[Short Story] | The Cat Who Moved In

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

I looked at the monitor, and there stood a cat.

"Yes?"

"I am a cat, and I have just moved in next door."

"Oh, I see."

"I've come to introduce myself."

It was a cat that used very strange language.

I clicked the door open.

It lifted its round face slightly and bowed with excessive politeness.

"I apologize for bothering you while you're busy. My name is Cat. I look forward to getting along with you."

"Oh, I see."

"Here is a small gift for you."

"Thank you very much."

As it said this, the cat started to leave, but suddenly turned back as if it had remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be grilling fish in my garden. I apologize if the smoke causes you any trouble."

"Oh, I see."

The cat bowed again and went home. The gift was a towel with a cat mark on it.

The next day.

Immediately, there was a smell of something burning.

Looking out the window at my neighbor's place, I saw the cat from yesterday grilling a fish over a charcoal stove.

White smoke drifted slowly toward me.

Cough, cough!

I instinctively closed the window.

"Is it going to be like this every day..."

Ding-dong.

A short while later, the doorbell rang.

"Yes?"

The monitor showed the cat from yesterday.

I clicked the lock and opened the door.

"Good evening. I'm the cat from next door."

The cat was holding a fish.

"I grilled some fish. It's a saury. I brought you a share."

"Thank you very much."

Perhaps he brought it because he felt bad about the smoke bothering me.

The cat started to walk away, but suddenly turned back as if he had remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, I went easy on the salt. Actually, I have high blood pressure, so I've been told to cut back on my salt intake."

"Oh, I see."

With that, the cat went home.

Come to think of it, I didn't have any ingredients for dinner.

I ate the saury and drank a beer.
The saury was delicious, but it was a bit undersalted.


A Saturday night.

It is hot today. It is truly a tropical night.

Even in an air-conditioned room, the heat outside seemed to be clinging to the other side of the window.


Ding-dong

The doorbell rang.

On the monitor, that cat was shown again.

Is it a fish again?

I opened the door with a click.

"Good evening. I'm the cat from next door."

"Oh, I see."

"There are fireworks tonight. If you'd like, why don't you come watch them with me in my garden?"

Come to think of it, today was the fireworks festival.

I have no particular plans. I like fireworks.

I hesitated for a moment, but I decided to go.

"Well then, come to the garden whenever you're ready."

The cat started to leave, but suddenly turned back as if he had remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, please take this beer. Actually, my liver enzyme levels are high, so I can't drink it right now."

"Thank you very much."

"I'll be waiting for you."

With that, the cat went home.

Thirty minutes later.

I head toward the garden next door.

The sound of fireworks has already been going off for a while now, with a 'thud, thud'.

Cats had gathered in the garden.

Edamame and plates were lined up on the veranda, and in the corner of the garden, white smoke was wafting upward.

'Oh, you came. Come on, have a seat anywhere'.

For some reason, it was holding a beer in its hand.

The other cats didn't seem to care much that I had arrived.

'The saury will be grilled soon'.

'Thank you'.

'Come to think of it, how was the saltiness of the saury yesterday?'

It was a bit bland, but I didn't mention that.

'It was delicious'.

'That's good to hear'.

After that, I didn't really talk to the cats and watched the fireworks by myself.

A large flower blooms in the night sky.

A little later, the sound resonates deep in my chest.

Thud.

Another firework went up.

It was beautiful.

The saury was, as I thought, a bit bland.

'Tamaya, Kagiya'.

The tabby cat shouted happily.

At that voice, the other cats chuckled softly.

I took a sip of my beer.

It was starting to get warm, but strangely, it wasn't bad.

About an hour later, I decided to head home.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Are you leaving already?"

"Yes."

"Good night."

"Good night to you."

On my way back to the entrance, fireworks went off again behind me.

When I turned around, the cats were still looking up at the sky.

Their round backs looked just a little bit happy.

The next day.

I thought I had made some strange neighbors.

The smoke is a bit annoying.

Their way of speaking is weird.

The seasoning is a bit bland.

Even so, I glanced toward the entrance.

I found myself waiting, just a little, for that doorbell to ring again.

Maybe I've gotten some neighbors who aren't so bad after all.