“That’s just a coincidence. Besides, the spots don’t look like circles at all.”
“No, that’s definitely it. They were probably originally much more circular, and then she grew and the spots stretched.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
It had been years since the three had laughed together about the same thing. Finding common ground in what they found cute, Koga felt he had regained something.
“A fart in a windstorm,” he muttered. The cat, which he’d thought would be of no use whatsoever, seemed to have brought about some change.
Natsue frowned. “Jeez, did you fart? Go away.”
“I swear I didn’t!” When he looked over at Margot, he saw that her eyes and mouth were wide open. “What’s with that face, Margot?”
Emiri grimaced and covered her nose with her hand. “Ew, it stinks. Margot, let’s go over there.”
“There’s no stink! I didn’t fart. What’s wrong with all of you?”
Emiri carried Margot upstairs, and Natsue retreated to the kitchen. Just a moment ago, things had been cheerful, but in the blink of an eye, Koga found himself alone in the living room.
From that night on, following the instructions in the new leaflet, they left all the doors ajar, and Margot began sleeping in various places throughout the house. She curled up in the pink bed in the living room, crawled into Emiri’s futon, and squeezed herself into the small gap between Natsue’s pillow and the mattress.
All that was rather endearing, but when she came to sleep near Koga, she clung to him tightly. She would perch herself on his chest, and no matter how many times he removed her, she would climb back up. She was, of course, heavy. When it became too uncomfortable to breathe, he would turn onto his stomach, but then she’d climb onto his back. When he moved her again, she’d wedge herself into his armpit, making it impossible for him to roll over.
Left with no choice, Koga had to fall asleep with his body straight like a rod and his arms crossed over his chest. Margot would then sprawl under Koga’s chin, slowly crushing his throat. When he awoke in the morning, his mouth would be filled with fur.
The previous night, Margot had pulled down the coat he had left draped on a chair and curled up in it. He had intended to wear the coat to work, but it was now covered in cat fur, and once again, he became the source of his family’s amusement.
“Doesn’t it seem like this cat is out for me?” said Koga.
“I posted that pic of you in your fur-covered clothes, and it exploded with likes,” said Emiri. “Cats really rule the Internet. The number of views was off the charts.”
In the past, whenever they were finished with dinner, everyone went off to their own rooms, but ever since Margot had arrived, they’d started gathering where she was. Emiri was recording a video of Margot on her phone.
Koga was crawling on the carpet, trying to take a good video on his phone as well, but Emiri’s words made him flinch. “I don’t get why it’s all about the likes. Listen, Emiri—cheap compliments are worthless.”
“You don’t get it, Dad.”
“What do you mean?”
“Complimenting someone can be tricky.”
Emiri also got down onto the carpet and began filming Margot from another angle. Koga looked at the image of Margot on his phone, feeling miffed.
“That’s not true. It’s easy enough to give a compliment. All you have to do is say you like someone’s outfit or hairstyle or something.”
“That’s risky, Dad. It’s a fine line.”
“What do you mean?”
With phones in hand, they spoke to each other, Margot lying prostrate between them. Their eyes were glued to their screens.
“People can tell from your gaze or the way you speak if you really like something or if you’re being superficial. Complimenting someone’s outfit is the trickiest. If you’re not careful, they’ll think you’re making fun of them, or, in your case, Dad, the wrong words could be taken as sexual harassment.”
“S-sexual harassment?”
It was a term that struck fear into the hearts of middle-aged male managers. He wanted to believe he had managed to cover up the incident with the red lingerie the other day.
“Besides, even if you genuinely mean it, it takes energy to compliment people. When you’re feeling down, even just tapping your phone screen can feel like a chore. Like, especially when I’m sent videos I have no interest in, I’m irritated. But I can’t ignore them, so I sometimes reluctantly leave comments.”
“How grown-up of you,” said Natsue.
Emiri shrugged. “Well, I guess it goes both ways. Everyone wants to show off the things they love and receive compliments for them. If both parties can find happiness in that exchange, even cheap compliments and likes have value. Dad, why don’t you show pictures of Margot to the ladies at work? Cats are powerful.”
Emiri was smiling. Koga, while amazed by his daughter’s mature insight, felt like he had received a light slap on the wrist.
At the call center, at lunchtime, it was business as usual, with Hinako amiably listening to the staff members brag about various accomplishments. Koga no longer felt irritated while watching her smile and praise others. Rather, he was impressed by her thoughtful responses. His nightmares and insomnia seemed to have disappeared without warning, but he didn’t solely credit the cat for this. He had finally let go of his baseless fixation, and Hinako’s voice no longer echoed in his mind.
That day, he spotted something unusual: Hinako was taking a break alone in a secluded hallway that used to serve as the smoking area. Her back was turned to him and she was looking out the window.
After confirming there was no one else around, Koga approached her.
“Ms. Nakajima.”
