“What do you mean?”
“I was born on the Near Shore. It’s the only home I’ve ever known. Abandoning this world would be the same as admitting that I’m not needed. That I have no place here.” He brushed the kitten’s fur with a gentle hand. He clearly hoped that she, another ayakashi of the Near Shore, could avoid a similar fate.
“What if, by some chance, I went to the Far Shore and found it to my liking?” he asked. “I would have no choice but to admit that I failed to survive here.”
“Yoru…”
“I want to belong in this realm.”
Following that quiet admission, Yoru transformed back into a cat. He wriggled out of the pajamas, climbed into my lap, and nuzzled my hand. He curled into a black ball and, seemingly to himself, mumbled, “I want to belong on the Near Shore because I was born and raised here. That’s all.”
He must have been quite tired, for he fell asleep instantly.
🍁🍁🍁