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Hakuji stared at Koyuki, who was staring at the little orange tabby he had brought over.
The cat’s back curved into a wave, sliding right out from under her palm like a slippery, cunning noodle.
Hakuji: !!
Koyuki: QvQ
"It... it's the friendliest one of the bunch. Why won't it let you pet it..." Hakuji looked at the little orange cat, now sitting nearby and lazily grooming itself, then looked at Koyuki, who was slightly dazed by the cat's liquid flexibility and silky evasion skills. He felt a bit vexed—after all, he had brought it back specifically because he wanted Koyuki to pet it...
Hakuji carefully reached out and touched the cat's head. Not only did the little tabby not dodge, but it also pushed its head up into his hand, purring loudly in enjoyment.
Seeing him pet the kitten's head, Koyuki smiled too. " maybe... it just doesn't like being touched by me. It's okay, Hakuji-san. Thank you for bringing it here. It's so cute! I'm very happy."
Hakuji fell silent for two seconds. Looking at her smiling face, his Adam's apple bobbed. His voice came out a little tight.
"Koyuki, give me... your hand?"
Taking care of Koyuki and helping her change clothes were common occurrences; he didn't usually feel there was anything strange about it...
He just wanted to make her a little happier.
Yet, these words somehow felt like he was taking liberties with Miss Koyuki.
Hakuji paused, then quickly tried to salvage the situation. "Maybe... perhaps Koyuki's hands are a bit cold? Maybe if we warm them up, it will let you pet it..."
Miss Koyuki's skin was so pale that even the slightest shade of pink embarrassment was easily captured. She lowered her head to look at the leisurely lying cat, but placed her hand into the martial artist's rough, yet scorching hot palm.
Hakuji gathered her slightly cool, small hand into his own to warm it. His heart was pounding wildly, as if he were deliberately doing something naughty. He had no choice but to stare intensely at the cat to hide it.
Once her hand was warm, Koyuki approached the kitten again, issuing a "petting" request.
But the well-behaved cat rejected her once more. Wherever Koyuki's hand hovered, the cat's body dipped down (concave), melting away like butter...
Koyuki was a bit at a loss and instinctively turned to look at Hakuji. She withdrew her hand into her sleeve and said with a beaming smile, "Cats are really so soft. Thank you, Hakuji-san."
Mr. Hakuji did not reply.
He leaned in close. With his usual expressionless face, he took Koyuki's hand out of her sleeve, covered it with his own, and guided her to touch the kitten's head.
"What about now?"
The kitten squinted its eyes and pushed its head upward (convex). The soft, warm fur brushed against Koyuki's fingertips, conveying a sense of attachment, reliance, and the temperature of life.
Hakuji turned his face to look at her.
Koyuki's eyes were glistening with light. When she smiled, her eyes were cute and beautiful. The rims of her eyes were slightly red, but no tears fell.
This was the reason he had brought the kitten back.
Hakuji guided Koyuki's hand to stroke the little tabby's back, but... for the third time, the cat dodged their overlapping hands like liquid—they caught nothing but a handful of air.
Hakuji: !!
Koyuki: OvO
The cat looked at them innocently and let out a "Miew."
Could it be...? Hakuji tried to touch the tabby's back with his other hand... Sure enough, the little orange cat flowed away from the human hand for the fourth time.
Hakuji let go of Koyuki's hand, a thin blush staining his face.
Koyuki voiced the conclusion for him: "So, Little Orange only likes head pats and doesn't let anyone touch its back..."
It turned out Little Orange was a "Concave Cat"—it had absolutely nothing to do with whether hands were cold or hot, or whether it liked Koyuki!
Koyuki smiled until her eyes curved into crescent moons, thoughtfully avoiding Hakuji's embarrassed expression.
Little Orange circled them twice, wondering what kind of game these humans were playing. It rubbed against Koyuki's sleeve before swaggering out the door.
Hakuji had made a fool of himself, but seeing how happy Koyuki was, he decided to let the matter slide.
Next time, I must pay attention and bring back a "Convex Cat," he thought secretly.
"What did you say, Hakuji-san?" Koyuki seemed to hear something and turned to ask him.
Surprised, Hakuji answered honestly: "I was thinking about bringing a Convex Cat next time."
POOF!
Just like that, Koyuki suddenly turned into a cat.
Hakuji: !!!!
Not only had Koyuki turned into a pretty, pink-and-white kitten, but Hakuji's brain had also turned into mush, completely taken over by this kitten.
This "Koyuki-Cat" had fluffy white fur and soft pink inner ears. If one looked closely, there were hidden pink flower patterns in her pupils. She was truly a precious, delicately raised kitten.
Hakuji froze completely. He watched as the Koyuki-Cat circled his hand, which was still braced on the floor. Her smooth fur rubbed against his hand, her tail curled around his arm, and she let out soft "Meow" and "Miew" sounds at him...
Cute to death... but what should I do? But she's so cute. But how does Koyuki change back... Koyuki can't speak anymore. Although, she is very healthy this way... No, a cat's lifespan is short, she must change back... So cute, how can she be this cute? I really want to pet her. No, I can't do that to Miss Koyuki! I need to think of a solution quickly. If I pet her, will I break her... Master is coming back soon, how do I explain this to him? "This cute kitten is your daughter, Koyuki"—that definitely won't work! She keeps rubbing against me, does she want me to pet her... So cute. Did Koyuki say something? I can't understand her, what do I do... Let's just pet her once first.
Hakuji carefully controlled the muscles in his arm, letting his palm land feather-light atop the Koyuki-Cat's head.
It felt like silk...
The Koyuki-Cat squinted her eyes, her two little ears flattening back as she pushed upwards, rubbing against that large, warm hand.
If she's a cat... being petted on the back is... comfortable, right? Besides, there's fur... so it doesn't count, it doesn't count as touching Miss Koyuki's... skin... right?
Hakuji's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He had absolutely no mental capacity left to think about what to do next; the image of the Koyuki-Kitten's cute, comfortable expression had already achieved total domination over his brain.
Hakuji's hand slid down to the Koyuki-Cat's spine. The fur felt cool and silky, like flowing water, but if he pressed just a little firmer, he could feel the living warmth hidden beneath the coat.
The moment Hakuji's hand made contact, the little white Koyuki-Cat immediately arched her back. She curved into a perfect bridge (a Convex Cat!), emitting a soft, rumbling purr against Hakuji's palm, her tail wagging happily.
Her cute, round pink eyes narrowed into slits, practically encouraging Hakuji not to stop.
Hakuji's sanity counter hit zero.
He used his other hand to scratch the Koyuki-Cat's chin, wanting to make her even more comfortable—he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be doing anything else.
But soon, someone came to "remind" him.
From the wooden corridor outside, the sound of footsteps—creak, creak—approached. It was Master Keizo!
Hakuji scrambled to his feet in a panic. He wanted to head outside, but looking at the Koyuki-Kitten sitting there so obediently, in his desperation, he scooped her up and prepared to stuff her into the front of his gi!
As he walked out, he frantically adjusted the Koyuki-Kitten's position with clumsy hands, afraid of squishing her, yet terrified she would be seen by his master.
Sure enough! He ran into Master Keizo right at the doorway.
"Hakuji! Is Koyuki resting?"
"She... is already resting."
Suffocated by his tight chest muscles and the fabric of his clothes, the Koyuki-Cat shifted uncomfortably inside his gi. Her little paws kneaded against his abdominal muscles.
The sensation of soft fur against his skin caused a layer of fine sweat to break out on Hakuji's forehead. Especially since... this kitten... was...
"Hakuji, are you feeling unwell?" Keizo asked with concern.
Hakuji shook his head repeatedly. "No, I..."
—A fluffy cat tail "fell" out from the lapels of Hakuji's gi, swaying back and forth in mid-air.
The Koyuki-Kitten seemed to realize her tail had accidentally caused trouble. She let out a weak, muffled "Miew" and froze completely stiff.
"Bwahahahaha!" Master Keizo burst into a roar of laughter.
"No need to hide it! If you want to raise a cat, just raise it! It's not like Master is going to scold you for that."
Having discovered such an "innocent" side to his disciple, Keizo walked away, shaking his head in delight.
Hakuji breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly returned to the room and cradled the Koyuki-Cat in his hands. Lying prone on the floor face-to-face with the kitten, he consulted her: "I... I should probably tell Master... I don't know how to turn you back..."
Koyuki: Meow~ Meow~
Hakuji couldn't understand Cat-speak, but seeing her jump onto his hand and step on his palm, he understood she meant he wasn't allowed to go.
So, he obediently stayed put. While stroking the cat's head, he lay on the wooden floor to brainstorm solutions with her. As he thought, the Koyuki-Cat found a warm spot right on his chest, curled up, and was even covered by a corner of the blanket. She closed her eyes and slept, her "purring" vibrating directly against Hakuji's heart.
POOF!
The little white kitten lying on his chest turned back into Koyuki.
Hakuji's eyes widened instantly. His muscles tensed up, rock-hard. Looking at Miss Koyuki's peaceful sleeping face right under his nose, he didn't know how to move.
He curled his fingers slightly but refrained from touching the hair on her cheek that had been messed up in her sleep. Face completely red, he used the gentlest force possible to protect Koyuki as he rolled over, settling her properly onto the futon.
Koyuki opened her eyes groggily. "Eh? Hakuji-san—I'm back!"
"Y-Yes, Miss Koyuki," Hakuji stammered. His gaze was fixed rigidly on the bedding, staring at the white sheet as if expecting flowers to bloom from it.
Realizing the situation, Miss Koyuki's cheeks also burned red belatedly. "Oh... th-that's good..."
How could I act like that! Hakuji-san's hand was so comfortable that I kept chasing it to rub against him... Even though I had human consciousness, the cat instincts took over... This is... so shameful... Ugh...
Hakuji-san is so shy he doesn't even want to talk... But, cats really do prefer warm hands...
"What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly," Hakuji asked suddenly.
"No, nothing, I..." Panicked, Koyuki blurted out, "I was thinking I haven't petted a Convex Cat yet!"
POOF—
This time, there was no cat.
But there were cat ears. Two of them.
Right on Hakuji's head.
Koyuki: !!!!
Facing those pink, flower-patterned eyes that had rounded with surprise, Hakuji realized something and immediately reached up to touch his own head!
—He touched two soft, furry ears.
The sensation of having his ears touched was too weird... Hakuji raised both hands, fingers spread wide, hovering uselessly over his newly sprouted cat ears. Behind him, a blue-and-gray tail swept back and forth. He... he wanted to run away from Koyuki immediately! He wanted to hide until he returned to normal before facing her again!
But the curiosity and longing in Koyuki's eyes tethered him like a rope. Her slender white hand tugged at the hem of his clothes. Blushing, she asked him, "Hakuji-san... may I touch them?"
Hakuji sat in seiza beside the bed, lowered his body, and offered his ears to Koyuki's hand.
His voice was muffled: "Please, go ahead..."
Miss Koyuki breathed into her palms to warm her fingers before stroking Hakuji's dark gray cat ears. The dense fur felt wonderful to the touch, but the moment her hand touched them, they couldn't stop twitching, beating against her fingers like the wings of a bird.
Hakuji's curved back grew taut like a drawn bow. A layer of fine sweat broke out on his back, and the tip of his tail tapped the ground anxiously.
The instant Miss Koyuki's hand approached, he had to use all his strength to suppress the urge to push up and rub against it. It was a warmth he found intimate and nostalgic, now amplified by feline instincts to the point where he could barely control his own body.
Crap... I really couldn't control it.
Hakuji's head pushed forward, nuzzling against Koyuki's fingers.
While he stood frozen in shock at his own action, his tail also snuck over, wrapping around Koyuki's wrist and rubbing against it.
"Eh?" Koyuki smiled in pleasant surprise.
Hakuji snapped back to reality and frantically yanked his tail off Koyuki's wrist to restrain it.
"Does... Hakuji-san's tail like me very much?" Koyuki's eyes were sparkling as she looked at him. "Let Mr. Tail go... he'll be uncomfortable like that."
And so, under Miss Koyuki's "protection," Mr. Hakuji's tail betrayed Mr. Hakuji's own will. It got its wish, wrapping around her wrist once more.
Koyuki gently patted the "fluffy bracelet" and said, "It's okay, Hakuji-san... I won't laugh at you. After all, kittens just feel really good when petted... I, I know that."
They mutually decided to wait until Hakuji's cat ears and tail disappeared before leaving, to avoid running into Master Keizo, who might wake up in the middle of the night.
This wait lasted until the latter half of the night.
The next day, the three members of the Soyama household sat down to eat breakfast together.
Keizo looked at his disciple and asked, "Where is your little white cat? Do you need to get something to feed it?"
"No, I... I'm not keeping it."
Koyuki's head was buried so low it was practically inside her rice bowl, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
Turning his concern to his daughter, Keizo asked, "You woke up late this morning. Did you not sleep well? Or were you just too excited from petting the kitten yesterday?"
"Mn... Yes... I was just too happy that I got to pet the kitten yesterday..."
Hakuji's chopsticks trembled visibly. His head immediately followed suit, burying itself into his bowl as he transformed into the second little tomato in the room.
Keizo was a bit baffled. But seeing the two young people sharing a little secret and trying so hard to hide it from him, he shook his head, feeling both helpless and gratified.
"It's not like I forbade you from keeping a cat. Why are you two so shy about it?"
— END —