“The Cat and the Idol”

The black sedan, sleek and anonymous, hugged the curb outside Airi’s apartment building. The street was quiet, illuminated only by the faint orange glow of a nearby lamppost. The journey had been swift and silent, navigating the city's deserted backstreets.

Ren turned off the engine. The sudden cessation of the low hum was loud in the silence. He didn't immediately move, instead looking out the front window at the modest, aging structure of Airi's building. We circled out of the car, stopping at the entrance of my apartment door that has that weird pinkish stain on the doornumb. Must have been old gum or something, still Airi didn't care to find out.

"Well, this is it," Airi said, reaching for the door handle. "Thanks for the ride, Ren. It saved me a miserable subway ride.”

"It was the practical solution," Ren replied, his eyes still scanning the quiet street below. He was clearly trained to be hyper-aware of his surroundings, even in stillness. He turned to her, his expression softening slightly. "Good night, Airi."

Airi paused, ready to step out, when she heard a faint, distressed sound coming from her apartment window, three stories up. A distinct, high-pitched mew.

"Oh, no," Airi whispered, frowning. "She must have heard the car pull up. I told her I'd be late."

"Your cat?" Ren asked, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face.

"Yes. Neko. She's usually asleep by now, but she's got separation anxiety," Airi explained, realizing too late she was using the same clumsy excuse she had used to flee his presence in the studio a few days prior. This time, however, the anxiety was real for the cat, not for the kiss she had narrowly avoided.

“I’d like to meet her.”

“You sure? She doesn't like men.”

Ren laughed. “I can’t rest if I don’t see her cute face at least once.”

“It’s your funeral.” Airi fumbled with the key, her heart still beating a slightly erratic rhythm from the intensity of the evening. Inside her small, dark apartment, the evidence of Neko's distress was minimal but present: a slipper had been knocked over, and a lone squeaky toy lay forgotten in the hallway. But the cat herself was waiting.

Neko, a sleek shadow of black fur and piercing green eyes, was perched atop the worn sofa, observing the intrusion with regal disdain.

"Princess Night!" Airi sighed in relief, dropping her bag and walking toward her.

Neko immediately leapt off the sofa and trotted toward the doorway, pausing right at the threshold, her eyes narrowing as they focused on the imposing figure of Ren Ichijō.

Ren paused too, standing awkwardly in the center of Airi’s tiny living space. He looked impossibly large in the cramped room, surrounded by stacks of books and a slightly lopsided shelf full of video games.

"This is Neko," Airi said, kneeling down to scratch the cat behind the ears. "Or Princess Night, if you prefer formality."

Neko, usually aloof with strangers, did something unexpected. She didn’t flee. Instead, she padded slowly toward Ren, sniffing his polished leather shoes with intense scrutiny.

Ren lowered himself slowly, mirroring Airi's crouch. He kept his movements deliberately gentle and quiet. He reached out a hesitant hand, and Neko, after a final, demanding sniff, leaned her head into his palm.

A small, genuine smile touched Ren's lips. It was the softest expression Airi had ever seen him wear.

"She's beautiful," he murmured, gently stroking Neko's velvety fur. "Very... judgmental just like her mistress.”

“Well she didn't kill you, so that’s a good sign.” Airi joked, feeling the tension bleed out of her shoulders.

For a brief, quiet moment, they were just two people sharing space, bonded by the presence of a demanding feline. The studio tension, the fame, the corporate pressure—it all disappeared.

Ren stood up, a lingering shadow of the private moment still on his face. He checked his watch, a subtle signal that the private reprieve had ended.

"I can't stay long," Ren said, his voice now returning to a more focused tone. "But before I go, there's something critical we need to discuss now that we're past the Ascension launch."

He gestured toward Airi's small, cluttered writing desk. "We are already making excellent time on the tracks. Junpei, as you saw, is an excellent manager, but he runs on a relentless schedule. He's already greenlit the development of a second album for the following year."

Airi stared at him, suddenly forgetting Neko, the sofa, and the time. "Another album? Ren, your current album isn't even hot yet!”

"Exactly," Ren confirmed, his eyes alight with professional drive. "The game in music, Airi, is anticipation. We give the fans what they want, but we immediately start teasing the next project so they don’t leave. We need to keep the music flowing, fresh, and relevant. We need to stay ahead of this saturated industry.”

He leaned an elbow on the doorframe, serious and imposing despite the small space. "I need you to commit to writing another full slate of songs for the second album. I want to build a narrative across both projects. It needs to continue the emotional arc we started with 'Dual Resonance.' Think themes: persistence, defiance, finding courage in small spaces."

Airi felt a thrilling, terrifying vertigo. A second album. A sustained, high-level career as a professional composer. The thought was intoxicating. It was everything she had secretly dreamed of.

"That's... intense, Ren," Airi managed, her voice slightly strained. "That's a massive commitment."

"It's the music game, Airi. To stay in the music game, you have to keep giving the fans something to anticipate," Ren stated simply, the idol speaking now, but with an edge of collaborator's hunger. "And I need your voice, your vision, for this entire journey. I can't do the next album without your core ideas."

Airi looked from Ren, who was offering her an unimaginable future, to Neko, who was now rubbing comfortably against his trouser leg. She thought of her spreadsheets and the boredom of her cubicle.

"When do you need the first sketches?" she asked, the question already signaling her acceptance.

"As soon as you find the time," Ren replied, a shadow of the earlier smile returning. "But don't rush. The music has to be honest, or it's pointless."

He pushed himself off the doorframe, his focus now shifting to the business of leaving.

"I need to go before Junpei realizes I've been parked on a residential street for fifteen minutes. Good night, Airi Komatsu. I'll expect some compelling musical narratives soon."

He gave her a quick, final nod, stepping back out into the night. Airi heard the soft thunk of the car door, followed by the muffled purr of the engine as Ren drove away, leaving her standing alone in her tiny apartment, two albums’ worth of music now resting squarely on her shoulders.

She looked down at Neko, who was now sprawled lazily on the rug. "Well, Princess Night," Airi whispered to the cat. "It looks like we're officially buying you a new tree house.”