If my house had several rooms, and I wasn’t living with Kagami or Koko, but had my own room, I probably wouldn’t have cleaned it until it got seriously messy.
This was my bad habit; in my previous life, I used to throw all sorts of things on the bed and just shove them onto the nearby desk or chair before going to sleep.
After becoming independent, I didn’t even have a bed, so there was really no boundary between where I slept and the floor, and even when my family was alive, they would always be shocked and terrified whenever they visited my messy apartment.
…What more can I say after losing everything?
I still had that bad habit, but ironically, right after I came to this world, there was nothing in my room to organize, so there wasn’t anything to clean. Later on, since my room was a place where friends frequently visited, I eventually had to pay some attention to it.
Moreover, later on, I even got a younger sister named Koko, so I started to clean regularly to instill some proper awareness.
What more can I say since Kagami started living with me?
But even with all that daily cleaning, it seemed that ‘Mom’ Kagami wasn’t fully satisfied.
Once in a while, I did a thorough clean-up. Not that I moved furniture around, but at least I wiped everything down that was visibly dirty.
Today was such a day.
I opened the window wide and dusted the entire room. The books on the bookshelf tend to collect dust easily, so if I don’t clean them properly, the dust just piles up endlessly.
While cleaning the bookshelf, I suddenly found the anthology we had been compiling for three years.
An anthology we published once a year, from the first year to the third year of high school. Once sold, there was no place to get those again.
I thought I might take some time later to scan it. With that thought in mind, I placed it on the table for now.
“I’ll read it again after cleaning.”
When Kagami tilted her head, I smiled and said.
Even though I called it a thorough clean-up, it didn’t take very long because our house was almost like a single room. After finishing the ventilation and turning on the air conditioner in the now-cool room, I held one of the anthologies in hand.
The first anthology we made.
Honestly, you could tell it wasn’t made as well as the ones from the second and third years. But still, it was a relic of memories.
At that time, I thought this might be my last trace.
While flipping through, I noticed a piece I had written.
A cat observation report.
At the time, I had attached the title ‘draft,’ but honestly, I couldn’t think of anything else to name it, so it stayed as it was. For reference, there was an illustration of a black cat in one corner. I didn’t bring it from anywhere; I think Kaoru put it in there. Though the drawing wasn’t great, the chibi version of the black cat was somewhat cute.
Looking back now, even reading it again, it was clear I was confused about what to write, and that uncertainty shone through in the text.
“……”
Glancing over, I looked at Kuro again.
Kuro was lying right under the sunlit window, soaking up the warm light all over its body.
Whether then or now, Kuro looked like it was living the good life.
Well, it’s even better now. Back then, I had things to do and would move around here and there, but now it could just lounge around like a true cat.
Kuro had gained quite a bit of weight.
It wasn’t really a cat that liked to move around, but with its insatiable appetite, it couldn’t help but put on weight.
Still, it was fairly sociable and quite popular with anyone who came into this room.
I looked back at the anthology.
A sea of words that made me question if I really wrote this.
Then, my gaze lingered on the last sentence.
…Maybe living like a cat wouldn’t be so bad.
Lazily lying in the warm sunshine, dozing off…
Living like a cat.
I chuckled a little at those words.
I wondered whether I had written this before or after meeting that ‘Kuro.’
The god of the dream world that resembled a cat had told me to live leisurely. Like a cat.
While my memory was a bit hazy, reading this again, I understood why I wrote it.
I truly longed for such a life.
Living leisurely like a cat meant there was no lack in life.
It meant I didn’t have to worry or fret over people, and I shouldn’t be in a situation threatening my life.
Having experienced all those situations back then, it wasn’t strange to unconsciously write something like this.
I see.
I carefully closed the anthology.
Then, I slowly stood up and went over to where Kuro was lying.
I flopped down beside Kuro.
Thanks to the air conditioning, the room was cool, but the fierce summer sun coming through the window didn’t provide any shade.
Um…
It felt like something was being grilled.
“Kotone?”
Koko peered down at me, tilting her head.
Then and now, her long hair tickled my face.
“Koko.”
I called out to her as I found myself unable to think of what to say in response to her calling me.
“Uu?”
Koko, tilting her head the other way again, lay down next to me as if to say she understood why I was lying there.
With the three of us sprawled out like fish on a grill, Kagami peeked in from the kitchen.
On the tray she was holding, well-cut watermelon was set.
“What are you three doing all piled up?”
When Kagami asked, I thought for a moment and replied.
“Meow.”
“Meow?”
As Koko echoed my words, Kagami jumped a little.
Then, she quickly set the tray on the table and hurriedly grabbed a camera.
Click.
And she took a picture of us three lying there together.
Kagami’s photography skills had been improving day by day, and I thought that by the 2010s, she would be able to use her smartphone exceptionally well.
Honestly, these days I sometimes post our photos online. The blog visitors are quite numerous.
Maybe I should compile the writings put there into a book later.
I’ve been consistently posting videos lately, and I feel like I’ve got a handle on the tricks of the trade now.
“Hey, Kotone, Kotone.”
Kagami called out my name.
“Could you repeat that sound you just made one more time?”
“Meow.”
At my reply, Kagami placed her hand over her heart.
Then she quickly came over to us and squeezed in between Koko and me.
Wait a minute, isn’t it going to be a bit hot then? No matter how much the air conditioner was running inside, it was still sizzling under the sunlight.
Kagami didn’t care about the heat at all and tightly hugged both Koko and me in her arms.
“Wooah!”
Koko actually let out a joyful sound.
Watching Mom hug us tightly as if she were happy, I didn’t mind the temperature. After all, we had watermelon out, so if it got too hot, I could just get up and eat some.
However, it felt a bit unfair that only the three of us were doing this.
“Meow!?”
I scooped up Kuro, who had been sprawled out on its belly under the sunlight and dozing off.
But Kuro, who wasn’t very fond of moving around to begin with, didn’t seem to feel the need to escape, as if the warmth of our embrace was just right, and it just lay there in my arms.
…This is kind of annoying.
Well, cats are cats for a reason.
Even if they got this chubby, they still love tight and warm places because they are cats.
“……”
Um.
I didn’t particularly want to move to a larger space, and I liked warmth, so maybe I’m somewhat similar.
I hadn’t seen that ‘Kuro’ since then, but I’m still thankful for it.
And lately, I’ve been starting to feel what that ‘Kuro’ meant.
Perhaps Kuro was hinting at how to live the life I so desperately desired.
Like a cat, mischievously.
No need for vastness. In terms of size, this was just about right. A place where I could see precious people immediately upon entering, a place where I only had to take a few steps when I wanted to see my friends.
I like this place where I can feel relieved to be surrounded by cherished ones.
Coolness is enjoyable, but being embraced like this is even better. I cherish the moment that shows I’m not alone and that I have someone to share my life with.
I don’t know if all cats feel this way or if it’s just me.
If I were to try writing about it, I still feel like I lack the samples.
So, I think it wouldn’t be bad to live a bit slower, like a cat.
Just like now,
Lazily lying under the warm sunlight, dozing off…
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