Chapter 5: Go on a Date with Me

Before my eyes even opened, I could already hear the birds chirping outside the window. The soft morning light slowly filled the room, and I felt something heavy resting on my chest. Still half asleep, I mumbled in confusion, 

“Kaoe?” But when I finally opened my eyes, I realized it wasn’t her. “Hmph.” It was Yuki, lying comfortably on my chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice still sleepy. She immediately gave me a very unpleasant look and snapped, 

“Huh!? Were you expecting that ugly cat!?” I quickly shook my head. “N-no! That’s not what I meant. I was just a little shocked.” For some reason today it was Yuki lying on my chest. 

I could smell the soft fragrance of her hair, and it reminded me of the time when she was still a cat. Back then she used to sleep on my chest every morning, but ever since the day she turned into a girl, moments like that had stopped happening. 

After a short silence I spoke again. “Hey.” She looked down at me suspiciously. “What?” I hesitated for a moment before asking, “Wanna go out today? It’s Sunday and I’ve got nothing to do.” 

Her eyes instantly lit up with excitement. “Y-you mean… a d-date?” she asked, her voice suddenly nervous. I shrugged casually. “You could say that.” In the next second she jumped up with excitement. 

“Yeah! Finally some personal time!” The sudden movement made the weight on my chest even worse. “Umm… Yuki,” I said while struggling to breathe, “can you move now? I can’t breathe.” 

She narrowed her eyes immediately. “Huh? Are you trying to say I’m heavy?” Somehow she always managed to take things in the worst possible way. 

“No, no! That’s not what I meant!” And just like that, our morning began. Meanwhile, Kaoe was simply relaxing on Yuki’s couch like she had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Later I waited outside the apartment gate while Yuki took forever to come out. While standing there, I noticed a dog walking nearby and thought it looked pretty cute at first, 

But that thought quickly disappeared when the dog casually walked up to a post and started peeing on it. “Ew,” I muttered under my breath. 

“WHAT!?” I jumped in surprise and turned around to see Yuki standing right in front of me. Her eyes widened with horror. “Ew!? Is my outfit that bad!?” she cried dramatically as tears began forming in her eyes. 

What terrible timing. “No, no! I was talking about the dog!” I pointed behind her, but when she turned around the dog had already disappeared. “What dog?” she asked suspiciously while crossing her arms. 

“If you don’t want to go, just say it.” She turned her face away with a loud “Hmph.” That was when I finally noticed her properly. Her hair was tied into a neat bun, and it looked beautiful. 

“Hey… your hair looks really nice,” I said honestly. Her expression instantly changed, and she quickly tried to hide her face. “R-really?” she asked quietly. 

Only then did I notice something else. The dress she was wearing was the same cream-colored dress I had bought for her before. I realized she hadn’t worn it even once since that day. 

“I… I was saving it for a special day,” she admitted softly. I smiled a little. “Then shall we go? Let’s have fun.” Before I could say anything else she ran toward me and grabbed my arm tightly. “Let’s go!”

The day passed surprisingly quickly after that. We visited several places together, laughing and talking the entire time. At one store we even ran into the same old lady who had called us a couple before, and she happily repeated the same thing again, which immediately made my face burn with embarrassment. 

After that we went to watch a movie while eating snacks, and later we visited a small bakery. That was where I was surprised to see Ester working behind the counter. 

Somehow Yuki and Ester started getting along almost immediately, talking and laughing together as if they had known each other for years. Watching them interact felt strange but also strangely peaceful.

Eventually evening arrived and we began walking home. The sky was slowly growing darker, and the crows were making loud noises in the distance while a gentle breeze moved through the streets. 

The air felt both warm and cool at the same time. Yuki was still holding my arm as we walked. “It was a great day,” she said happily. I nodded. “Yeah, it really was.” But then I felt it again. 

That strange sharp feeling in my chest that appeared for no clear reason. I tried to ignore it as we reached the front of my apartment building.

When we arrived at the door, something immediately felt wrong. The door was already open. “Huh?” Yuki looked confused. 

“What the…” I stepped inside cautiously and immediately noticed something familiar near the entrance. A pair of shoes. Mina’s shoes. “Mina! Are you here!?” I called out. My heart was racing even though I didn’t know why. 

Yuki looked curious as she stepped inside beside me. “Hey Mina!” she shouted toward the living room. Then we heard a voice. “Master! Look!”

For a moment I didn’t understand what I was seeing. The noise of cars from the street below echoed faintly through the open window while my brain struggled to process the scene in front of me. Standing there was a girl with soft brown hair and bright pink eyes. My mind froze. “KAOE!?”

To be continued...