At precisely 3 PM, the afternoon sun bathed the shopping street in a gentle glow. Outside the old bookstore, Aoba Books, new arrivals were slowly being arranged on display. Aoi, a high school sophomore, was busy organizing the shelves when something caught her eye.
Curled up at her feet was a small calico cat. Around its neck, a red collar bore a tiny folded note tucked inside.
“Stay well today too.”
The handwriting was slightly smudged, yet it carried a warmth that resonated with her. Aoi gazed at the note for a moment before reaching out gently toward the cat. But sensing her movement, the cat stood up, stretched lightly, and trotted off into the depths of the shopping street.
“Wait!”
Aoi instinctively followed, turning into the narrow alley where the cat had disappeared. The alley was lined with familiar stores—the greengrocer’s, the florist’s, and a small café. Shopkeepers glanced up, smiling knowingly as the cat strolled by.
“That cat’s always around here,” said Akiko, the florist, as she wrapped a bouquet. “No one knows where it lives, but it seems to have made this place its home.”
The cat sauntered into the café Ki no Shita, settling at the feet of an elderly gentleman seated at the counter. When Aoi, slightly out of breath, finally arrived, the café owner, Asako, chuckled.
“Chasing after our little wanderer, are you?”
“I found a note on its collar and got curious,” Aoi replied, handing the slip of paper to the elderly man.
He smiled gently and said, “Oh, that? I wrote it.”
The man, a solitary resident of the nearby apartment complex, explained how he had made it a habit to leave notes on the cat’s collar every day.
“It’s nothing special,” he said with a chuckle. “I just want this little one to stay well. That’s all.”
Hearing this, Aoi felt an unexpected warmth blooming in her chest. This small cat, strolling through the familiar streets, carried with it the quiet wishes of someone who cared. That simple thought made the world around her feel a little more special.
As the cat slipped past her feet and out into the street again, Aoi watched its tiny figure disappear into the afternoon glow. She whispered softly to herself, “Stay well today too.”
And with those simple words, the ordinary afternoon took on a slightly different hue—one filled with gentle hope and quiet gratitude.
