The Cat Who Always Lands On Foot

Strange words to say, honestly, right?
They’re the kind of things you don’t plan to say. There’s no “right” moment for them—they just float there. You grab them and let them go.

On the other hand, I’ll admit I wanted to sound cool in front of her.
I wanted to ask how she felt.
I wanted to ask how she saw the world now.
Thinking about it more deeply, she knew everything about me, down to the smallest detail—not because she was omniscient, but because ever since we met, she’d done nothing but poke around in my brain, metaphorically, of course. By contrast, I didn’t know much about her. Maybe because there wasn’t much more to know.

Maybe that’s why I decided we should have a day like two normal people.
Because maybe we’d become two people, but never normal. Or maybe she’d never become human.

I hate to admit it, but making promises in the heat of the moment never leads to anything good, and I had no idea how I was going to make Sayo want to live.
I don’t think it’s something you can just say.
Honestly, I had more questions than answers.

“Death, Eiji?” I heard her ask, giving me a playful headbutt in the back before catching up to walk beside me.

“That’s what I said.”

“Which one?” she asked, feigning curiosity.

“Don’t push me, Aranara.”

“Hah, I already know the answer anyway.”

“Then why ask?” I replied with a sigh, giving her a light shove.

“Hmm… just curious to see how direct you could be.”I think, sometimes—no, almost always—we hear but don’t listen. That’s how a lot of things go over our heads.
Many are trivial, but those trivial things complete small puzzles.

The streets opened up like veins. There were parts of town she didn’t know, and places I hadn’t been to since I came here on vacation as a kid.
I tried showing her the town shrine, but her enthusiasm dropped to negative numbers when she saw the number of steps we’d have to climb.
Part of me was grateful for that. Too many steps.

We passed by the 'crooked tree,' barely noticing it. Instinctively, I ran my hand over the mark on my neck, though I didn’t feel anything.
I’m not entirely sure yet, but I’d like to say it belongs to the past now.

I discovered Aranara was really talkative when you gave her some space.
She told me about how Socrates stood firm in his convictions as the hemlock poisoned his body.
She talked about Yukio Mishima’s final moments and how, to her, it didn’t count as suicide but as an act of preserving honor.
Wardell Gray—she didn’t want to say much about him, just that she wasn’t paying attention when it happened.

Thousands of years meeting people for just a moment—moments far from leaving good memories.

[Did you really never feel anything?]

From iconic poets like Gérard de Nerval to complete nobodies… like me.

[When did you want to 'resign'?]

I could be wrong, but I think I must be the worst on her list—not out of self-centeredness, but because all this time, I’d done nothing but force her to watch me try to kill myself over and over.
Guilt? No.
Regret? Probably.

Noon turned to afternoon. We weren’t doing much—she told me her stories, I told her mine, and we wandered through the town center, which was starting to fill with people. Every now and then, some turned in our direction because, sure, I was lost in the moment, but that didn’t change the fact that, technically, I was talking 'alone.'

“Aranara, let’s go this way.”

“My legs hurt… ugh…”

“Come on, don’t make me drag you.”

“My legs hurt, Eiji…” It sounded like a tantrum again as she walked like her spine was made of jelly.

It was another step, in more ways than one.
Human exhaustion.
Human pain.
If there was one thing I did know about her, it was how stubborn—or rather, how capricious—she could be. So I had no choice but to take her hand and make her follow me to a small shop on the first floor of a mall.

[I’m lying. There were plenty of other options, but I think we’re at the part where I can admit I just wanted to hold her hand.]

“Eiji… ugh…” She walked even more limply, like a green slime at this point. “…my legs…”

“Don’t exaggerate. It’s not that bad. Look,” I said, pointing to a glass storefront.

“Manipulator…”

“The worst.”

“A Machiavellian mind…” she said, laughing as she approached the glass.

“Did you meet him?”

“Nope, not him.” Her eyes scanned the inside of the store. “It’s not spring yet.”

“Thought we could get a head start. Besides, buying out of season is cheaper.”

“You gonna buy me something cheap, Eiji?” she said, mimicking a soap opera diva’s tone.

“I’m gonna buy you what I can afford,” I replied, laughing.

“As long as it looks good on me…”

“No doubt about that.”

“I’ll need shoes if you get a dress,” she said, pretending not to hear.

“Hmm…”

“Maybe a hat would suit me. It’s pretty windy in this town.”

“So demanding…”

“Hey, it’s my first time in a situation like this. You gonna blame me for wanting to make the most of it?”

[It’s my first time too.]

The passing people, their glances, and the murmurs I couldn’t quite make out were starting to get harder to ignore, though I kept it to myself. It had been happening all day.
At the temple stairs.
When we passed the old lady’s shop, me practically crouching to avoid explaining why I skipped work again.
When we walked down the main street.

I just shot glares back at passersby, like I was firing lasers from my eyes. Amid the crowd, I saw Sayo standing at the corner of the first floor. The afternoon had settled in, so she was probably taking advantage of the golden hour to take photos.

From what I could see before we got closer, it was an old camera—one of the first digital ones. I knew the brand well but won’t name it, you know, legal issues.

“Sayo!” I called, waving my arm.

“Four-eyes!” Aranara added, and as we walked, the 'lion' seemed calm this time. In fact, she spoke in a surprisingly friendly tone.

“Oh! Aranara and her cat!” Sayo said, surprised, snapping a photo of us before we could react.

“Why am I ‘her cat’?” I asked, though I was more focused on her camera lens pointed at us. No, more than that—on her hands holding the camera.

“Cats have nine lives, so the nickname fits,” she said, instantly noticing my gaze on her hands. She stopped talking and walked toward us. “How’s your day going?” she asked, her voice never losing that soft tone.

I turned my head, needing to know if Aranara had seen what I did, but no luck. She was glued to the shop window like a sticker, probably mentally compiling a list of demands. My wallet was going to hurt later.

“How’re your hands?” I turned back to Sayo.

“Straight to the point, huh…” She laughed. “Steady as two pillars,” she said, letting the camera hang from her neck and extending her hands, palms up.

“How’s that possible?”

“If I had to lie, I’d say I’m testing an experimental drug for neurological disorders…” she said, lightly rubbing her index finger against her lips. “If I had to tell the truth… well, we’d need to grab a drink. It’s not something I can explain just like that, especially not in front of her.” She said, nodding toward Aranara, who was still engrossed in the window full of next season’s dresses.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” I said, glancing at both of them.

“Huh? No, you shouldn’t. Not from my perspective, at least.”

“It’s all a matter of perspective, Sayo.”

“From my perspective, Eiji,” she said, glancing upward for a moment, “you were right—it can’t rain forever.”

I rubbed my face, like I was trying to wipe away some lingering lethargy, and nodded. There was a café just below the shop, so I figured I’d let her go first while I explained to Aranara, just in case.

“Hey…”

“Eiji, I can’t just have one dress for the whole season!” Her head seemed like it was trying to phase through the glass.

“You’ve been wearing that parka for a month and only complained two days ago…”

“I’m e-vo-lv-ing,” she said, squinting at me. “I need to adapt my outfit… but there are so many… it’s hard to choose… so you’re gonna have find a job as soon as possible.”

Her comment made me laugh louder than I meant to, though people had been staring at me like I was crazy all day, so I didn’t care much.

“I’ll work Sundays if I have to.”

“Don’t Sundays mean outings?”

“Where’d you get that from?”

“The movies.”

I sighed. “Listen, I’m heading to the café downstairs. I need to talk to Sayo about something.” As soon as I finished, I braced for impact.

“Okay, bring me something back?”

I replayed her words in my head a hundred times, word for word. Tone. Gestures. She wasn’t upset, unlike the other day at home.

“Just like that?”

“You want me to make a scene, Eiji?” she asked, like it was a challenge.

“No, actually, I don’t. But it’s what I expected.”

“That hurts, Eiji…” she said, pretending to wipe invisible tears.

“Go talk to four-eyes. I’ll wait here, or at the other shop, or the one across the street.”

“So I’m gonna have to hunt you down all over the mall…” A smile slipped out. “Alright, I’ll see you later then.” I said, heading for the stairs.

“Oh, Eiji…”

“What?”

“Uh… um…” She pulled the hood of her parka over her head, hiding her face completely, like burrowing into a sleeping bag. “I don’t know much about animals, but… I like my cat.”