Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

 Chapter 77 What Happened Next Morning

The day after my double date with Sakakibara and Ayano-san. Perhaps it was because of yesterday’s events, but I woke up after a good night’s sleep, as I usually do on my days off.
For the time being, I was able to complete the fun double date without any glitches, but I was a little tired from worrying too much about unnecessary things.

During yesterday’s double date, I revealed Mashiro’s true identity to Sakakibara and Ayano-san and explained everything about how I met her.
Aside from the fact that I couldn’t keep hiding things from my friends any longer, it was a good thing for both me and Mashiro that we now has someone to talk to about her.

I asked Sakakibara about living with a woman. Mashiro is a girl, and I couldn’t talk to her easily like this.
It was a bit of a risky decision, but I was relieved that I was able to learn some lessons from it.

That was how I made it through yesterday, but when I woke up, the scene in front of me was a little different from the usual one.

“…Mashiro?”

I said her name without thinking. It was not a question to the void, but a call to her who was right beside me.
I had good reason to, it was because she was lying on my stomach on my bed.
…Not in human, but in the form of a pure white cat.

If it was a normal day off, Mashiro always woke up earlier than me and finished the housework.
Even when it was a normal workday, she would spend her mornings doing chores that she probably does while I was at work during the week.

I picked up my phone without Mashiro noticing and looked at the screen to see that it was ten o’clock in the morning.
I had finished most of my chores and was ready to take a break for lunch, but she was curled up on my chest, sleeping peacefully.

“…”

It was not the first time Mashiro has been in my bed. Of course, it rarely happens, but it wouldn’t make me panic. …I’m not.
The problem was that even at this hour of the day, she was still accompanying me as I sleep in. And she was on top of me instead of in bed.

I’ve often heard that cats are fickle creatures, and it was nice to have them come to me like this, but Mashiro was not just any cat.
Moreover, she was not in love with me. To put it simply, a normal girl was sleeping on top of me in the same bed. It was a big deal.

Also, Mashiro’s appearance as a cat was not that unusual. I don’t know her physical condition, but it seemed that she changed her appearance depending on her mood.
However, she spent more time in her human form than in her cat form. When she is doing housework or going out, or even when she is eating, she is basically in human form.
I was a little sad that I won’t be able to see Mashiro when she was in cat form, sitting on her haunches eating rice crunchies.

But instead, I have someone to talk to when I eat, and for that, I couldn’t thank her enough.
It was often said that the best meal was when you eat it with someone else, and I have come to understand the meaning of this.

Eating the food that was cooked for me with the person who cooked it for me.
When you tell someone how delicious it is, they are happy from the bottom of their heart.
I never thought that eating a home-cooked meal while talking about something simple would fill my heart so much.

Getting a little off-topic, but for now, Mashiro was sleeping on my chest. My brain couldn’t keep up with the situation.
It was a pity to wake her up when she was sleeping so comfortably, but it was not a situation where it was her second sleep and I can’t wake her up.

“Mashiro~? Are you awake~?”

I had no choice but to call out to her in a whisper while gently stroking her back to not irritate her.
But there was no response, and my attention was drawn more to the feeling of her fur, which I hadn’t touched in a long time.
Mashiro’s fur was smooth and comfortable, and I felt as if my hands were being absorbed into her body.

“(Fluffy…)”

I forgot about my original goal and just enjoyed Mashiro’s exquisite fur.
At least we’ve come this far to close the distance between us, so I should be allowed to do this.
You’re using me as your bed, I should get at least a little something in return.
…I justified myself with such excuses and enjoyed her fur to the fullest.

Of course, if I kept doing that, she was going to wake up eventually.
Mashiro’s face began to loosen up more, and when it was no longer in a state that could be shown to others, Mashiro’s eyes fluttered open.

“Ah!”

My eyes met hers, and a long silence followed the silly sound I made.
Mashiro blinked repeatedly as she stared at my face. She was on top of me of her own volition, but it was as if she hadn’t caught up with her situation.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t get many chances to do this, ummm…”

In the end, I was stroking her almost with an ulterior motive, and I couldn’t meet Mashiro’s gaze, so I averted my eyes and made an excuse.
In a way, it was natural that she didn’t respond, but after I choked on my excuse, there was silence again.

As I was thinking in silence about what to do, a weight on my chest suddenly disappeared.
I looked over and saw Mashiro, who had been there a moment ago, get off the bed and hurriedly head for the changing room.

Relieved that I hadn’t been clawed in the face in a fit of rage, I slowly raised myself up.
Well, though I had never been clawed in the past.

Somehow I didn’t feel like getting out of bed right away, so I waited in the same position for Mashiro to come back into the room.
Within a few minutes, Mashiro came out of the changing room. She walked up to me with a somewhat apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, Satou-san.”
“Eh?”

The first thing she did was to apologize and bow her head, and I couldn’t help but let out a silly squeal again.

“I got into bed without permission and fell asleep on top of Satou-san…”

She seemed to have the same sense of guilt as I did. For me, it was not a sin, but rather a happy event, but I couldn’t tell her that.
I rubbed my beard, which grew a bit long from sleep, and said, “Well…” and then I said something back to Mashiro.

“Well, I was surprised, but that was nothing to apologize for.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t worry about it. This is also your home, so you can do whatever you want.”

To tell the truth, I was really curious about why she decided to get into my bed, but it would be tactless to ask her now.
I didn’t dare to, but even that might have been obvious to Mashiro.

“S-Satou-san…”

The moment I heard her voice and raised my eyes, my hand was wrapped by Mashiro’s hand.
I had held her hand just yesterday, but this was a completely different feeling.
It was as if she was holding herself back from something, and I could feel the tension in her body heat.

Mashiro’s expression was somehow pained and fragile. It was like she would disappear at any moment if I didn’t hold her hand.
Her voice came out of her thin throat as if she was scared, clinging to something—

“…Satou-san, you are not… You’re not going anywhere, are you…?”

That was what she asked me.