It was probably because he had left the building in a daze, but he soon realized he was strolling along a street in the opposite direction of his apartment. Ahead of him was Nishiki Market, the shopping arcade on Nishikikōji Street. As he approached the market, the cat began to thrash around inside the carrier, possibly unsettled by the heavy pedestrian traffic and the aromas emanating from the food stalls.
He decided not to go into the arcade and headed north. As he was walking along Rokkaku Street he heard the loud tolling of the temple bell of Rokkakudo. The carrier rattled again and the startled cat meowed loudly. Shuta had no choice but to turn eastward again, away from the noise.
Feeling disoriented, he began to walk in random directions. The streets around here were laid out in a grid, so he knew that if he kept walking in a straight line, he would eventually hit a thoroughfare.
After a few minutes, he spotted a convenience store at the end of the street. Shuta had never been to this one before, as it wasn’t on his usual route. He decided to go in since he had no food at his apartment and the cat was sitting quietly in her carrier.
Nothing on the bento display shelves appealed to him. He had no appetite. He had no job. He was going to run out of money soon. And he had no girlfriend.
Yuina Sakashita, whom he’d talked to that morning, popped into his head. He didn’t blame her for what had happened, but he wanted to ask her why she’d handed the list to Emoto. Once things settled down, he might ask her to dinner. Shuta laughed at his own nonchalant attitude.
A young man passing by gave him a look. “Hey! What are you laughing at?” he asked.
The man was dressed in workwear and wore a towel around his head. He had an air of trouble about him.
Better stay away from him. Shuta quickly turned toward the exit. At that moment, the door of the carrier in Shuta’s hand swung open, and the cat leaped out.
“Huh?”
The cat landed neatly on the convenience store floor, her paws making no sound. A customer entered the store through the automatic door, and the cat slid out between his legs. It all happened in a matter of seconds.
“Bee!”
Shuta hurried out after her, but the cat was nowhere to be seen. There were several cars parked in the lot. He dropped to his hands and knees to see if she might be hiding under one.
“This is unbelievable. Bee, where are you?”
He heard a little meow. He looked up, and there was Bee, sitting on the hood of a black car. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come here.”
Just as he reached out to pick her up, she began to scratch the hood vigorously with both front paws.
Shuta gulped. Nooooo. His blood ran cold. But what startled him more was the stern voice that came from behind.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
It was the man dressed in workwear he’d just seen. He had turned as white as a sheet.
“That’s the boss’s new car!”
The man sprang forward at the vehicle. Bee jumped up in panic and scampered onto the roof. And there she started to claw at the car again.
“Crap!”
The man looked on the verge of tears as he wiped over the scratches on the hood with his sleeve.
Shuta stood there in a daze. When the cat came back to his feet, he picked her up absentmindedly. “Bee…”
“Is that your cat?”
Shuta flinched. He hadn’t noticed another man come up beside him. He had a stern expression and was dressed in a somber suit with a thick gold chain that twinkled beneath his collar.
The man in workwear scuttled around the car and bowed deeply. “I’m so sorry, boss. It was that damn cat’s fault.”
“You fool!” shouted the man in the suit.
Both Shuta and the man in the workwear froze. Passersby stopped to have a look.
“Why are you blaming the cat?”
“I’m so sorry.” The man in workwear bowed his head as the other man tutted loudly. He inspected the hood of his car.
“Hey, kid.” He addressed Shuta, who remained frozen.
“Y-yes?”
“I’m not one to sweat the small stuff, but this seems like a case of a pet owner being negligent. In other words, it’s not the cat’s fault but yours. Don’t you think so?”
“Uh, yes, I guess.”
“All right. You’ll have to pay for this. Kōsuke, take this guy to the office.”
“Yes, boss.” The man in workwear gave Shuta a look.
Office? What sort of office? An office for shady business?
In his mind an image of being brutally roughed up surfaced. Is this a nightmare? He had only just lost his job.
