Interlude 1:
Leaving Work on Time to Visit a Cat Café
TAICHI ARIMA HAD joined a corrupt company without even realizing it. Energy drinks had become his lifeblood. While others enjoyed wine tasting, he could partake in energy drink tasting as a veteran connoisseur.
For as hard as his life was, Taichi still had something he enjoyed. More to the point, one respite that kept him going despite it all.
One day a month, after working overtime for days on end, he would clock out on time. He’d find some way to wrap up all his work early and sneak out while his boss was in the bathroom. Only then did he feel truly free, even though he didn’t have the courage to turn off his phone.
“Good afternoon!”
“Welcome!” greeted one of the café workers. “Oh, it’s you, Arima-san. Will you be staying till closing like normal?”
“You betcha!” Taichi responded eagerly. He tucked his shoes away in one of the provided lockers, stowing his bag along with it. He ordered what he always did: hot chocolate, to relieve his exhaustion, and Meowuru.
The café proper had two sets of doors, which Taichi passed through to enter what he considered paradise. The room was a full fifteen tatami mats in size, and it was full of cats, cats, and more cats. None of them immediately approached when he came, of course. They smugly pranced around, while some lounged on the sofas and others snoozed on the windowsills. Taichi would love it if at least a few would rush to him in excitement, but that was asking for too much. He only visited once a month. He wouldn’t win any of their hearts unless he frequented the place more.
Maybe I should consider switching jobs and finding something with less overtime. Taichi had seriously started to consider it lately.
“Right now, I want to just enjoy some cozy time with the kitties,” he said to himself.
He had already made his purchase of Meowuru—the specialty treats the café provided—but he didn’t plan to offer them right away. First, he took his seat on one of the sofas to drink his hot chocolate. This was the perfect time to relax and enjoy watching the cats. A few walked nearby and hope would bloom in his chest. Maybe he’d be lucky and they’d come toward hi—nope. This cycle played out over and over.
Once he finished relaxing, Taichi would next use the toys the café provided—a ball and cat wand—to play with the felines. This part’s actually pretty difficult. If he didn’t move the cat wand with the proper speed and rhythm to catch that cats’ attention, they would simply ignore him. He was terrible at it in the beginning. One of the café workers found him so pitiful that they did their best to teach him the proper way. Taichi had since improved enough to engage the cats.
Still, I can only seem to lure in the naturally energetic and friendly ones. The boss-tier cats, as he called them, wouldn’t even give him the time of day. I gotta give it my all.
“Here, kitty, kitty! I’ve got a toy for you,” Taichi cooed at them in a sing-song voice.
A female munchkin snapped her head around, eyes focused on the toy. Her name was Macaron. Her legs were tiny and dwarf-like, her fur an adorable light brown shade. Many of the other cats here had similarly appetizing names such as Red Bean and Matcha.
Taichi flipped the cat wand behind the shadow of the sofa before momentarily sliding it out and dangling it in front of Macaron. Careful not to miss a beat, he’d hide it again immediately to keep her interest. He’d learned that repeating this would catch their attention and encourage them to play. Macaron watched attentively, her big eyes following every little movement of the wand.
Ha ha, perfect! Just a little more and she’ll come for it! Taichi sat at a keyboard every single day, pounding on his keyboard for hours on end and sacrificing the health of his own wrists all for this!
“Come on, Macaron, it’s your favorite wand toy,” Taichi cooed at her.
“Mew!” she cried cutely, leaping after the toy.
“Hup!” Taichi moved it quicker than he had before. Eager to grab it, Macaron bounced after it. “You’re so cute!”
“Mew!” Her little front feet flailed as she tried desperately to catch the toy. With every pounce, she would wiggle her butt and tail, which was irresistibly adorable.
Ah, this really washes all my exhaustion away. Taichi let down his guard for a split second, long enough for Macaron to swipe the toy right out of his hand.
“Oops!”
“Mew.”
She gave him a look that seemed to say, What a novice. Having won, Macaron lost all interest and dropped the toy, scurrying off to the cat tower instead. Taichi couldn’t decide whether he’d played with her or she had played with him. He was pretty sure it was the latter. Regardless, a munchkin climbing a cat tower was always a joy to watch, which was why Taichi whipped out his phone to snap photos of her.
“Say cheese, Macaron.”
The shutter sounded in rapid succession as he took shot after shot of her. This was the best way to capture her in all her cuteness; he’d hate to miss the perfect photo. Ooh! This is a great angle! Macaron was so cute that he couldn’t help it if he started huffing and puffing like some kind of creepy fan.
“Amazing! Yes, you’re the cutest kitty!”
“Mew.”
After giving Macaron her own mini-photoshoot, it was finally time for Taichi to offer up the Meowuru. Every cat here went nuts for the stuff. All he had to do was pull it out and they would swarm him eagerly, like magic.
Taichi produced the tube from his pocket, and, as predicted, the cats erupted in cries and hurried over. He could picture their conversations in his head:
“Look! That human has Meowuru!”
“Let’s go snatch it from him, why don’t we?”
“Yeah, get ’em!”
Ha ha, they’re all entranced, the cute little kitties. Taichi first offered the tube to the black feline, Red Bean, which had wandered closest. As much as he wanted to give all of them some, there was only so much to go around. His policy was always to prioritize the cats who first approached him. If he had a favorite, he could give it to them instead, but since he only came once a month, he didn’t favor one over the others just yet. Macaron plays with me quite a bit, so I really like her. Still, it was hard to pick just one of them.
“Mew-meow!”
“Oh? Is it yummy, Red Bean?”
Red Bean eagerly devoured the Meowuru, its tail dancing. Taichi couldn’t simply watch and enjoy, however, because the other cats were eager for their turn. They squeezed their way in, knocking Red Bean out of the way, tongues lapping at the liquid tube. This was probably the most popular Taichi would ever be in his life.
Macaron hopped down from the tower and wandered over. “Mew, mew!” She planted her cute little toe beans on his arm, pleading for him to share. Taichi had no choice but to oblige her.
“Ahhh, now this is true happiness.”
This cozy cat time continued until the café closed for the night.