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Hoshi Ryouma heard a rumbling sound from the other room. He couuldn't say he was surprised, but he did decide to check it out just in case. He knocked on Kaede's door, holding his cup in the other hand.
'Come on in, Hoshi-kun!' he heard a cheerful voice call out, so he pushed the door open. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it surely wasn't Akamatsu Kaede in her slightly oversized purple pyjamas, pushing all her furniture under the walls, leaving the centre of the room completely bare.
'Hey, sorry if I woke you up!' she said apologetically. 'My piano comes in today so I had to make space for it,' she explained, turning towards him with an awkward yet excited smile. Hoshi looked around the room, his face revealing mild confusion.
'I see. Does that mean you're planning on keeping everything like this? I'm not an expert but, from what I remember, pianos are pretty big,' he remarked skeptically, playing with his candy cigarette.
'Well...' she looked back into the room, 'I think I'll keep it in that corner over here and rearrange everything around it. It's hard to plan without it here, so I'm just being safe.'
Hoshi nodded, looking up at her excited face and nodded. He fixed his hat and cleared his throat.
'So, when is it gonna come?' he asked, keeping in mind that they were going to go to the animal shelter later. Kaede touched her chin with her finger and checked her phone for a few seconds.
'In a few hours, apparently. Early afternoon if all goes well. They will text me when it's close, anyway,' she sighed, 'I guess I just wanted to be safe rather than sorry and just had to do it as soon as I woke up,' she chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head. 'If you want, we can go to the shelter now? I just need to get dressed,' she said, looking down at her pyjamas. Hoshi smirked.
'Yeah, we should go. It'll calm you down too.'
'I..I guess so, yeah,' she nodded, as if that entire time she wasn't thinking about herself at all. Knowing her, that was always likely. 'Could you please prepare tea or something? I'll get dressed real quick and join you.'
'Sure,' Hoshi nodded, 'take your time.'
He prepared tea and sandwiches, and Kaede joined him almost the instant he was done, wearing a violet jacket over a knee-length pale pink dress with white details. She put her hair up into a small bun with a hairband holding it back. Hoshi, on the other hand, put on a grey hoodie over his blue striped shirt, with matching pale pants and his usual cat-eared hat. Normally, Kaede would scold him for wearing it inside but, when she thought about it, it reminded her she was going to see dozens of fluffy cats very soon. She smiled at him and took a sip of her tea.
'Hoshi-kun, what's your favourite type of cat?'
'They're all great. It's hard to pick favourites.'
'That's true!' she admitted, 'but I really like fluffy ones. They're so cute,' she smiled softly, looking forward to petting the soft fur.
'So Persians and the like? Yeah, they're really majestic and calming to touch but they're expensive and time-consuming to take care of.'
'Yeah, that makes sense,' she sighed. 'You really know a lot about cats, huh?' she smirked at Hoshi as he blushed and pulled his hat over his eyes.
'I guess I know some things...'
'C'mon, you don't have to pretend to be tough in front of me. I know you too well already,' she teased, nudging his side. 'Anyway, I think we're good to go, yeah?' she said, getting up from her seat and grabbed her backpack. Hoshi nodded and put the dishes away and the two of them left.
Luckily, the shelter was relatively close to their apartment, about 15 minutes walking distance. It was relatively small, but the animals seemed comfortable enough when the pair entered the building. They were greeted by an upperclassman from back at the academy, whose appearance was almost normal compared to when they last saw him.
'Good morning, Tanaka-senpai,' Kaede waved her hand while Hoshi nodded his head at the other man. Tanaka Gundam, whose trademark sunflower-seed shaped hairstyle was the only detail that remained of his original look, bowed his head at them and led them inside, as they looked around in awe.
'Interact with the creatures at your pace, but keep in mind that, should you hurt them – I, Tanaka Gundam, will know, and you will feel my wrath,' he warned, leaving them in front of the cages, watching them from a distance, arms crossed on his chest. He appeared to be in total emotional sync with the animals, keeping them calm and docile around strangers. Kaede hesitantly reached her hand out towards a cat, white with grey stripes on its head and back. She paused nervously, but it walked up to her and poked her hand with its nose. Meanwhile Hoshi, crouching down, got into a staring contest with a pitch black cat in the back.
'Tanaka-san?' Kaede called out, 'would it be possible to take one out?'
'Which of the demonic spawn would you want to get acquaintanced with?' Gundam appeared behind her, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The one thing that never changed was the way he talked, apparently. She pointed towards the striped cat and Gundam grabbed it gently and handed i over to her. The warm mass of fur brushed against her cheek and chest and immediately made her feel safe. She closed her eyes as the cat cuddled up to her, purring softly.
Hoshi abandoned his staring contest with the other cat and looked up at her with a smile.
'Seems like this one likes you,' he remarked.
'Would you want to hold it?'
'Me? I don't want to interrupt-' before he could finish, the cat was in his arms, cuddled up against his chest. Kaede looked down at him proudly, hands on hips.
'It likes both of us!' she said with confidence. Hoshi nodded weakly, carefully handling the animal. 'I think...if you agree, we coul take this one. I don't think it's letting us go, anyway.'
'I'm fine with that,' he mumbled. Kaede chuckled and called out to Gundam.
'This cat seems to have chosen us, Tanaka-senpai!'
'Heh. Indeed, the beast seems to have grown attracted to your soul. Very well, let us prepAre the ritual.'
After the two filled out documents and bought the necessary equipment (with Gundam's guidance), Kaede received a text.
'Oh man, just in time. The piano is coming! We have to go, thank you, Tanaka-senpai!' she exclaimed, grabbing Hoshi and the cat. She heard Gundam's voice echo after her.
'Take good care of the beast!'
'We will!' she yelled back, and the two left.
Setting the piano up took Kaede some time before her room looked how she wanted and had enough space to move around. Hoshi, to make it easier on her, stayed with the cat in his room, keeping it in his lap and petting it gently as it purred, vibrating slightly against his legs. He lost track of time, sitting with his eyes closed, and when he opened them again, it was late afternoon, the world outside getting ready for the sunset.
Hoshi heard the sound of Kaede's piano coming faintly from her room. He got up slowly with the cat in his arms, and tiptoed into the hall. The music was more audible now, but still not too intrusive. He quietly pushed the door and entered her room.
The piano was in the corner she had pointed to earlier, with the seat facing the window, making the sunset illuminate her face and the ront of her dress with warm, subtle tones. Her long, slender fingers gently hit the keys, creating a pleasant melody she hummed along to.
Her bed was to the left of the piano. He looked at it for a few seconds before quietly sitting on it. He closed his eyes and breathed calmly. The cat relaxed in his arms too, not even purring anymore. Soon, Kaede finished the song and turned towards him.
'Sorry if I was too loud,' she whispered apologetically.
'No, it's fine. Keep playing.' he insisted, petting the cat.
'Do you have any favourites, Hoshi-kun?'
'Not really. Never been interested in classical music, I'm afraid.'
'That's fine. I can play you a song for beginners that I'm fond of. It's called 'I Stepped On A Cat',' she offered with a giggle.
'I didn't expect you to be so morbid,' he remarked, 'but I guess it's fitting.'
'Actually,' she glanced at the cat, 'you haven't named her yet, have you?'
'Nope,' he shook his head, 'do you have an idea?'
'I do,' she nodded, resting her fingers on the keys, 'we could name her Sonata.'
Hoshi looked at the cat curled up in his lap as Kaede started playing.
'I like it,' he whispered, 'I like it a lot. Good thinking.'
He lied back on the bed with the cat in his lap, and Kaede kept playing. When he fell asleep, she gently carried him to his own bed, careful not to disturb him or the newly-named Sonata.