“Has she been in the carrier all day?” asked Shuta.
“No way. She was sitting in that box until a moment ago.”
Chewed-up cardboard boxes were dotted around the room. It seemed like Bee had a blast playing with them. There was a bag of cat food next to the carrier, but it wasn’t the one Shuta had brought.
“Did you buy this for the cat?”
“If the boss finds out that I did, he’ll blow his top again,” she said. “It’ll be a problem, so you should get going soon.”
Jinnai had been on another job, so Shuta hadn’t seen him all day. If he discovered that Shuta was still giving Bee the food he’d previously yelled at him for, he might actually lose it.
“I’m sorry,” said Shuta.
It was embarrassing. He hadn’t had time to buy new food, so he had brought the food the clinic had given him. In the first place, the fact that he had brought his cat to the workplace was absurd. But he had asked Jinnai and Satsuki for permission to do so, thinking there was nothing to lose, and although they’d grumbled, they’d reluctantly agreed. Still, he couldn’t do this every day. I should go return the cat now. Even though the idea crossed his mind, he was too tired to even lift the carrier.
“Hey, are you okay? You’re unsteady on your feet,” said Satsuki.
“I’m okay. I’m going to head out before the boss—”
Just then, workers caked in dirt entered the office in a noisy commotion. Among them was their boss, Jinnai. Unlike yesterday, when he was dressed in a dark suit like a yakuza, he was wearing the same work clothes as everyone else.
“Oh, you’re still here.”
Shuta panicked. I’ve been caught.
Jinnai crouched down, opened the pet carrier, and pulled out the cat, supporting her hind legs with a practiced hand. She remained calm in his arms. Jinnai looked happy.
“Bee, I bought you a collar.”
“Did you skip out of work to go shopping?” Satsuki laughed bitterly.
“Are you kidding? I went to the pet store during my break. I placed a super-rush order to have them make it. Look at this.” Jinnai pulled out a yellow collar from a neat little bag. “What do you think? Isn’t it cute? It has your name on it. It’s gold and shiny like your eyes.”
Indeed, attached to the soft leather collar was a gold tag with the cat’s name engraved on it. Shuta felt mixed emotions thinking about how this fierce-looking man dressed in construction gear went to a pet store and rush-ordered a custom-engraved cat collar.
“Thank you very much for taking the trouble to do that, Mr. Jinnai.”
Jinnai’s expression when he turned to Shuta was completely different from his look when addressing Bee. As soon as he turned back to the cat, he was smiling again.
“Bee, have you eaten yet? Do you want to eat with me?”
“I already fed her.” Satsuki sniffed loudly.
“Oh yeah? You’ve been having all the fun, I see, while your husband was toiling away.”
“What are you saying? How does your schedule have anything to do with Bee?”
The couple began quarreling, with the cat—draped peacefully in Jinnai’s arms—sandwiched between them.
I want to go home, thought Shuta. As he listened to their exchange, he felt his whole body creak with fatigue. They had even gotten a personalized collar for the cat. Would he be billed for it at some point?
It was already too late to return the cat to the clinic today. When he asked the couple if they could take care of the cat tomorrow, Jinnai and Satsuki looked at each other.
“If you insist, I don’t mind.”
“Me neither. I don’t mind.”
At least Bee wasn’t going to be lonely while she was at this office.
The alarm was going off, but it sounded far away. Something was wrong. Shuta tried to get up, but he couldn’t move. It was as if his limbs had been bound. He heard a soft meow coming from near his feet. It seemed Bee was already awake and probably wanted to be fed.
“Uhhh…uhhh.”
He could make noises and move his facial muscles, but he had no control over his body from the neck down. His eyes began to well up with tears. He’d struggled with his mental health, but his physical health had always been fine. Things had taken a bizarre turn since he’d visited that peculiar clinic. As he lay on his back in bed, wallowing in self-pity, he heard someone speaking outside his apartment.
“I really don’t know about this. Please take responsibility for whatever might happen.” It was the familiar voice of the superintendent.
A male voice replied, “Fine. The man who lives in this room is my brother-in-law.” It was Jinnai.
The key turned in the lock, and the front door opened.
“I knew it, boss. He’s still sleeping.”
Jinnai and Kōsuke barged into the room.
Shuta could barely raise his head. “Help me,” he whispered.
