Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat - Chapter 80

Chapter 80 The Cat And Weekend Night

As Mashiro had mentioned, today’s dinner was her homemade curry and rice.
I had had it several times before, but it still looked and tasted perfect, and I finished it all.

Afterward, as she had requested, we spent some time together relaxing.
We didn’t have anything to do, but just sat together on the sofa and chatted while doing other things, just as we had done during the day.
As usual, Mashiro was positioned between my legs, so inevitably our bodies were in contact, and the tension was still not dissolving.

Even though it had been some time since she had bathed and finished dinner, the scent of shampoo was wafting from Mashiro’s hair.
Not sure if she used the same one I did, but it smelled different from my own and my heart started to beat faster.

“Is something wrong, Satou-san? You seem to have a strange expression on your face.”
“Well, it’s a little bit about world peace.”
“What exactly?”
“We’ve just concluded that fluffy cat ears are the key.”
“…Then the world seems to be at peace already.”

I tried to sound as calm as possible when I gave the appropriate tsukkomi to cover up my thoughts from Mashiro.
Although I say it was appropriate, I do think Fluffy has enough potential to make the world peaceful.
I have only recently realized this myself, but after meeting Mashiro, I could say so with conviction. After giving that rationale, I place my hand on her head.

“Mnn… Satou-san, you like to pet my head.”
“I can’t help it if it’s for the sake of world peace.”
“Yes, yes.”

Gradually, Mashiro was beginning to understand my less publicized peculiarities.
I couldn’t say that I was a simple cat lover, but it made me feel a little comfortable when it came to cat ears and fluffy hair.
Mashiro’s trust was spoiling me, and I was enjoying her fluffiness this way.

Mashiro seemed to be comfortable if I just touched her hair, but when I got carried away and touched her cat ears, her wriggled ears tickled me.
If she didn’t like it, I thought I would stop, but she didn’t resist any further than that.

Eventually, her body leaned against my chest. I wonder if she has lost her strength or for some other reason.
I feel a tightening sensation in my chest as I feel her presence not only by smell but also by temperature.

“Even though it’s for the sake of world peace, if you don’t resist, I’ll keep fluffing you up, okay?”
“You don’t need a cause like that.”
“I don’t think you should sell yourself short. A cat’s ear, cat’s ear.”
“To me, they’re just a part of my body…”

The actuality of the situation was that the adult male was touching the girl.

No matter how many times I thought about it, the scene was unrealistic and chilled my spine. I felt once again that I was not a good adult for accepting such a situation.

“Well, but when I think about it, I suppose that’s true.”
“If Mashiro wants, I’ll pay you something as compensation.”
“Fufu, that’s all right. …But yes. I just have one favor to ask.”
“Please do tell me.”

When I removed my hand from Mashiro’s to hear the rest of her words, she twisted her body and turned her face toward me.
I was almost drawn into her eyes, which were just a little away from me. She never looked away from me as I froze.

“I don’t want you to do this to anyone but me.”
“…Eh?”
“I know it’s selfish of me. But I don’t want to give this time to anyone else.”

She said this while looking straight at me with clear eyes, never averting her face.
This might be the first time that Mashiro has asked me for something so clearly since I met her.

What those words mean was the future relationship between the two of us. And her feelings, which I had dared not to put out in my heart.
I managed to stop myself from unintentionally saying all of my thoughts out loud, and smiled a little bit, evading those thoughts.

“Mashiro is the only person I would do this to, sadly. So don’t worry.”

“You are always so kind and cool so…”
“Sorry about that there. I’m always being told by Sakakibara about his love life with Ayano-san.”
“Fufu, I’m just kidding. It’s cool, Satou-san. I’m surprised I don’t hear about any of those from you.”

Before I met Mashiro, I had lost love interest and was indifferent to such things.
However, when I met her and her cat’s picture became a topic of conversation at work, I had more opportunities to talk to women I had never talked to before.
But nothing happened because, needless to say, all my attention was focused on Mashiro.

“Mashiro is much more important to me now than all that. I’m the one who doesn’t want to give it up.”
“…Seriously, you’re overprotective.”

She said this and leaned into my chest as if listening to the voice of my heart. Her expression seemed so full of relief.

We stayed huddled together for a while, not talking about anything, just the ticking of the clock echoing in the room.
It had been a fun and fulfilling weekend, but work would begin again tomorrow. It felt like a waste to end this time, but as a member of society, I couldn’t let that happen.

When I told Mashiro that I was going to bed soon, she looked a little disappointed but agreed.
I brushed my teeth, turned off the light, and lie down on the bed. I was already tired after walking around all day yesterday, but the feeling of having spent the whole day with Mashiro made me sleepy right away.

Mashiro always transformed into a cat in the changing room before going to bed.
I have never seen the moment she transformed, but considering that it was like changing clothes, it was not something that I was allowed to see.

As usual, I wait in bed first, and then I hear the door to the changing room open and footsteps approaching. And I felt a little unsettled with the footsteps.

“Mashiro?”

I opened my eyes in the darkened room and looked toward Mashiro, who was still in human form.
I couldn’t see her expression in the darkness, but I somehow guessed what she was going to say.

“…Satou-san. Um, I have one more favor to ask you.”
“Sure.”
“I haven’t said anything yet…”

When Mashiro does this, it was usually when she was being selfish.
I would never refuse anything, and I answered immediately, but she returned my words with some disapproval.

“Are you sure?”
“Yes, you can do anything you want.”
“…Then, excuse me.”

Mashiro then quickly put her hands on the futon that was draped over me and snuggled into bed next to me—

“…Eh?”