“Pretty cute” was an understatement. If Junko saw how lovey-dovey Tomoka was with the cat, she would have been amazed.
“Do you have any pictures?” asked Junko.
“I do.” Naturally.
She passed her phone to Junko.
Junko chuckled, but her amusement turned to slight astonishment as the deluge of Tank pictures kept flowing. “Wow, that’s a lot of pictures. They all look the same.”
“What are you talking about? They inspire creativity because they’re all so different,” replied Tomoka. “Look at this one. The mesmerizing blue eyes.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s still surprising. You’re a neat freak, so I never thought you’d have a pet.”
“Tank is a well-behaved cat. And he’s—” She was about to say Daigo took care of him, but Tomoka swallowed her words. Tomoka’s main role was to play with Tank, while Daigo took care of everything else. After all, he was currently unemployed.
Junko was aware that Tomoka for a long while had been dating Daigo, who had a tendency to change jobs frequently. She also knew that their relationship had stagnated and that it bothered Tomoka. But Tomoka didn’t want Junko to be concerned, so she didn’t mention that he had quit his job yet again. She changed the conversation to another topic. As long as she was doing well, she could handle any uncertainties about Daigo’s income. So she needed to come up with a hit product.
“Yes, this is it. This is the one.”
She looked at her sketch.
The Ragdoll was an elegant cat, one that could be turned into a mascot that was appealing to women. Anyone who felt its blue-gray gaze would sigh with admiration.
And those paws, with their round pads underneath. The first time she’d touched a cat’s paw pads, she’d been astonished. They were supple yet springy, with a resilient feel like memory foam. Is there a way I could use that sensation? She couldn’t think of anything right away. She had to return Tank in two days, but she wasn’t ready. She couldn’t let him go just yet.
“I’m going to ask for an extension to keep Tank as a model so I can design more prints. I’m heading out, so I’ll leave the rest to you, okay?”
With that, Tomoka left the shop.
The nurse at the reception desk looked up as Tomoka pushed open the heavy door.
“Ms. Takamine, you should still have a few doses of the cat left,” she said.
The apathetic look on the nurse’s face irritated Tomoka. Giving her a closer look, she realized the nurse was a few years younger than she was. She looked composed; perhaps she’d forgotten how disgracefully she’d behaved the last time Tomoka had seen her. Unkind feelings welled up within her.
“Have you had any catnip tea today?” asked Tomoka. “Getting drunk on catnip—it’s as if you’re a cat.”
The nurse glanced up but remained inscrutable. “Was that supposed to be funny? I’ll be sure to laugh later; please go ahead into the examination room.”
What’s with this nurse?
When she went into the examination room, Tomoka was still frowning. Today, it seemed the doctor was sober, too, but unlike the nurse, he had a friendly demeanor.
“Ms. Takamine, you look dreadful! It seems like the cat’s not working too well, even though you’ve been taking it for a while.”
The doctor craned his neck and peered into Tomoka’s face. She jerked back in surprise, but he leaned in even closer.
“Well, this isn’t quite the effect I was expecting. Strange. Maybe the cat didn’t agree with you.” The doctor scratched his head.
Tomoka was in no mood for this nonsense.
“About Tank, the Ragdoll…I was wondering if I could keep him for a bit longer. I’ve been asked to design some merchandise based on him, so I’d like to observe him up close a little more. I’m the kind of person who aims to do a meticulous job on any project I’m assigned.”
“Ragdoll?” The doctor blinked. He turned to his computer and typed something into it. “Oops, my bad. I’m so sorry, Ms. Takamine. I believe I have prescribed you the wrong cat. The Ragdoll you’ve been taking is a female cat named Tangerine. She works at a cat café, so she should be quite docile.” He turned and said to himself, “No wonder the effects seemed mild.”
Tomoka rolled her eyes to the ceiling. This clinic was truly bizarre. It was starting to feel like she’d been hoodwinked.
“Um, this is my first time at a psychiatric clinic. Is this what it’s usually like?”
“It’s a common misunderstanding, but this isn’t a psychiatric clinic. We’re not a mental health facility or whatever,” said the doctor. “Hmm, you’ve been taking another cat for two weeks.” The doctor frowned as he stared at the computer screen.
Tomoka interjected, “Not a mental health facility? I mean, isn’t this place called Kokoro Clinic for the Soul?”
“Yeah, we used to go to Dr. Kokoro’s clinic all the time,” the doctor said. “Both Chitose and I didn’t know anywhere else, so we just borrowed the name. It was such a good hospital. Saved our lives, you know. Hey, how about we prescribe you another one on top of the current one? Along with Tangerine, for another two weeks. What do you say?”
Tomoka didn’t know how to answer the mysterious doctor, who was not a psychiatrist. What kind of clinic is this, then?
“When you say ‘another one on top of the current one,’ do you mean another cat?”
“You don’t have to worry about drug interactions,” the doctor reassured her.
“That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s just that taking care of two cats…”
“Is it too much to handle, taking two cats?” the doctor asked.
“No, it’s not that,” she replied.
