The Cat is Sitting on the Mat

My fingers ached as I scrolled through Chirper, each swipe a reminder of my recent trumpet practice. Gran Gran had banged on my door every time I played, complaining about the racket, but that didn't stop me. Mom's song kept tugging me back, like an invisible thread connecting us.

A beach photo popped up on my feed. Mizuki-senpai lounging on pristine white sand, designer sunglasses perched on her perfect nose, some fancy resort's infinity pool stretching behind her into the blue horizon.

"Enjoying summer break early~" her caption read.

I clicked my phone off before jealousy could eat me alive. The screen went dark, reflecting my plain face back at me. Ugh.

I turned my attention to Little Shit sprawled across my desk snoring with half a melon bread still stuck to his face. Dark patches of armor had started forming, like someone had glued pieces of volcanic rock to him, and they were spreading faster now. Each new growth was just another reminder that our time was running out. That I was still stuck here, nowhere closer to Tokyo than I'd been months ago.

The empty classroom felt too quiet with just Toukawa-san sitting a few desks away, nose buried in a book as usual. Sae lounged by the window, Rhino bobbing lazily beside her in balloon form. The morning silence felt heavy, like the humid summer air is pressing down on us.

The door slid open with Fujita-sensei's trademark lack of energy. He shuffled to the podium just as the homeroom bell chimed, coffee can in hand.

"So. Summer's coming up. Which means mandatory swimming lessons."

Huh? Swimming? Now?

"Part of the curriculum requirements. For graduation."

Toukawa-san didn't even look up from her book. "We've been ignoring P.E. this whole time. What's different about swimming?"

"Mm. I guess you got a point there."

Just as Fujita-sensei slumped into his chair, Kurumi burst through the door, her uniform disheveled.

"Did someone say pool?!"

Okay, you need to understand something about Kurumi. Most of the time, she's just... Kurumi. Annoying but bearable. But mention swimming, and she transforms into an full-blown force of nature. Every summer since middle school, she's dragged me to the community pool, using every manipulation tactic to get me to tag along.

"But Ryū-chan, what if I hurt myself and drown?"

Or "I told people you were coming..."

Twenty minutes of Kurumi's relentless emotional warfare later, we stood at the edge of the empty school pool. I stared down at the concrete basin, bone dry and coated in a layer of grime that would make a janitor cry. Dead leaves, dirt, and who knows what else carpeted the bottom.

"This is perfect!" Kurumi clasped her hands together, avoiding looking down.

Toukawa-san lifted her book higher, as if she could shield against reality.

"Perfect for what exactly?" I muttered, watching a spider scuttle across the grime.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Sae pulling out a massive broom from... somewhere. She rolled up her sleeves, face set with determination.

"Let's get to work then."

Behind her, Rhino's balloon form quivered like jelly, probably remembering the last time Sae made him help clean up those pink fluff from the other month. I grabbed Sae's shoulder before she could take another step.

"Let's not."

Because if I was going to spend my final months doing chores, I might as well move to Tokyo right now and become a corporate slave.

"…Alright."

"But Ryū-chan! I'll never get to swim again!"

"You'll live." I grabbed her collar and dragged her back toward our classroom, tuning out her theatrical sobs.

***

Sae wasted no time pulling out the English textbook. I slumped in my seat as she pointed to a passage.

"Read from here."

I squinted at the foreign letters across the page. "The... cat... is..."

"Sitting."

"Sitting... on... the... the…"

"Mat."

"Whatever. The cat's going to be dead anyway in a few months."

Before Sae could answer, her phone buzzed. She stepped into the hallway, leaving me to contemplate why this fictional English cat would be sitting on a mat.

Movement caught my eye as Kurumi shot up from her seat. She tip toed to the door with all the subtlety of a Little Shit eating a melon bread. My curiosity won over common sense, and I found myself following her lead.

We pressed our ears against the sliding door, probably looking like complete idiots. Through the thin walls, Sae's voice drifted in fragments:

"...A-grade sighting... beach outside Shibue..."

The door suddenly slammed open, nearly taking my nose with it. Kurumi burst into the hallway. Sae's phone nearly went flying before ending the call.

"You said beach, right? Right??? Since the pool's totally busted, we can all go to the beach instead!"

"I do have KQ Division business in the area, but that doesn't mean all of you should come."

"Pretty please? I promise we won't get in your way!"

I was about to drag Kurumi back to class (again) when Mizuki-senpai's stupid beach photo flashed through my mind.

"I want to go too."

Three heads whipped around to stare at me. Even Little Shit looked up from my desk.

"You... want to go?" Kurumi's mouth hung open. "To the beach? Without me having to drag you?"

"What, is that weird?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my Ryū-chan?"

I shrugged her off. It definitely wasn't because I wanted my own fancy beach photos. Definitely not.