat it last time.”

It took me a few seconds to remember. When she had come over wearing cat ears, I had invited her to eat on the way back. At that time, Maki had declined, saying her grandma was preparing something.

“Natsume’s curry is delicious.”

“Really, huh?”

“Don’t smirk, it’s creepy. I’m not complimenting you.”

“If you keep saying rude things, I won’t tell you how to make my special roux. It uses soy sauce and honey, but the proportions matter, and which brand you use is important too.”

Maki huffed and pulled the cart along. Ignoring the section with vegetables and curry roux, she moved straight to the spice aisle, quickly tossing soy sauce and honey into the basket. They were from the same brand that the Natsume family used. I opened my mouth in astonishment, and she calmly stated,

“How many times do you think I’ve eaten it?”

Indeed, counting from elementary school, I had visited many times and had eaten together with her. Today wasn’t the first time staying over either. Someone who wasn’t family knew the condiments used in her home. That’s what childhood friends are, I suppose.

“Huh. You remembered,” I said.

“So stop smirking.”

“I’m not smirking.”

“As a punishment for making me uncomfortable, you have to run on the way back.”

“Not a chance!”

As we continued our banter, we gathered the ingredients for the curry in the basket. On our way to the register, Maki tossed in a few snacks and drinks, and we proceeded to check out. Since she was paying, I took on the task of bagging the items. Maki began pulling out her personal items from the basket, saying she would hold onto the snacks and drinks she was going to eat.

“Oh, Ichika. And Sairara?”

When I turned to the voice, I saw Sakura-chan, holding an eco-bag. She seemed to have come shopping alone. Judging by the amount in her eco-bag, she might have been sent by her parents.

“What a coincidence.”

I waved back in greeting. Maki hurriedly moved behind me, trying to hide. She muttered something about going to the bathroom and slipped away.

“Were you two shopping together?”

“Yeah, something like that. I’m staying over at Maki’s house.”

“I heard you were childhood friends, but you really are close.”

“Who knows? I thought we were on bad terms until just recently.”

“Does that mean you made up?”

“Um, I guess we haven’t really confirmed that.”

“That’s so frustrating. Like a girl in her first love.”

Sakura-chan laughed. If I were to be honest, it might be close to that. We’ve held hands a few times, but we haven’t confirmed if we’re dating—such is the relationship between a boy and a girl. And Sakura-chan only laughed, not probing into the reasons for our falling out. I was grateful for that distance.

“But I’m envious of you, Ichika. You’re so close with Sairara. I want to get closer too. Is there some secret to it?”

“Even if you ask for a secret…”

“I think everyone would want to know. There are a lot of people in class who seem to be close to Sairara, regardless of gender.”

“Really? After all that commotion in the classroom the other day?”

“Sure, some people were put off, but that was because of the fever, right? On the contrary, it added to the mystery, and her popularity has gone up.”

I wondered what kind of expression she would make if she heard that.

At the very least, it might make it easier for her to go to school than it is now. With good news, it seemed I would be able to eat curry today.

“I don’t really know the secret, but well, it’s true that I’m the one holding the reins.”

I let out a satisfied huff.

“If you’d like, I could introduce you.”

“Oh, yeah. That would be nice, but…”

“What is it?”

“Sairara is already outside.”

When I looked out the window at the direction Sakura-chan was pointing, I was taken aback. Maki was riding her bicycle and swiftly leaving.

Left behind like a pathetic person whose reins had been torn away, I couldn’t help but shout.

“That jerk!”