“Will you get another cat?”
“But you see, our little one has already passed away,” Satsuki replied without taking her eyes off the invoice she was working on. Though her voice and expression didn’t change, it was clear she didn’t want Shuta to pry further.
Kōsuke and other employees arrived. Shuta was assigned the task of carrying the equipment that day. By the time evening came, he was utterly drained.
Ten days after Shuta fled the brokerage firm, Yuina Sakashita asked him to meet her at a coffee shop near the station. The pet carrier lay under the table as they faced each other.
“Me, hospitalized?” asked Shuta.
“Yes, that’s what I heard,” answered Yuina. Perhaps curious about Bee, who was visible through the mesh panels, Yuina kept glancing down at her feet. “A friend in HR told me that she heard from Emoto that you were hospitalized for some stomach issue.”
“So I haven’t been fired yet?” Shuta thought it was strange that he hadn’t heard from the company at all when he still had things that belonged to them. He didn’t know how to feel about the fact that he was still employed by the firm. “From how Emoto acted, I was sure I’d be fired that very day.”
“About that—a manager at his level doesn’t have the authority to fire people at will. And no matter how terribly our company treats its employees, they won’t terminate someone on the spot without following the proper procedures. Employees have rights, too.”
“That may be true, but…”
As someone who had been treated as incompetent on a daily basis, Shuta felt like he had no rights at all. On top of that, if he was still officially an employee of the firm, it would mean he’d been AWOL for a while. It would be no surprise if he got fired.
“I don’t know why Emoto lied, but I’m sure he’s waiting for me to quit, to begin the process myself.”
“Hey, I think you shouldn’t be too hasty,” said Yuina. The intense expression in her eyes made Shuta’s heart skip a beat. She sipped her coffee. “The receipts that you asked me to look into—as I guessed, none of them had any record of being issued officially. My boss caught me investigating, then went directly to Emoto to ask him about it. Emoto said it was a misunderstanding, snatched the list from my boss, and ran off.”
“So that’s why he had the list.”
“But I made sure to keep a copy of it. The matter is out of my hands now and is being looked into by the higher-ups. But an employee of a financial institution issuing their own receipts? It could only mean one thing.” Yuina looked up at him.
Shuta understood the meaning of her upward glance. The truth was, he’d understood it all from the beginning. He lowered his voice. “Embezzlement?”
“Probably. So that’s why I said you shouldn’t resign prematurely. If anyone’s going to have to quit, it’s him.”
The matter was too absurd.
Yuina’s gaze dropped back to her feet. “Are you going to take this cat to the vet or something?” she asked.
“Huh? No, this one—” Shuta winced as he recalled he had another problem. “Yeah, I’m taking her to a clinic. It’s nothing serious, but just in case.”
“How old is it? What’s its name?”
“Bee. Eight years old. She’s a girl.”
“Bee. What a cute name. Bee! Bee!”
Bee ignored her.
Shuta headed to the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. It was dark and gloomy and the weight of the pet carrier seemed to bear down on his heart.
As he was about to enter the building, Shuta spoke to Bee. “Hey, Bee, are you happy at that office? Are people treating you well?”
As expected, Bee ignored him. Bee was a cat who exhibited a noticeable contrast in demeanor between when she was feeling affectionate and when she was feeling unfriendly. When he woke up in the morning, she would nuzzle against his hand as if to beg him to feed her urgently. When he offered her his palm, she would bury her head in it. She felt soft and fluffy to the touch. When Bee closed her eyes, it looked like she was smiling. This in turn always coaxed a smile from Shuta. For a long time, he struggled to do something even that simple, but now, Bee brought a glow to his face every day. Before he could utter a word, she would gaze up at him with anticipation.
When Shuta entered the clinic, he noticed the unfriendly nurse, Chitose, sitting at the reception window. Before he could say anything, she glanced up at him and said, “Mr. Kagawa, please come in. The doctor is expecting you.”
He entered the examination room, where the doctor was waiting.
“Hello, Mr. Kagawa. You look well today,” the doctor chirped.
Shuta felt a bit self-conscious about how noticeable the improvement was. It wasn’t because of any treatment he’d received at this clinic. Thanks to the physical demands of his new job, he’d begun sleeping well every night, and his appetite had returned. He’d even gained some weight.
The doctor tapped on his keyboard and nodded in understanding.
“Everything seems to be progressing well, and there seem to be no issues. Now, please return the cat,” he said. “If that’s all, I have an appointment with another patient coming up soon.”
“Wait a minute.”
“Hmm? Is there something else you need?”
Shuta felt a rush of panic at being ushered out so quickly. He hadn’t made up his mind yet. The pet carrier was still on his lap.
“Um…can I borrow this cat for a little longer?”
The doctor cocked his head. “Your condition has improved, so I don’t think you need to continue taking your prescription.”
“No, um…”
