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) - I am Sakura's cat—The Ruthless Battle in Front of Kousaka Hall
Three days had passed since Kuro's lap pillow, and Sakura still didn't understand the truth behind the pounding in her chest.
(Well, it's fine...)
Even as she tried to convince herself, her ears turned red every time she looked in the mirror. She was starting to annoy herself.
Wednesday evening. After her lecture at Minase University ended, Sakura walked leisurely through the Hoshizora arcade. The sky was still bright. The May evening breeze drifted in from the edge of the arcade, tickling her bangs.
Tsukimi City was quiet as always. The fruit vendor was sweeping in front of his shop, and radio sounds drifted from the general store across the way. When Sakura reached the front of Kousaka-do, a sweet fragrance wafted toward her.
She stopped in her tracks.
Lined up in the shop window were Japanese sweets. Small triangular mochi. Cute crescent-moon shapes. The price tag read "Crescent Moon Mochi—180 yen each."
Someone was arranging the mochi with practiced hands.
"...Ren?"
The young man who looked up had deep reddish-purple hair. Amber eyes met Sakura's, and he blinked once. Then his ears gradually turned red.
Kousaka Ren. Twenty-two years old. Third-year law student at Minase University. Sakura's childhood friend. The heir to Kousaka-do.
"...Sakura. It's been a while."
"Really, it's been a week! Have you been well?"
"Yeah. More or less."
Ren adjusted the mochi arrangement with a slightly embarrassed expression. His hands were deft. One by one, carefully.
Sakura felt oddly happy and picked up one of the mochi. Sweet. Just looking at it was sweet.
"The crescent moon mochi—the name is so cute. It's the same shape as the mole on Kuro's neck—"
She was cut off mid-sentence. A hand grabbed her wrist from behind.
"Let's go home."
Sakura turned around. Black hair with red streaks, golden eyes. A 178-centimeter-tall young man stood there matter-of-factly, arms uncrossed.
(When did he get here!?)
Ren's expression froze. Looking at the man holding Sakura's wrist, his brow furrowed. His amber eyes narrowed.
"...Who are you?"
Kuro looked at Ren. Golden eyes fixed on him directly.
"I'm Sakura's cat."
There was a pause.
Ren's face went blank. "Huh?"
"Cat?"
"A cat."
"What do you mean, cat? Cats don't pull humans by the wrist! Sakura, who is this guy?"
"U-um..."
Before Sakura could say anything, Kuro didn't move an inch from in front of Ren. He stood half a step ahead of Sakura. Golden eyes fixed on Ren.
"The cat Sakura kept for five years. So Sakura's cat."
"That doesn't make sense!! That's not what I'm asking! What's your relationship with Sakura?!"
"I said I'm Sakura's cat."
"Because you're not a cat, you're human!!"
"I have a human form, but I'm a cat."
"What kind of logic is that?!"
A twenty-two-year-old and a nineteen-year-old were glaring at each other directly in front of Kousaka-do.
Ren didn't back down an inch. Kuro didn't move an inch. In front of the shop with its neatly arranged crescent moon mochi, the air grew taut and silent.
Sakura was sandwiched between them, frozen with mochi in her hand.
(W-what do I do...)
Then a bright voice came from inside Kousaka-do.
"Oh, Sakura-chan! Welcome!"
Ren's mother, Kousaka Misuzu, came through the noren curtain. Fifty-four years old, a smiling face, wearing an apron. She was said to be the friendliest person in the shopping district.
Misuzu looked at Sakura, then at Kuro, then at Ren.
And she said with a smile still on her face:
"Oh my. Sakura-chan, you're quite popular, aren't you?"
The strength drained from Sakura's body.
"...Misuzu-san, it's not like that."
"It's fine! Youth, youth! Ren, make sure you give Sakura-chan some mochi!"
"...M-Mom!"
Ren's face flustered in an unusual way. Kuro observed the entire exchange with his golden eyes. Then he glanced at the mochi.
"So this is the shape of Sakura's cat's mole."
"Huh?"
"Crescent moon mochi. The same shape as the mole on my neck."
It was true. Sakura had been thinking the same thing.
"Oh, is that so! Then it's auspicious! I'll give you one free!"
Kuro accepted the mochi and ate it right there with a crisp bite.
There was a pause.
"...It's sweet."
It was neither dissatisfied nor satisfied—just a simple observation.
Ren put his hand to his forehead.
"...Come on, stop it."
＊
After that day, Ren started coming to Sakura's apartment. Every day.
"I came to check on Sakura."
That was his excuse. But every time the door opened, Kuro was standing there first. Arms crossed. Golden eyes looking down at Ren.
"What do you want?"
"I have business with Sakura. I didn't ask you."
"Sakura is in Sakura's room. I'm also in Sakura's room. So you can't see Sakura without going through me."
"That's only because you're opening the door yourself!!"
"This is Sakura's house. I'm Sakura's cat. No problem."
"There's nothing but problems!!"
Every time their voices rose at the entrance, Sakura got up from the dining sofa. While the two argued at the door, she moved to the edge of the room and crouched down with her back against the wall.
(Where am I supposed to be...)
The two noticed Sakura had moved and both looked at her at the same time.
"Sakura, are you okay?"
"What are you doing? Come here."
Since they spoke simultaneously, Sakura didn't know how to respond.
"...Well, it's fine."
She said that for now and stood up.
＊
Thursday was her work day.
Cafe Harukaze. Three minutes on foot from the north exit of Tsukimi Station. A cozy cafe with twenty-four seats, always filled with the aroma of house-roasted coffee. Sakura worked here three days a week in a white apron.
That day's shift was just Sakura and Aoi.
Nonomura Aoi was twenty-three, a graduate student. She had long silver-white hair loosely tied back and wore a light gray shirt today. A small mole near her eyes was her distinctive feature. She was Sakura's senior at the cafe, and her affection for her juniors was a bit intense. But fundamentally, she was intelligent and sharp in her observations.
"Sakura-chan came again. Cuteness is justice."
"You don't have to say that every time, senpai..."
"I will. It's a habit."
After the lunch rush passed, it was the quiet time after three o'clock. As Sakura wiped the counter, the cafe door opened.
Ren walked in.
Deep reddish-purple hair, neat appearance. His clothes were a bit too formal for a cafe visit, and his expression was slightly tense.
"...Sakura, are you here?"
"Ren? Why are you coming here?"
"I was going to say I came to check on you, but..."
Before Ren finished speaking, Aoi poked her head out from beside the counter. Smiling.
"Ah. Sakura-chan's childhood friend, right?"
Ren stiffened slightly.
"...Yes."
"Which one came first—him or the black-haired guy?"
It was a direct hit. Sakura froze, still holding the counter cloth. Ren's cheeks flushed slightly, then tightened.
"...We're childhood friends. Since elementary school."
"I see. So you have seniority."
She smiled. It was the face of someone declaring a rival. Ren noticed it too.
Aoi moved next to Sakura and quickly straightened Sakura's apron strings. There didn't seem to be any particular reason, but she was quick about it.
"Take good care of our Sakura-chan, okay?"
"...What do you mean by 'our'?"
"Senpai. I'm the senpai."
Sakura spotted a customer at table two raising their hand on the other side of the counter. Saved.
"Wait, you two, an order came in—"
"Sakura-san, table two is waiting."
Seta Genichiro, the cafe owner, called out from the back. Fifty-six years old, former salaryman, few words. But he always threw her a lifeline when needed.
Sakura escaped toward table two with her order pad.
Behind her, Ren was saying something to Aoi.
"...Do you know who that black-haired guy is?"
"I know. But you should hear it from Sakura-chan."
Still smiling.
＊
Her shift ended after seven.
Back at her apartment, Sakura changed out of her uniform into a T-shirt and collapsed onto the sofa. She stared at the ceiling. Exhausted.
Kuro was sitting in front of the table, opening a Churu. It was his third one.
"Kuro, eat actual food for dinner, okay?"
"Churu comes first."
"It's not about the order..."
She sighed and sat up. She thought back to the scene with Ren and Aoi-senpai in the same space. Both of them were sharp. Sandwiched between them, Sakura hadn't been helpful at all.
As she was thinking about this, she noticed the sky outside the window had turned into a beautiful sunset. Orange light came through the gap in the curtains.
"Kuro, want to take a walk?"
Kuro looked up.
"Now?"
"The Utuse River. I think it's beautiful at this time."
There was a pause. Kuro put the Churu pouch on the table and stood up.
"Let's go."
An immediate answer.
＊
Five minutes on foot from the apartment to the Utuse River's embankment. The evening light turned the water surface orange. The cherry blossom trees had long since turned to leaf, and the blue May leaves swayed in the evening breeze. Few people were on the riverside promenade.
Sakura walked beside Kuro.
After walking in silence for a bit, Sakura spoke.
"Can't you answer Ren a little more normally?"
"I'm answering normally."
"'I'm Sakura's cat'... Ren looks confused every time you say that."
"It's strange to be confused. I'm stating a fact."
"Even if it's a fact..."
Her words trailed off. Kuro glanced at her sideways. Golden eyes. Reflecting the sunset.
"Every time he comes, Sakura gets caught in the middle. I don't like that."
Sakura was slightly surprised.
"...It's not that you don't like Ren—you don't like that I'm troubled?"
"That's right."
An immediate answer. Something in Sakura's chest grew warm.
"...You really do say cat-like things."
She said it with a wry smile. Kuro didn't answer. But his mouth seemed to move slightly.
A bench by the river came into view. Sakura was about to say "Let's rest there for a bit" when—
In the light of the sunset, the outline of Kuro's right hand blurred.
Just for an instant.
His fingers—became transparent.
The orange of the sunset seemed to pass straight through his fingers. The light on the river surface seemed to pass through Kuro's hand.
"...Huh?"
A sound escaped her. Sakura rubbed her eyes.
The next moment, Kuro's hand was normal. An untanned, slightly slender, ordinary right hand.
Kuro was looking at the river surface. He didn't seem to notice anything.
"Did you say something?"
"...Nothing."
She forced a smile. She wasn't sure if it worked.
(It was just my imagination... right?)
She tried to convince herself. But something in her chest kept nagging at her.
The words Kuro had spoken that first night on the balcony came back to her.
——I think it's because time is short.
She'd let it slide until now. Hadn't asked about it. But in this moment, those words finally took on a real shape.
The sunset sank lower and lower. The orange on the river surface gradually turned to a darker red.
Sakura stood beside Kuro and looked at the river.
She glanced at Kuro's right hand.
It looked normal now. Properly there.
But——
(Maybe I need to ask...)
The unease wouldn't stop. Even as the evening breeze caressed her cheek, it wouldn't stop at all.
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