My Childhood Friend Meows Under My Skirt. (GL) - Chapter 4
A cracked magatama rolls across the grass. The pale blue light that enveloped Maki fades away, and a burnt string drifts before my eyes, carried by the wind.
As I catch my breath, panting, she glares at me with eyes still holding the essence of a cat.
“It’s over. Give up.”
I’ve failed.
I couldn’t hold back.
It was so close.
Thirty seconds left.
It’s no use now.
What should I do? Is there anything I can do?
“Ah, ah, ah…”
I’m going to lose her. I’m going to lose Maki.
“Give up!”
A voice that seeks to crush my spirit and trample it down.
Please. Someone—.
No, that’s not right.
‘That’s right. You’ve always been unnecessarily skilled.’
‘Such an impure, lewd thing, isn’t it?’
‘Aren’t you going to join a serious sports club? What a waste.’
‘Ichika’s strength is being able to act before thinking.’
It’s not someone else.
I’m the only one here.
I will do it.
Faster than I can think, I stomp down hard and leap forward. Twenty seconds left. I head toward the rolling magatama. I pick up one of the halves that was close by, and the white cat realizes my intention, dashing toward the remaining piece. Fifteen seconds left.
The moonlight reflects off the magatama rolling on the grass. I spot it and leap. Just as I grab it, I’m tackled from the side by the white cat. The impact nearly makes me lose consciousness, but I don’t let go. Ten seconds left.
As I struggle, the white cat pushes me down, pinning my hands. I’m immobilized beneath her. She leans in, her face close, and lets out a threatening hiss.
“Give me that dangerous thing!”
She glares at my clenched fist.
“Open your hand! I’ll break it!”
Five seconds left.
I smile.
I open my fist.
“Huh?” The white cat shows a bewildered expression.
She’s unsettled by my empty palm, and then notices my mouth. Her cat-like eyes reflect my image perfectly. The magatama I had been holding peeks out from between my teeth.
“!”
Releasing her grip, the white cat tries to leap back. I won’t let her escape.
As she recoils, I push myself up.
I wrap my hands around the back of her head.
And pull her in—.
Zero seconds.
I touch her lips.
The magatama slips from my mouth, and I hear the sound of it being swallowed.
A pale blue flash suddenly envelops the area, and then everything goes dark.
________________________________________
Colors return to my vision, which had been white. The grass, the dirt, my body stained with mud and scratches, and my arms already trembling from muscle pain. The fountain continues its diligent work, and the clock tower’s hands show it’s past midnight. And there, right in front of me, was Maki.
Kneeling, we sit, not moving an inch.
Her dazed face no longer has whiskers. Her ears are gone, and her tail no longer wags.
As if confirming that her own body has returned, her hand slowly touches me, and it is indeed hers.
Though she’s right in front of me, our eyes finally meet, and Maki whispers.
“Ichika…”
“Ah, um…”
What should I say?
I feel like there were several things I should say, but nothing comes to mind.
Since we’ve come back, let’s just start from here.
“Mom made too much for dinner. Would you like to eat the leftovers? They’re still at your apartment.”
In the next moment, I’m suddenly embraced.
Was she happy that dinner was ready?
I know that’s not the case, even my exhausted brain can understand that.
“I was scared.”
“Y-yeah.”
“I thought I’d never come back again.”
“…Yeah.”
I hold her as she sobs.
“I was about to give up.”
“Yeah.”
“You came back properly.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Ichika…”
“I’m listening.”
“Thank you…”
Suddenly, at that moment, I finally found what I needed to convey.
“I’m sorry for making you wait.”
It seems it took me a year and a half to find that.
The strength of Maki’s embrace tightens. A dull pain shoots through my back from the bruises, but I endure it.
The moon illuminates the surroundings. All those cats that had been around are nowhere to be seen. They must have gotten bored and gone home.
As I listen to the sound of the fountain, Maki doesn’t seem like she’s going to let go anytime soon.
“Um, Maki, it’s getting a bit hard to breathe.”
“Just a little longer like this.”
“Is that so…?”
Just as I resigned myself, Maki suddenly released her embrace.
She pulled back, looking at me with an expression of disbelief. Her cheeks flushed, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly.
“You! You just ki-ki-ki-ki-kissed me! Without my permission!”
“Oh, so you remember everything.”
“Did you think I’d forget?!”
“Because my hands and feet were tied up.”
“Even so, there had to be something else!”
“I couldn’t think of anything else to do. So in the end, the magatama is inside Maki’s body now. You swallowed it properly.”
“Unforgivable! It was my first kiss! It was supposed to be something more special and sacred, not in a place like this! Unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable! You sexual harassment demon!”
What about the magatama?
Seeing that Maki had returned to her usual self, I felt relieved, and all my strength drained away. I collapsed back, staring up at the sky. I think I’ll sleep well tonight.
“Are you even listening?! What are you going to do about this?! It only happens once in a lifetime! It’s something special! It was really my first time!”
Maki’s voice echoed in the empty park. It didn’t seem like she was going to stop anytime soon, so I decided to quietly murmur a single response amidst her shrill protests.
“Me too.”