Chapter 1:
The Cat He Saved Was a God
“GRRRRNGH! WHY DO I gotta ride the last train again today?!”
The company building was dead silent, save for Taichi’s resentful howl.
The person who had foisted this current load of work onto him had already gone home hours ago, leaving Taichi and his coworker—who’d already passed out on the floor—to take care of the rest.
Figured he’d be up by now, but he hasn’t cracked his eyes open once. Is he okay? Well, surely he was. Overtime was perfectly normal for them, whether it should be or not. Taichi certainly held a grudge over that fact, at least.
He grumbled. “I was determined to clock out on time today so I could swing by a cat café on my way hoooome!” Taichi cried out again, smashing his fingers against the keyboard harder than necessary, as if it might cool down some of his anger. It wouldn’t, of course. Life was never that easy.
This man hammering away at his keys with unbridled ferocity was none other than Taichi Arima, a man with black hair, black eyes, and a forgettable, average appearance. Taichi had been working at the same company since he graduated. In a mere blink of an eye, he grew into a twenty-eight-year-old salaryman who already felt like he was on the cusp of middle age. His work was so draining that he’d recently taken to doing whatever he could to clock out on time once a month so that he could visit a cat café to soothe his mental fatigue.
Ah, cat cafés are the best.
“Ooh, Red Bean, Tea, Macaron, Matcha... I’m sorry I won’t be able to visit you,” wept Taichi, his tears dripping onto his keys. “I’m a horrible, awful person.”
He resolved to visit tomorrow instead. Judging by his current progress, he figured he could finish up and make a mad dash for the station to catch the last train in time. Taichi was in full burnout mode by this point, snickering maniacally to himself as he tapped at his keys, the cat café his only motivation.
A gentle yet oppressive rhythm of key-clacking echoed through the room for a short while after that, until at long last, he wrapped up the last of his work.
“Aaand finished! Now, let’s see, the last train—oh, crap! Only ten minutes left to make it!” His head whipped around. “Hey, buddy, I’m heading home!”
“Mmm,” grunted his coworker, who was still half asleep on the floor.
Taichi darted for the door. By the time he burst outside, the hands on the clock were already indicating that it was 12:30 a.m., meaning he had only six minutes to make the last train.
“Eep! Crap, crap, crap!”
Even if I make a mad dash for it, I’m not gonna make it. Time for a shortcut!
A short sprint brought him to a dimly lit park. Though he preferred not to use this route due to the vast number of drunks that loitered there, cutting across the park was the quickest way to the station.
There’s no other choice, so I just gotta suck it up!
As he began navigating his way through the park, he spotted a white cat in his periphery.
“Ooh!” Taichi cried in delight. “How adorable! A real beauty!”
He wanted to stop and truly appreciate how adorable this fluffy creature was, but he was in a hurry to make it home. If he spent any unnecessary time here, he wouldn’t make his train.
“Dammit! It’s destiny for sure, but I gotta go...” If he used the same route tomorrow, would luck let him encounter the cat again?
While Taichi was preoccupied with these thoughts, the cat in question began sauntering toward the road. It was a bit unstable on its feet, which made him wonder if it was injured. Taichi reacted instinctively, chasing after the feline. It was second nature to him as someone with a deep love for cats—or rather, for all things fluffy and cute.
A truck was hurtling toward the cat as it stumbled onto the road. If Taichi didn’t intervene, the cat’s life would be as good as over.
“Watch out!” he cried as he jumped, snatching the cat and cradling its tiny, fluffy body protectively in his arms. A screech of brakes cut through the air, followed by a bone-shattering impact.
Oh. This can’t be good. That brief thought flitted across Taichi’s mind before everything abruptly went black.