Chima-chan's After-School Love! ~The Cat-Eared Transfer Student is a Diva~ - The Melancholy of the Caretaker and the Cat-Eared Transfer Student

"…Huh." After school, in the library — Shizuka Bunko. At the counter by the window, Ayase Haruto let out a sigh alone. *(No one's coming today, either.)* Well, that was normal. At most fifteen or twenty people came to the library after school. Most of them were third-years studying for entrance exams, and as for me, a second-year, I just quietly sorted returned books and straightened shelves. "Vice committee chair, could you take care of this?" "Ah, yes." Haruto looked up and took the book the teacher held out. Hozumi-sensei was a kind-faced woman in her fifties, and she suited this quiet library perfectly. *(I like this quiet, too.)* No one says anything to me. No one expects anything from me. There's just the smell of books and the sound of pages turning. Haruto gathered the returned books in his arms and glanced out the window for a moment. The October sky was high, and the trees in the schoolyard were slowly gaining color. Today was Monday. A day when nothing in particular was supposed to happen. "…Still, it's boring." When he said it aloud, Hozumi-sensei let out a soft laugh. "You're young. Don't say things like that." "Sorry." Haruto gave a small bow and readjusted the books in his arms. In his pocket was his usual paperback — for reading during breaks. *(Well, this is my everyday life.)* Plain, quiet, nothing happens. But I thought that was fine. …No. I wanted to think that. Deep in Haruto's heart, an old memory surfaced. His mother, who had passed away three years ago. The day he could no longer play the piano. *(Again.)* Haruto shook his head and checked the book classifications. Japanese literature shelf. Third row here— "Ah." One book was tilted at an angle. Haruto reached out and quietly straightened it. *(There, done.)* The spines on the shelf lined up neatly. Seeing that calmed him, just a little. "You're so diligent, Haruto-kun." "…It's just my personality." "Fufu, that's your good point." A good point, huh. After his parent's funeral, his father and his little sister had quietly given him space without saying anything. His teachers and friends at school had all treated him like something fragile. *(Honestly, having no one say anything is the hardest part.)* But he didn't have the courage to say that out loud. Haruto was bad at being worried about by others. "I'll take this to the faculty room." "Oh, that helps. Thank you." Haruto took the lending records file and left the library. The moment he closed the door, the outside air brushed coldly against his cheeks. *(It's autumn.)* He walked through the school building. From near the entrance, he could hear the voices of the basketball club. Muffled, hard to make out. The hallway to the faculty room was long. Haruto gazed out the window. The residential streets of Minaka City. A small town of about 120,000 people, west of Tokyo. Twelve minutes on foot from the station. When you climbed the gentle slope, the white school building came into view. Seiran Academy. Founded forty-two years ago. A slightly unusual private high school with both a general course and a music course. The school motto was "Resonating Individuality." Well, words that had nothing to do with someone like me. "Oh, Ayase." Suddenly, someone called out from behind. "Ah, hey." A few classmates waved as they passed by. Haruto gave a light nod. *(They remembered my name.)* More than happy, it was a little embarrassing. I'm not someone who stands out, and I don't want to stand out either. As he approached the faculty room, he could hear teachers laughing inside. "Excuse me." When Haruto opened the door, he met eyes with the grade head, Shiraishi-sensei. "Oh, Ayase. Perfect timing." A solidly built man of forty-five. A social studies teacher with a loud voice. "Perfect timing for what?" "Come with me. I need to talk to you." Nothing but bad feelings. Haruto placed the file on the vice principal's desk and followed Shiraishi-sensei out into the hallway. "Um, I have library duty after this—" "This'll take ten minutes." It didn't feel like something that would take ten minutes. Through the hallway window, he could see the dogwood tree in the courtyard. It had red berries. "A transfer student is coming tomorrow. To class 2-B." "…Our class?" "That's right. And I want you to be their guide." …What? Haruto couldn't help but ask again. "A guide?" "Yes. Showing them around the school, helping with classes, that sort of thing." "I'm not suited for that kind of thing. Isn't there someone more outgoing?" "Haha, what are you saying? You're the vice committee chair, aren't you? You take good care of people." "I don't take good care of people. I'm just diligent." "That diligence is exactly what I want. Please." Shiraishi-sensei clapped Haruto on the shoulder. It seemed the decision was already made. *(I'm just a plain library committee member.)* He retorted loudly in his head. Actually, isn't the transfer student guide supposed to be someone more flashy? "…Tomorrow morning, the transfer student will come to the faculty room. I'll bring them over then, so I'm counting on you after that." "…Yes." After answering, he immediately regretted it. *(I just can't say no, can I.)* Haruto resented his own personality, just a little. "Thank you. That's a big help." The teacher's smile was painfully bright. *(Hah.)* And so, my peaceful days were probably about to change shape, just a little. The next morning. The classroom air was buzzing with something. "Hey, a transfer student's coming today." "I heard it's a girl." "Seriously? Is she cute?" Before morning homeroom. His classmates were excited about such trivial talk. *(A transfer student, huh.)* Haruto opened his paperback at his desk. He plugged his ears with printed words. This. This time was what he liked. The bell rang. The front door of the classroom slid open with a clatter. "Good morning, everyone." Shiraishi-sensei walked in. Behind him was a small girl. "…Huh?" Someone made a strange sound. No, not someone. Everyone. Everyone forgot to breathe. The girl's uniform was the school-designated navy blazer. Skirt length was normal. She was small — maybe 150 centimeters. Fluffy, almost white golden hair. A little longer than shoulder length. And above all — on her head, there were cat ears. The fur color was the same pale gold as her hair. Only the tips were faintly tinged with pink. *(What?)* Real? Fake? Or was it just her hairstyle making it look that way? No, this wasn't something that could be explained away by appearances. No matter how you looked at it, those were real cat ears. They were twitching and everything. The classroom was wrapped in silence. And the one who broke that silence was the person herself. "Nice to meet you all, nya!" Nya. She just said "nya." "This is Machida Chima-san. She'll be working hard with all of you from now on. Please introduce yourself." Prompted, Chima stepped forward. Each time she moved, her cat ears quivered. "Yes, nya. My name is Machida Chima, nya. I love singing, and I want to make everyone smile, nya. Please take care of me, nya." She said it all in one breath. Then she smiled brightly. When she bowed, her golden hair swayed softly, and a sweet, soap-like scent drifted from her neck. *(What is this creature?)* Haruto was sweating coldly deep inside. "Now then, Chima-san's seat… ah, the seat in front is open. Next to Ayase is fine, right?" Shiraishi-sensei looked at Haruto. The guide work had begun. "You're my guide… right?" Chima looked straight at Haruto's face. "Eh." "I know. Shiraishi-sensei told me he asked you, Haruto-kun. Please take care of me, Haruto-kun." Haruto-kun. Not even his last name — she went straight to his first name. *(Isn't she getting close a little fast?)* Chima walked over with a patter, as naturally as if they'd been friends forever, and sat in the empty seat next to Haruto. "Is this seat open?" "…Yeah, I guess." "Yay. Nice to meet you." Close. The physical distance was incredibly close. More importantly, the cat ears. The cat ears were twitching at the edge of his vision. *(What are those? Are they fake? Or is she, like, some kind of character? No, they can't be real… no, no, no.)* Haruto was quietly confused. Even after class started, Chima took notes politely. Then, just when he thought that, she suddenly started dozing off. Then, just when he thought that, she saw a bird outside the window and her eyes sparkled. *(She's… exactly like a cat.)* He was starting to feel like they were real. By the time fourth period ended, Haruto was exhausted. Lunch break. Haruto was to show Chima around the school. "First, the library. This way." "Yes, nya." They walked down the hallway. Chima trotted along, looking around restlessly. "Haruto-kun, what's that book in your pocket?" "…A paperback. I like them." "Huh. Let me read it sometime, nya." "I don't know if you'll find it interesting." "If Haruto-kun thinks it's interesting, I'll probably think it's interesting too. Nya." That had no basis whatsoever. He opened the library door. The unique, calming smell. "Wow…!" Chima's eyes sparkled. Seeing the rows of bookshelves, she walked toward them as if drawn in. "Amazing. So many books. Hey, can you get that one for me, nya?" "Which one?" "The one on the very top. The cat photo book!" …A cat photo book? *(She has cat ears herself.)* No — because she has them, maybe. "This one?" He reached up, took the photo book, and handed it to her. "Thank you, nya." Happily, she flipped through the pages. "…You like cats?" "Yeah, I love them. Cats are free, and capricious, and yet someone still loves them. That's wonderful, nya." Someone still loves them. Those words caught strangely in his heart. "…I see." Haruto said nothing more. Next, they went out to the courtyard. The October sunlight was just right. Under the dogwood tree, Chima stopped. "It feels nice here." "Yeah." "Haruto-kun. Can I sing at school?" She asked suddenly. "…That's sudden." "I felt like singing. Looking at this tree… it felt like it was okay to sing." Chima clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at the sky. "…It's a dogwood." She began to sing. It was a small voice. But that voice was astonishingly clear. *(She's good.)* Haruto thought so honestly. He didn't believe in anything as exaggerated as the power of song. But it was pleasant. "—" The song stopped. Suddenly. No, not suddenly. Chima's face tensed, as if she had just seen something. "…Sorry." "Eh?" "It's nothing!" Chima waved her hand and smiled. But that smile was different from before. Somehow, she looked like she was about to cry. *(…Something happened.)* He wanted to ask. But he still didn't know if she was someone he could step into like that. Haruto silently walked beside Chima. Dismissal time. In front of the school gate, Chima tugged at Haruto's sleeve. "Hey." "…What is it?" "Thanks for today. And please take care of me tomorrow, too." Chima said that and smiled brightly. In the sunset, her white hair glowed translucent orange. "…Yeah." He answered. That should have been all it was, but— Deep in his chest, something pulsed. *Thump.* *(Whoa.)* "See you, Haruto-kun! See you tomorrow! Funyaa!" Chima waved her hand widely and ran down the slope. Her cat ears bounced up and down. …Her cat ears bounced. "Haha." He laughed. *(What was that?)* Haruto looked up at the sky. The sunset was dyeing the entire town. *(Is tomorrow going to be like that too?)* A light sigh. But the pounding in his chest from earlier still tickled, just a little. "…Time to go home." Haruto began walking slowly down the road toward the station. His quiet everyday life had definitely begun to move, with sound. What kind of days it would become— That, at this moment, I still didn'

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 1

Name: Chima-chan's After-School Love! ~The Cat-Eared Transfer Student is a Diva~
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt