Side Story 1: Let’s Head to a Cat Rescue Café!
WHEN I arrived at school one morning, I noticed Alice glaring at me. She swiftly looked away despite making eye contact. I walked to my seat trying to figure out what was up with her.
“Hey, Misha,” Ehr said energetically. “Morning!”
“Good morning,” I replied.
The moment I settled into my chair, Ehr drew close to me and whispered into my ear. “Uh, Misha? Don’t you think she wants to talk with you or something?”
I followed his gaze and again locked eyes with Alice, but she hastily ducked for cover behind her upside-down textbook.
“She was definitely looking at you.”
“So it seems…” I replied.
“Maybe she wants to talk with you.”
“That’s what I assume too.”
Normally she would just talk to me. Surely, she had good reason to stare at me instead. I stood back up to speak with her, but the homeroom bell rang, prompting me to sit back down. As our school day went on, I’d occasionally feel a piercing gaze, but I knew it was improper to look around in the middle of a lesson, and I was fairly certain it was Alice, anyway.
When the bell rang for a quick recess, our classmates immediately surrounded Alice before I could get to her. But what if she wants to talk to me about a more personal and private matter? I didn’t want to push her in front of the other students, so I decided to give it a rest for now. Just as I started to review for my next lesson, Ehr patted my shoulder.
“Misha! Misha! Psst!” he hissed. “Alice is gazing your way again!”
“She really is…”
Her line of sight weaved through the crowd of students and landed on me. All right, all right… I stood up and headed toward her.
“Alice, do you have a moment?” I asked politely.
“Misha?!” she gasped.
“I’d like to speak with you for a bit, if you don’t mind.”
She probably wanted to speak with me, but I decided to invite her instead.
“If you’re busy now, it can wait until later,” I added.
“No! I shall hear you out right now!” Alice insisted.
She stood up with gusto, apologized to her classmates, and headed out into the classroom halls with me. I opened a nearby window and gazed out into the courtyard.
“I’m sorry for cutting you away from your friends,” I apologized.
“Don’t be,” Alice replied. “We weren’t talking about much.”
I should cut to the chase before our break is over.
“Alice, do you perhaps have something to say to me?” I asked.
“H-How did you know?!” she asked with surprise, clearly unaware of her passionate gaze flicking my way throughout the day.
“I can hear you out, if you’d like.”
“I-I wanted to do some charity work on my days off. But the application requires a minimum of two people… Misha, will you please go out with me?!”
She said the last part loudly, attracting the gazes of others; an innocent bystander might assume that she was asking me out on a date, so I raised my voice a little in reply to dispel any rumors.
“For your charity work, I presume?” I asked.
“Y-Yes.” She sheepishly took out an application form. I scanned it and saw that it was for a café that rescued magical cat creatures.
“Ah, for cats,” I said.
“That’s right.”
This café sheltered wounded magical cat creatures, treated and groomed them, and helped them form contracts with wizards and witches who weren’t particularly adept at summoning familiars. Alice confided in me that she had always wanted to do charity work there.
“I, um… I haven’t really had anyone whom I could truly call a friend…” Alice admitted. “But I’d hoped that maybe you would go with me, Misha…”
“Of course,” I replied. “I’d love to.”
“A-Are you absolutely sure?!”
“Very much so. Aren’t we friends?”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Misha!”
She hugged me with great excitement, again causing a stir among the other students. I gently guided her back into class before we caused a bigger scene.
After Alice received a permit to leave school grounds and applied to the café for her charity work, we settled on a day to go. I found myself in front of a fancy store in the central district; its red bricks gave it a chic appearance that was pleasing to the eye.
“Look, Alice! Cats! Sitting in the windowsill!” I squealed.
“You’re right!” she gushed back.
A beautiful cat sat there with emerald fur and golden eyes; its unnatural color made it clear that it was magical.
“Oh, it’s so adorable!” Alice cried.
She stood in front of the shop window, enchanted. It took some time for me to drag her into the café. When we stepped inside, the interior was in a sorry state. The tablecloths were torn to shreds, cat litter was strewn on the floor, and kittens shot out around our feet, unable to contain their energy. A lady in her mid-thirties came out from the back, looking weary about the miserable condition of the store.
“I-I’m terribly sorry,” she apologized. “We don’t open for another two hours.”
“No, we’re here to do charity work,” Alice replied.
I nodded along. At once, the owner fell to her knees and prayed as if she were in the presence of her savior.
“Oh, blessed saintesses,” she said. “I thank you for your benevolent hearts.”
I thought she was exaggerating a bit, but we had to clean everything up before the store opened.
“What shall we do first?” I asked.
“C-Could you please sweep the floor and wipe the windows and furniture?” the owner asked.
“Maybe we should do something about the cats first.”
“Ah, yes…”
Every night, she placed the cats in their cages to rest. Whenever she let them out in the morning, they would run around and tear the entire place up.
“I don’t know what happened to them…” she murmured.
“Are they normally more docile?” I asked.
“They are.”
Then why the sudden shift? I wondered. I glanced around until a gift celebrating the store’s opening caught my eye. It was a pot of silver vine.
“I-I think this is the cause!” I cried out.
“This plant? How can that be?” the owner asked.
“This plant can intoxicate cats and put them in a state of euphoria. It excites them to no end.”
“I-I had no idea…”
The owner was only told that this plant was popular with cats, and I suspected that whoever gave the gift didn’t know much about it either. Unlike Japan, the concept of catnip and similar goods wasn’t widespread knowledge here. I placed the silver vine outside the store and worked on capturing all the felines.
“And gotcha!” I said. “Whoa!”
I tried to keep a grip on one of the cats, but it slipped out of my grasp like some kind of slime. With every attempt, the cats just slithered away. Cats really are liquid… I don’t think I can grab any of them. Alice, however, always the most impressive at whatever she applied herself to, swiftly captured cats one after another. I gave up on my endeavor and swept instead.
An hour and a half later, the store was finally clean enough to welcome guests.
“Alice! Misha! Thank you! You’ve been such wonderful help!” the owner cried.
The cats were resting in their cages; they were tired after breakfast and were snoozing away.
“Please, I insist you enjoy a free meal here,” the owner said.
“But…” I started.
“We’re only here to do an act of charity and nothing more,” Alice explained.
“Then will you taste test our latest menu?” she suggested.
“Well, when you put it that way…” I conceded.
“I think we can call this another act of charity,” Alice concluded.
And so, we were graciously allowed to taste the newest menu items—these additions were slated for next month.
“Thank you for waiting,” the owner said.
“Wow!” I cried.
“It’s so cute!” Alice squealed.
She gave us cat-shaped pancakes, and we could hardly contain our excitement. Alice’s pancakes were garnished with bananas and chocolate in the motif of a brown tabby cat. Mine was flavored with honey and shaped like an orange tabby cat. They were both incredibly adorable and delicious.
After we finished our meal, we decided to rest for a few moments before the store opened. The cats began to stir from their cages and approached us. Some hopped on the table and rubbed their bodies against us in hopes of earning some pets. I almost trembled and fainted from the cuteness as we enjoyed a blissful moment unlike any other.
We promised the owner that we’d come back as customers and left the store. The emerald cat sat by the window and watched us leave.
“Misha, thank you for spending your precious day off with me,” Alice said.
“Oh, I was happy to do it,” I replied. “Charity work looks good on a resume, so I’ve been meaning to do some anyway.”
The cleaning was a bit hectic, but the pancakes were delicious, and the cats were adorable—this was a very fulfilling day.
“If there’s anything else you’d like to do in the future, feel free to invite me,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Alice asked.
“Absolutely. I’ll invite Ehr too, next time.”
“Please do!”
She flashed a smile brighter than the sun and nodded eagerly. And so, my first charity work outside what was mandated by the school came to a close.
The next day, Alice came to class looking glum. When I asked if something had happened, she said that her familiar, Kitty, scolded her. Kitty had smelled the scent of other felines on Alice and pushed her away. The two always slept together every night, but yesterday, they slept separately.
“But I’ve always been faithful to Kitty!” Alice wailed.
I did notice her passionately staring at the emerald cat and doting over other kittens in the store, practically rubbing her face against them, but perhaps she did so subconsciously. I didn’t think she’d get scolded for touching another cat though… Cats truly were moody creatures and difficult to predict.