Fresh Air

Ichiro was desperately regretting his decisions up to this point.

In that moment, his body became rigid, and he tried his best to suppress even the slightest breath.

To calm himself down, he retraced the sequence of events that had led him to this point.

Struggling immensely in his predicament, he recalled how it all started. Surprisingly, it had started with something quite simple.

It began when Ichiro approached Izumi once again, inquiring about her list. The following day, he found her sitting alone at her desk after school. Though she initially responded with her usual indifference to his presence, she at least turned to face him before he initiated the conversation this time.

"So, about that list," he started, reaching into his pocket for the list she had written. However, as he did so, Izumi's eyes widened in terror, and she hastily backed away, ducking her head in an attempt to avoid being seen.

"Actually," she nervously laughed, trying to avoid colliding with him and fumbling with her words, "I have somewhere to be right now. So if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

She hurriedly pushed her wheels, attempting to create as much distance as possible between herself and Ichiro in the shortest time possible. However, her escape came to an abrupt halt. Despite her momentary attempt to continue pushing forward, hoping to break free, she let out a heavy sigh and dropped her arms to her sides in defeat. Leaning her head against the railing, she glanced back at the boy who had clung onto the chair's handles, preventing her from leaving.

“What about it?”

Finally letting go, Ichiro shook his hand, realizing the immense effort it took to hold on. "I wanted to know what you meant by this first one," he said, holding up the list for her to read once more.

With quick movements, she attempted to snatch the paper from his hands. Unfortunately for her, Ichiro was quicker and maintained a firm grip on it.

“It says you want to go to a themed cafe? What do you mean by that?”

Her disapproving look pierced through Ichiro, and she retorted, "Are you dumb or something? It means I want to go to a themed cafe. What's there to figure out?"

"Uh, just that," he responded, narrowing his eyes at her and lightly tapping her forehead with the paper. "Which one? What theme are you considering?"

Izumi's eyes widened, not because of the playful tap on her head. "I never thought about that part..."

"Why does that not surprise me at this point?" Ichiro sighed, still keeping the paper out of Izumi's desperate reach.

"Well, I have an idea."

***

That's where it all began, but they had to wait. Ichiro had practice after school every day and games on Friday and Saturday. Even if he managed to finish early, there was no way he could escape doing his homework. Maintaining good grades was crucial, or his family would be furious.

Since Izumi also had commitments on most days, they agreed to meet for their first adventure on Sunday.

Ichiro didn't think much of the meeting as the days passed, gradually approaching the agreed-upon date. However, as he stood at the entrance of the chosen shopping center, waiting patiently after arriving early, a strange thought crept into his mind.

Would she actually show up at all?

It wasn't a question of whether she would abandon him, leaving him looking foolish for waiting for someone who would never appear. It was more about whether she could make it all the way here.

The journey from his house wasn't long, and although he wasn't sure where exactly she lived, Ichiro suddenly became aware of every step he had taken to reach this point. Even the slightest irregularities in the ground seemed treacherous to him now.

But the last message Izumi sent assured him that she was on her way, so there shouldn't be any reason for him to worry. Right?

Try as he might, he couldn't shake off the thought, and his anxiety continued to grow.

But suddenly, calls of his name snapped Ichiro out of his daze. Looking up from his phone, he spotted a slender girl maneuvering her wheelchair across the sidewalk, heading straight towards him.

A rush of relief washed over Ichiro, and he finally took a deep breath, as if emerging from an eternity of holding it in.

As they walked and conversed, following the usual pleasantries, Ichiro observed Izumi's every movement. He made sure that everything was accessible to her and that she faced no difficulties in traversing the streets.

However, Izumi seemed to be absentmindedly chatting about her excitement for the place she had chosen, paying little attention to the path in front of her. She looked up at Ichiro with a brilliant grin on her face, eagerly pushing her wheels forward.

The only hiccup occurred when she briefly got caught on the entrance's threshold, requiring extra effort to pull herself over the edge. In those few seconds, while she was momentarily stuck, Ichiro felt a strong urge to intervene and help, but he couldn't muster the courage to say or do anything in time.

Eventually, Izumi effortlessly cleared the hurdle and entered the establishment, casually asking for a table as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Ichiro sat there in a state of disbelief, trying to process what had just occurred.

Dumbfounded, he quietly followed the hostess to their designated table.

That more or less brought him back to his current predicament.

He struggled immensely to suppress a sneeze as his nose was tickled from below.

He felt paralyzed, at least out of respect. A cat sat peacefully on his lap, and he couldn't gather the nerve to shoo it away. So, the feline calmly waved its tail just below his nose.

Though this wasn't a situation Ichiro ever wished to find himself in, he remained perfectly still, his eyes watering. Glancing around in an attempt to distract his tickled nose, he slowly surveyed the surroundings.

The seating consisted of low-set chairs arranged in the mostly empty space, with a large and intricately designed cat tree at the center. Several catwalks branched out from the tallest points of the tree, extending to various spots throughout the establishment.

Different groups of people occupied the tables. A couple of older ladies chatted amongst themselves while gently stroking the cats that wandered by. A young newlywed couple played with the felines using cat toys, sipping their coffees together. Even two British tourists recorded their experiences on camera while cats rested on their laps.

The atmosphere in the café was warm and inviting, and it appeared that everyone was genuinely enjoying themselves. Considering this, Ichiro couldn't bring himself to create a scene and disturb the ambiance. He quietly endured his discomfort, though he was secretly glad.

However, it wasn't because of his own predicament.

“Meow meow.”

Those words didn't come from Ichiro, not at all. They came from the small girl who had managed to pull herself out of her wheelchair and sit on the floor, engaging playfully with the cats. She was beaming with smiles and giggles as she effortlessly maneuvered herself around using only her arms, unencumbered by any worries.

Multiple times, she lifted up a cat, showing it to Ichiro with squeals of delight about its cuteness.

In that very moment, Ichiro felt a profound sense of tranquility being in her presence.