Volume 1 - The Abandoned Kitten, Her, and Me.
Chapter 5
The white kitten was still curled up on the cushion inside the cage, soundly asleep.
I prepared the food and water as I was told, and also added a small piece of cardboard from the original litter box to the new one, along with the cat litter.
Despite saying she wanted to talk, Minamino-san didn't utter a single word. She sat in the chair in front of the living room table, quietly observing me as I added milk to the coffee I had brought out before sipping it.
"What's wrong?"
After completely mixing the coffee and milk, I took a seat across from Minamino-san, who was looking at me intently, before asking her such a question.
Yep, instant coffees are good too.
"Nothing. It's just that I noticed how skilled you are with household chores. Like making space for the cat and making coffee; everything was so smoothly done."
"Well, I'm just used to doing it all the time."
"It's somehow interesting how there are many sides of Satou-kun that I don't know."
"The feeling is mutual, no? I mean, today was the first time we actually had a conversation."
"Yeah, it's really unexpected. Who would've thought I'd end up at Satou-kun's place, enjoying coffee and having a chat together?"
"Although, technically speaking, it was Minamino-san who came in to drink coffee. I just accomodated."
"By the way, Satou-kun, do you have any siblings?"
"...A little sister who's a year younger than me."
"Ah, I see. That might explain why you seem so at ease talking to girls, Satou-kun."
"Is that so?"
"Yep."
Sip. The sound of drinking coffee resonated.
"Onii, you know, if you just act normally, you're actually pretty normal. It's just talking to other people's friends, you don't have to get all nervousy."
"Now, now, why don't you let this cute little sister of yours teach you ze ways?"
Indeed, I have been subjected to training sessions in conversation by my self-proclaimed cute little sister and her friends in the past.
Now, I wonder if the effects of that training are starting to show. With such thoughts in mind, it's about time to move on from small talk and get to the main topic.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Ah, uhm…"
Taking another sip of coffee, Minamino-san hesitantly uttered her words, seemingly nervous.
"...Um, hey, would you like to become friends with me?"
"Well, I thought we were already friends to some extent, disregarding our level of closeness."
Throughout the day, we had talked quite a bit, and I had assumed we were already friends. But it seemed that wasn't the case.
"No, it's not like that. I mean, being friends without having to worry about being disliked or anything like that."
"Ah, I got it. You mean that you want to turn off the 'everybody's friend' mode?"
"Haha, the way you said it is funny. But well, that's pretty much it, or rather, it's basically almost turned off now."
Aah. Minamino-san let out a stretch. As she did so, the neckline of her uniform subtly accentuated her breast, drawing my attention. To divert my gaze from the magnetic pull of that sight, I pretended to check on the kitten's condition.
It seemed like she desired a friendship where she didn't have to worry about pleasing others, being sensitive to the other party's facial expression or be conscious of the influence they had on one another—perhaps she was longing for a relationship that should naturally exist between friends.
"Sure. Wait, no, that's quite not right. Should I say, 'Minamino-san, please be friends with me' instead?"
Here I go again, getting involved in something. Welp, it's too late to turn back now. I thought to myself.
Moreover, today felt like a day of meddling. From the matter of the kitten to my comment earlier, it seemed like everyone had something to say.
"...Hehe, I guess it can't be helped."
"That's quite an unexpected condescending attitude."
Mwehehe. With a mischievous expression, Minamino-san softly chuckled.
Thank you. I couldn't help but be mesmerized as she expressed her gratitude without uttering a word, simply through the movement of her lips. Sneaky.
"So, as expected, are you afraid? Afraid of being disliked?"
Since I had the chance, I decided to ask. Perhaps that's what she wanted to talk about.
"Hmm, as I mentioned earlier, it's a bit different. It might take a while to explain, but would you listen?"
"Sure. Well, how about we prepare dinner while we talk? And since you're already here, why don't you eat too?"
If it's going to be a long conversation, by the time we finish talking, we'll probably be hungry.
Moreover, for some reason, I felt like it would be better to prepare dinner and talk while facing each other at the table rather than just talking.
"Ehh, so you ask me a question and then say that!? I'm trying to have a serious conversation here, you know? It's not appropriate to talk while doing something else! ...Wait, did you say dinner? You're the one cooking? Well, I'd love to eat, but..."
"I asked the question as a formality. Besides, you know they say 'a hungry stomach can't concentrate,' right? Don't worry, I always listen to the radio while cooking, so I can pay attention to our conversation."
"I hope you won't treat my attempt to gather courage and share something with you as background noise on the radio."
With a slight pout, Minamino-san started sharing her past as I headed towards the kitchen.
