“C’mon now, Minceyyy!” Hikaru called out into the bushes while waving a sun-soaked, vibrantly green stalk of foxtail grass side to side.
From deep within the underbrush, Mincey scrunched up into a white ball of fur and watched warily, shifting his gaze over and staring intensely at Hikaru. The cat looked at him as if he was an unwelcome guest who had just darkened his doorstep, Mincey’s golden eyes seemed to say, “What’re you doin’? Hurry an’ get the heck outta here.”
“Dang it. He just won’t come to me,” Hikaru groaned.
Mincey had wandered onto the premises of Kibogayama High School, but instead of the usual group of girls who would treat him to different dishes from their boxed lunches, Hikaru had spotted him.
He had yet to warm up to Hikaru—in fact, he was clearly wary of him. Perhaps, in his own feline way, Mincey realized that Hikaru “wasn’t human to begin with.”
“He really hates ya, huh, Hikaru?” said Yoshiki.
When Yoshiki crouched and reached his hand out, Mincey immediately stepped into the sunlight. The cat rubbed his pure white fur against Yoshiki’s left shin and stretched, prompting Yoshiki to pet him affectionately.
Hikaru looked on, seemingly displeased. “Least he didn’t hiss at me.”
“That’s usually what he does.”
Mincey was friendly, especially toward anyone who offered him food. Swaying his plump body, he seemed to be saying “I’ll eat anything, so please don’t hold back” as he approached.
“He got along with the old Hikaru, huh?” said Hikaru.
“Naw. Didn’t get along with him at all.”
“Oh, s’that what happened?”
Yoshiki remembered a time when Mincey had scratched the back of Hikaru’s hand with all his might, causing Hikaru to yell out, “Dang devil cat!” But he couldn’t recall exactly when that was.
“I don’t really care how. I just wanna touch that cat.”
“Ah, all right, then.”
Yoshiki rummaged through his bag. Deep inside, there was one treat left for Mincey. He tore open the end of the stick-shaped packet, and Mincey perked up with alarming speed; his golden eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze on Yoshiki’s right hand. Mincey very clearly knew the value of that treat.
“If this doesn’t work, then ya oughtta give up,” Yoshiki told Hikaru.
“Wow! Would ya lookit that!” After taking the treat from Yoshiki, Hikaru sniffed it with an expression similar to Mincey’s. He then held it out in front of the cat, saying, “Heya, Mincey! I got a squeeze treat for ya!”
At first, Mincey growled with a look that seemed to say, “Why you?!” But apparently, he couldn’t resist the flavor of tuna and bonito. His expression completely changed, and he went on to restlessly lap up the food at the end of the stick with his small tongue.
“Yoshiki! Check it out! He ate it! Maybe he’ll lemme touch him now?” Hikaru whispered, struggling to contain the excitement in his voice. Then he reached his hand out toward Mincey’s back.
Yoshiki figured that the cat would probably let Hikaru pet him as long as he was feeding him…but quite unexpectedly, Hikaru poked his index finger right into Mincey’s side.
Mincey’s eyes opened wide with shock; Hikaru had just touched him the same way a person would pick their nose.
The cat glared at Hikaru as if to say, “Just pet me normally, kid! The hell was that?!” Then, with a swiftness that was unimaginable for his pudgy body, Mincey disappeared deep into the bushes.
“Awww, man…”
Hikaru stood there, stunned, with his index finger still outstretched as he watched Mincey run off.
Yoshiki couldn’t help himself from muttering, “That’s some way to touch him…”
I don’t remember Hikaru ever petting a cat like that before. Maybe this is Hikaru’s way of expressing his interest or curiosity. Even so, what a crazy way to touch something.
Just as Yoshiki was about to laugh at the absurdity of it all, Hikaru sighed deeply.
“I’m really…”
He trailed off and fell into silence.
Yoshiki then cautiously asked him, “Really what?”
“I just feel like I’m so dumb on account of not knowin’ what’s going on around me. That’s how it was with what happened before. An’ I wish that creepy stuff would stop comin’ outta me when I get all shook up.”
The sight of Hikaru scratching the back of his neck and looking down reminded Yoshiki of when Hikaru was calling himself “creepy” and crying while wrapped up in a towel blanket.
Hikaru was undeniably childish, but even so, he had moments where he seemed ashamed of himself and showed that he wanted to change.
But Yoshiki wondered if that really was a good thing.
What would happen around him if he started to grow and change? The thought made the skin around Yoshiki’s upper arms tense and prickle.
“Lookit Mincey! He’s poopin’!”
As Hikaru pointed at the bushes and cracked up in the periphery of Yoshiki’s vision, Yoshiki softly stroked his own arm.
What do I do with a guy like him?
Yoshiki felt confused about how to deal with Hikaru. And, of course, he felt afraid.
But it seemed like living his everyday life with Hikaru would wash away those feelings. Yoshiki was hoping that’s what would happen, and he was aware that he was avoiding things he needed to confront.
From the kitchen, Yoshiki heard the voices of his mother and his younger sister, Kaoru.
Their conversation gradually grew louder, turning into what seemed like a minor argument. With his smartphone in one hand as he munched on rice crackers with the other, Yoshiki listened carefully.
After getting rejected by Mincey, Hikaru invited himself into Yoshiki’s room, claiming that he wanted to continue reading Master + Master, and he was now quietly flipping through the pages of a manga volume while lying on Yoshiki’s bed.
Naturally, Hikaru also lifted his head when he heard Yoshiki’s mother yell, “Would you give it a rest?!” from the first floor. This was followed by Kaoru whining, “But I wanna wear a yukata!”
“What’s up with Kaoru?” Hikaru asked Yoshiki.
“Ah, she wants to wear a yukata to this year’s summer festival.”
Kaoru had recently grown taller, so her yukata no longer fit her. If she really wanted to wear it that badly, someone would have to ask Mrs. Mikasa, who was skilled at sewing, to adjust the length. The argument between Yoshiki’s mother, who insisted that Kaoru ask Mrs. Mikasa herself, and Kaoru, who wanted her mother to fix it, had been going on since the night before.
Yoshiki thought the whole thing was getting tiresome and hoped they would settle the argument soon. Meanwhile, Hikaru had tossed aside the manga he was reading and exclaimed happily, “Oh! That’s right! The summer festival!” He then rolled around on Yoshiki’s bed with a grin. “I can hardly wait!”
It was like he was pulling out memories of past summer festivals from within himself and laying them out one by one to admire.
“I heard they’ll have shaved ice and all kinds of other food again this year,” said Yoshiki.
“I’m really lookin’ forward to it. Let’s you an’ me go with Kaoru—all three of us.”
A soft laugh escaped from the corner of Yoshiki’s mouth. It was a frail laugh that seemed to drop gently onto his chest. His sense that something was amiss, his anxiety, and his fear were all overwritten by the presence of Hikaru inside Hikaru’s memories. It was as if Hikaru Indou’s hands were covering Yoshiki’s eyes.
In the end, Yoshiki’s mother brought Kaoru’s yukata to Mrs. Mikasa’s house. Despite all her talk, their mother was still soft when it came to Kaoru.