“Kloudy with a Chance”

Tokyo Animal Clinic smelled of rubbing alcohol and slightly damp dog fur. Airi sat stiffly on a pale blue plastic chair, the coldness of the room doing nothing to calm the internal heat of her worry.

Neko, or Princess Night as she was officially named, was currently behind a set of swinging metal doors, undergoing an examination. The little black cat had been unusually lethargic this morning and had finally vomited a disconcerting piece of what looked suspiciously like a shredded earphone bud. Airi was frantic, replaying every moment of Neko’s last twenty-four hours, convinced she was an utterly terrible cat owner.

Airi’s sensible, low-heeled work shoes were planted firmly on the sterile floor, but her anxiety kept her mind floating somewhere above the ceiling tiles. She stared at the laminated poster detailing feline dental hygiene, seeing none of the helpful diagrams. The cost of the visit was already a heavy weight, adding another unwelcome layer to the rent crisis Saki had helped her briefly forget on Saturday.

She checked her phone for the tenth time in as many minutes. No messages from the vet yet. Just the usual low hum of notifications. Then, a new email notification flashed across her lock screen. The sender’s name immediately triggered a wave of nausea and residual disappointment: Roy Tamura.

Why are they emailing me on a Tuesday afternoon? she wondered, her hand trembling slightly as she unlocked the phone. She expected a form email, something generic about their ninety-day pitch window.

She clicked the email open.

Subject: ACQUISITION CONFIRMED: “Starlight and Side Streets” – Client Meeting Request

Dear Ms. Komatsu,

We are pleased to confirm that your composition, “Starlight and Side Streets,” has been acquired by a key client. The client, a major entertainment entity, found the piece to be an essential fit for an upcoming project. The full, non-exclusive master rights for the composition were acquired for the agreed-upon preliminary rate of ¥10k.

Attached to this email, please find the finalized acquisition agreement and the immediate wire transfer confirmation for your composer’s fee. The funds should clear your bank within 24 hours.

Furthermore, the client has expressed great interest in your potential and has requested a face-to-face meeting to discuss a more comprehensive, ongoing relationship, pending your availability.

Please confirm if you are available to meet this Friday at 9am at the client’s offices in Koenji district. We will forward the full address upon confirmation.

Congratulations, Ms. Komatsu.

R. Tamura Kloudy Music Talent Scouts

Airi read the email once. Then a second time. And then, a third time, focusing solely on the figure listed next to the yen symbol. It wasn't the kind of money that made you quit your job, but it was more than enough. It was more than the six months of rent Saki had joked about. It was her late rent, the overdue utility bills, the cost of Neko's vet visit, and enough left over to buy the noise-canceling headphones she had wanted for months.

A sudden, dizzying lightness hit her. The world tilted slightly, and the heavy, crushing weight of her financial stress—the constant, gnawing anxiety that had been a fixture in her life for the last year lifted entirely, replaced by a wave of pure, unadulterated relief.

She didn't care that the agency had a sketchy reputation; they had delivered the one thing she needed most. The song she had nearly regretted handing over the song about urban solitude and quiet beauty—had found a home.

Her fingers flew across the screen, pulling up her banking app. There, under pending transfers, was the figure, listed with the cryptic label: "Kloudy Royalty Payout." It was real.

Airi sunk back into the hard plastic chair, tears welling up in her eyes, blurring the dental hygiene poster. She wasn’t crying because she was rich, but because she was safe. For the first time in months, she was not behind. She could breathe. She could pay her landlord and look him in the eye. She could even treat herself to that lovely little cardigan she saw online.

The feeling of elation soon mixed with an acute, buzzing curiosity. A major entertainment entity. A more comprehensive, ongoing relationship. Who was this client? "Starlight and Side Streets" was an intensely personal, melancholy track, built on quiet chords and subtle melodies. It wasn’t a loud, high-energy pop song. It didn’t scream "idol group B-side" or "car commercial jingle." It was intimate.

Airi’s mind raced through the possibilities. Could it be a producer for a ballad singer? A soundtrack for a quiet, arthouse film? The fact that they wanted a meeting was the most intriguing part. It meant they were interested in the composer, not just the composition. They wanted to know Airi Komatsu, the office worker who hummed to her cat.

She was so absorbed in imagining the glittering, high-rise office of this mysterious "major entertainment entity"—a stark contrast to Ryo Tamura's dusty Room 401—that she almost missed the sound of the metal door swinging open.

"Ms. Komatsu?"

Airi blinked, the prestigious buildings of her imagination dissolving instantly. The vet, a kind, middle-aged woman named Dr. Tanaka, stood holding the cat carrier. Neko, curled inside on a fluffy blanket, was awake and eyeing her surroundings with a distinctly unimpressed expression.

"Oh, Doctor! Is she—is she alright?" Airi stumbled to her feet, shoving her phone into her pocket, the acquisition email forgotten for the moment. Neko was now the immediate, primary reality.

Dr. Tanaka smiled warmly. "Princess Night is absolutely fine. She definitely ate something she shouldn't have, but it seems to have mostly passed through. We flushed her system and gave her some gentle medication. Nothing serious, just a case of severe, self-inflicted gluttony, I think."

Neko let out a small, demanding meow that sounded utterly healthy and entirely too familiar. The rush of relief for her cat was sudden and total, washing away the lingering traces of panic and the earlier excitement. Neko was safe.

Airi sagged against the counter. "Oh, thank goodness. Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much."

"Just keep an eye on her for the next twenty-four hours," Dr. Tanaka advised, handing over the carrier. "And perhaps invest in a cat-proof trash bin."

As Airi settled Neko securely into the carrying bag, her heart felt simultaneously lightened by two immense weights: her crushing debt and the health of her beloved pet.

Out on the street, the sun seemed brighter. Airi clutched the carrier with one hand and her phone with the other. The email was still there, the subject line a banner of unbelievable opportunity: ACQUISITION CONFIRMED.

She had money. She had her music. She had Neko, safe and sound. All that remained was the mystery of the client. Who was this "major entertainment entity" who had reached out from the glittering heights of the industry to pluck one melancholic song from a shabby, song-hoarding talent scout?

Airi smiled, a genuine, wide smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes behind her glasses. She would find out on Friday. Until then, she had rent to pay and had a feeling she would be seeing that soulful-voiced stranger again soon. She needed to, now more than ever.