Chapter 4: Close Call at the Hoshi House

We are back in the living room of the Hoshi household. It is 11:00 PM. The house is quiet, save for the low hum of the refrigerator and the sound of Muji slurping soda.

We are sprawled out, completely relaxed. Hajime is working the night shift, and Naomi is sleeping over at a friend’s house to study for exams. This means we have the place to ourselves until morning. It is a rare treat.

The coffee table, usually pristine, is currently a disaster zone. It is littered with wrappers, empty cans, and crumbs. Muji is chugging a grape soda like it is the nectar of the gods. Inoe is sitting on the floor, painting her toenails a bright, neon pink that matches her magical aura.

"You are getting crumbs on the carpet", Kenuji warns, looking up from a book on astrophysics he borrowed from the library. He is the only one not eating junk food. He is sipping a cup of green tea he made properly in a teapot. "Naomi is going to notice. She has eyes like a hawk for dirt".

"Naomi is asleep at her friend's house, and Hajime is working until 6 AM", Yoshi waves a chicken bone dismissively. A piece of breading flies off and lands on the rug. "Relax, glasses. We have hours to clean up. Live a little".

"Don't call me glasses", Kenuji snaps, adjusting his spectacles. "And do not underestimate the unpredictability of human schedules".

I am reading one of Naomi’s manga on the floor, my legs kicked up on the sofa. "Guys, this story is unrealistic. The main character falls in love with a vampire. Why would you date food? That is like me dating a sardine".

"Humans are weird", Muji grunts, crushing his soda can with one hand. "They romanticize everything. Even monsters".

"Speaking of monsters", Inoe says, blowing on her wet nails. "Did you sense that tremor earlier? Near the bay?"

"Probably just a minor quake", Yoshi shrugs. "Or a Kaiju. Who knows? As long as it doesn't interrupt my chicken, I don't care".

Suddenly, a sound freezes us all.

It is the sound of a car door slamming outside.

Thud.

It is close. right in the driveway.

We all stop moving. Yoshi freezes with the chicken bone halfway to his mouth. Muji stops reaching for another soda. Inoe’s nail polish brush hovers over her toe.

We hear footsteps on the gravel path. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Keys jingling.

"Is that...?" Inoe whispers, her eyes widening.

"It is Naomi", Kenuji hisses, his face going pale. He stands up so fast his chair tips over. "She is back early! Her study group must have ended!"

"Panic!" Yoshi shouts, standing up and knocking a full can of grape soda over with his elbow. "Panic now!"

Purple fizz spreads across the white rug.

"Don't panic, you idiot! Clean up!" Inoe screams, scrambling to her feet. "Hide the evidence!"

It is chaos. Absolute, unadulterated panic.

Muji grabs the trash bags full of wrappers. "Where do I put this?"

"The incinerator!" Kenuji yells. "Or just eat it!"

"I cannot eat plastic!"

"Just hide it!"

Yoshi tries to wipe the soda spill with the sleeve of his leather jacket. "It is staining! It is staining!"

I shove the manga under the sofa. I grab the tea cups. "Transform! Everyone transform!"

The key turns in the lock.

Click.

The handle turns.

"Transform! Now!" Kenuji orders, his voice cracking.

We dive for our positions.

Poof. Poof. Poof. Poof. Poof.

Smoke explodes in the room, masking the mess for a split second.

The door opens.

"I'm home!" Naomi calls out, stepping into the genkan. She sounds exhausted. "Ugh, study group was a disaster. Mika wouldn't stop talking about her boyfriend, and then the power went out, so we just gave up".

She drops her heavy bag on the floor with a sigh and walks into the living room.

"I hope you kitties were good while I was—"

She stops.

We are all frozen.

I am curled on the armchair, pretending to be asleep. Inoe is on the windowsill, looking out at the night. Kenuji is on the TV stand, sitting perfectly still like a statue. Muji is under the table, his tail tucked in.

And Yoshi...

Yoshi is standing on the coffee table. On all fours.

But he is standing directly over the remote control. And there is a very noticeable, very wet, very purple spot on the rug that smells intensely of artificial grape. And there is a distinct smell of fried chicken in the air.

Naomi stares at Yoshi. Yoshi stares at Naomi. His green eyes are wide with guilt.

He lets out a tentative, high-pitched, "...Meow?"

It is the most pathetic sound I have ever heard. It sounds like a question. Please don't kill me?

Naomi sighs, rubbing her temples. She looks at the rug. She looks at the table.

"Blackie", she says, her voice tired. "You aren't supposed to be on the table. We talked about this".

She walks over. Yoshi flinches, expecting a scolding.

Instead, she picks him up. She buries her face in his black fur.

"You guys smell like... chicken?" she murmurs, sniffing him. "Did Dad leave food out?"

She looks around. She sees the wet spot.

"And did you knock over a drink? Oh, babies. You made a mess".

She doesn't notice the lack of an actual can. Muji managed to kick the empty cans under the sofa just in time. She just assumes we are clumsy animals who knocked over a leftover cup.

"I am too tired to deal with this tonight", she mutters, putting Yoshi down on the floor. "I will clean it in the morning. Just... try not to step in it, okay?"

She walks to the stairs. She pauses and looks back at us.

"You guys are the only ones who understand me", she says softly. "Goodnight, babies".

She walks up the stairs. We hear her bedroom door shut.

Exhale.

We don't transform back. We just lie there in cat form, our hearts pounding against our ribs like trapped birds.

‘That was too close,’ Kenuji projects, his mental voice shaking. ‘If she had come in ten seconds earlier, she would have seen five humans eating junk food in her living room. The masquerade would be over.’

‘She kissed my nose,’ Yoshi thinks, sounding incredibly smug and relieved at the same time. He licks his nose. ‘She loves me best. Even when I am a criminal.’

‘She called us bad kitties earlier,’ Muji grumbles from under the table. ‘I am an ancient warrior. I have slain demons. I demand respect. I do not knock over drinks. Yoshi does.’

‘Shut up and sleep, Tiger,’ Inoe sends back, curling her tail around her nose. ‘And Muji? You missed a wrapper.’

She points with her gaze to a shiny candy wrapper sticking out from under the sofa cushion.

Muji reaches out a paw and swipes it underneath, hiding it.

‘Safe,’ Muji thinks.

We settle down. The house is quiet again. The smell of grape soda lingers in the air, a sweet reminder of our near-disaster.

Being a superhero is hard. But keeping a secret from the person you live with? That is the hardest mission of all.

I close my eyes, listening to the rhythm of the house settling for the night. We are safe. For now. But we really need to buy a carpet cleaner tomorrow.