My Cat Came Back as a Hot Guy (And He Remembers Everything)
Sakura Tsukishima, a 21-year-old college student, has lived with her black cat Kuro for five years. One morning, she wakes up to find a tall, ridiculously handsome guy with black hair and golden eyes sleeping in her bed. He has a crescent-shaped mole on the back of his neck — just like Kuro.
"Good morning, Sakura. It's me. Kuro."
Sakura runs. Kuro calmly opens the fridge and eats a tube of cat treats. There's no doubt. It's him.
Kuro's first declaration? "I'm here to pay back five years of gr
My Cat Came Back as a Hot Guy (And He Remembers Everything) - The story of the handsome guy on the bed and five years' worth of grudges
" Kyaaaaaaaa!!"
The scream echoed through the 28-year-old wooden apartment building.
Copo Minazuki, Room 201.
7 AM. May sunlight filtered through thin curtains, casting the room in a pale glow.
Sakura tumbled out of bed and scrambled backward until her back hit the wall.
Her breathing was ragged. Her heart was loud.
There was a man sitting on the edge of the bed.
Black hair fell to his shoulders, and when the light caught it, thin red streaks shimmered faintly. His body was lean but solid—probably around 178 centimeters. His face was... honestly, incredibly handsome. Even asleep, irritatingly so.
The man opened his eyes slowly at Sakura's scream.
They were gold.
His eyes were a vivid, brilliant gold.
" Eh... w-what...?"
Her voice trembled. Of course it did.
Last night, she'd been alone here. She remembered her beloved cat Kuro curled up sleeping on the sofa. But there should have been no other humans.
The man rose slowly and yawned.
Then he looked at Sakura once.
And without a word, he opened the refrigerator.
" W-wait! Hold on!!"
The man didn't wait.
He reached into the back of the fridge and pulled out something from the corner of the shelf.
Churu.
Cat treats. Those Churu pouches.
He knew exactly where they were. He didn't hesitate.
Sakura froze, her back still against the wall.
(... Eh?)
The man tore open the pouch with his teeth and licked the contents straight from it. Like a cat would.
Satisfied.
Something clicked into place in Sakura's mind.
(... Kuro?)
Her legs unsteady, Sakura approached the man.
He didn't turn around.
Sakura carefully peered at the back of his neck.
There it was.
A crescent-shaped mole, right in the middle of the back of his neck.
The exact same shape, the exact same spot, as the white marking she'd seen hundreds of times over five years.
" ... Kuro... is that you?"
The man turned slowly.
His gold eyes looked directly at Sakura.
" Yeah."
A short answer.
But it was enough.
Sakura's legs gave out.
She sank to the floor, wrapped her arms around her knees, and couldn't speak for a long time.
It was Kuro.
The cat she'd lived with for five years.
The black kitten she'd found in tatters on the way home from Tsukimi Station back in her first year of high school, brought home, begged permission from Naruumi, and raised ever since.
That Kuro was now standing in front of her as a black-haired, gold-eyed pretty boy.
" ... I don't understand..."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
She didn't know if it was fear, relief, or confusion.
Kuro stared at her, then looked away.
" Don't cry. It's not time to cry yet."
" What do you mean!?"
Kuro headed toward the dining table.
He pulled out a chair, sat down, and spread an A5-sized notebook on the table from somewhere.
" I have business."
" Business... what kind?"
" I came to settle five years of grudges."
Sakura stood up.
" Huh?"
" It's all written in the notebook. Listen in order."
Kuro opened it.
Three pages were filled with writing.
" Number one. Nail clipping. Twice a month. You held me down and cut them. It didn't hurt, but it was unpleasant."
" Eh?"
" Number two. Baths. Forced bathing three times a year. I showed you I hated water, but you ignored it."
" But cats need baths!!"
Kuro pulled out a pen and added something to the edge of the notebook.
" Added to page six."
" Eh!? It increased!?"
" Be quiet and listen. Number five. Hair dryer. Every time after a bath. I ran away because I hate the sound, but you chased me."
"But if I don't dry you off, you'll catch a cold..."
Kuro picked up the pen again.
" Okay! I'll be quiet!!"
" Number eleven. The butt incident. A thermometer was inserted at the animal hospital. I will never forgive this."
Kuro's voice dropped slightly.
" This is in a special category. Written in red with a double circle."
Sakura leaned in to look at the notebook.
It really was written in red, with a double circle around it.
(... He's seriously holding a grudge about this...)
" But that was necessary to take your temperature..."
" Added to page seven."
" I'm sorry!!!!"
Kuro snapped the notebook shut.
" That's all for today. There are 23 items total."
" 23!?"
" I'll read them in order starting tomorrow. Be prepared."
Sakura collapsed onto the table.
(Why... why did this happen...)
She glanced at the clock. 7:40.
" Oh, work!"
Her shift at Cafe Harukaze started at 8:30.
It was only a 3-minute walk from Tsukimi Station, but if she had to change and get ready, she'd definitely be late.
" I'm heading out. ... Don't you dare go outside."
" What's wrong with going outside?"
" Everything's wrong! You don't have a family register or ID!!"
Kuro went quiet for a moment.
" ... I see. So there are rules like that."
" There are rules! Please, just wait here!!"
Sakura rushed to change, pulling on a white shirt and black slacks, quickly running her fingers through her short bob. She forgot to put in her small earring and had to go back into the hallway to get it.
Kuro had already moved to the sofa and was staring out the window.
He was sitting like a cat.
Sakura glanced at him sideways as she closed the front door.
*
She arrived at Cafe Harukaze at 8:52.
" Nonomura-san, I'm sorry...!"
" You made it~! Sakura-chan, twenty minutes late~!"
Nonomura Aoi was beaming from behind the counter.
Her long silver-white hair swayed smoothly with every movement. Her eyes were a clear, transparent blue, and despite her small 158-centimeter frame, she had an incredible presence.
She was a graduate student at Minase University, two years older than Sakura. Since the first day Sakura started working, she'd clung to her saying "So cute!" and had been looking after her ever since.
Sakura picked up her apron.
Her hands trembled slightly.
" I'll do my best..."
" No, you don't need to apologize, but..."
Aoi stared at Sakura's face.
" Your face is red. Are you sick?"
" No."
" Then... a guy?"
" No! It's a cat!!"
Her voice came out too loud.
The cafe went silent.
Every customer in the place turned to look at her.
Sakura covered her face with her hands.
(This is bad...)
" A cat... I see."
Aoi kept smiling, but didn't say anything else.
Her eyes, though, said "There's definitely something going on."
Cafe Harukaze was a small shop. Six tables, six counter seats. Twenty-four seats total, a 3-minute walk from Tsukimi Station. Their specialty was house-roasted coffee and thick egg sandwiches, and all the regulars were nice people.
Sakura worked here three days a week. 1,050 yen per hour.
The morning shift wasn't usually busy. Sakura made coffee for three people, toasted some bread, and rang up the register.
She managed fine. Or so she thought.
" Hey, what happened with the cat?"
Aoi asked quietly while handing over a coffee cup.
" ... Nothing really."
" Sakura-chan came in looking like you were about to cry. That's not nothing."
Sakura didn't answer.
(What could I even say? That my cat turned into a human and read me a five-year grudge list? I'd get reported for sure.)
" ... I'll tell you later."
" Yeah, I'll listen."
Aoi didn't press further.
Sakura felt relieved and went to take the next order.
She mixed up the table numbers and brought the wrong order to the right table, only to find they'd already been served.
" I'm sorry...!"
The customer laughed and forgave her.
Aoi chuckled from behind the counter.
" Sakura-chan, you're really out of it today."
" I know..."
For the rest of her shift, Sakura couldn't stop thinking about Kuro.
What was he doing right now?
Was he opening the fridge again, eating more Churu?
Had he gone outside?
The season when the cherry blossoms along the Utse River were visible on the way home from work had already passed. May in Tsukimi City was full of greenery, and in the evenings, a cool breeze drifted through Hoshizora Street in front of the station.
Sakura walked under the arcade, lost in thought.
(I hope Kuro ate something...)
*
She got back to the apartment just after 5 PM.
" I'm home... Kuro?"
No answer.
She looked around the room. Kuro wasn't anywhere.
Not on the sofa. Not on the bed.
Sakura's heart jumped.
(Did he go outside? No way...)
She approached the window and saw the balcony.
Kuro was sitting on the railing.
Perched on the thin iron railing, watching the sunset.
The exact same posture he'd taken every day when he was a cat.
Sakura opened the window.
" That's dangerous, you'll fall!"
" I won't."
" You will! You don't have cat balance anymore!"
" It's the same as when I was a cat."
He didn't seem interested in coming down.
Sakura leaned on the window frame and sighed.
The sunset painted Tsukimi City's streets orange. The silhouette of Kagura Ridge was visible to the north, and the surface of the Utse River glittered.
It was a beautiful view.
Sakura stood quietly for a moment, watching the sunset alongside Kuro.
It was strange. Watching the sunset with human Kuro felt so natural.
" ... Did you eat anything today?"
" Churu. Three pouches."
" You need to eat real food!!"
" Churu was enough."
" Humans can't survive on Churu alone!"
Kuro glanced at Sakura sideways.
His gold eyes reflected the red of the sunset.
Then he looked forward again.
There was a pause.
The wind blew, and Kuro's black hair swayed.
" ... Sakura."
His voice was different than before.
" I think the reason I could become human is because... my time is running out."
Sakura froze.
" ... Eh?"
Kuro didn't answer.
Still watching the sunset. Still motionless.
" Kuro, what do you mean by—"
" ... That's all for today."
It was the tone of someone ending the conversation.
Sakura looked at his profile.
His gold eyes were looking at something far away.
(Time is running out...)
The words spun in her head.
She didn't understand. But she couldn't ask again.
Sakura gripped the window frame tightly.
She wanted to say it would be okay.
But the words wouldn't come.
The sunset sank lower and lower.
Tsukimi City shifted from orange to red.
Kuro remained on the railing.
Quiet, like a cat, watching the sunset.
Sakura stood beside him, gripping the window frame instead of speaking.
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