On a morning filled with the chorus of cicadas, Yuto wandered through his new town. It had only been a few days since he moved, but the quiet countryside felt too still, too unfamiliar. This was supposed to be his last summer before high school, yet he had no friends to spend it with.
With nothing better to do, he simply walked.
As he passed by a hedge on the roadside, a faint sound reached his ears.
“Meow.”
Turning around, he saw a pale ginger cat peering at him from the grass.
“…A cat?”
The cat stepped forward cautiously. Its left ear was slightly bent, and its thin frame made it clear it was a stray. But something about its sharp, clear eyes made Yuto feel like it was no ordinary cat.
Crouching down, Yuto reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of convenience store bread. Tearing off a small portion, he held it out. The cat hesitated but eventually took a cautious bite. As it ate, Yuto couldn’t help but smile.
“You probably don’t have a name, huh? What should I call you… How about Chibi?”
At the sound of the name, the cat lifted its head and looked directly at him.
It almost felt like an answer.
“Chibi, huh? Yeah, I think it suits you.”
From that day on, Yuto’s life changed just a little.
Each morning, he found Chibi waiting on the stone wall outside his house. The moment Yuto stepped outside, Chibi would stretch lazily and let out a soft “Meow.” It became their daily greeting, and Yuto naturally started responding with a cheerful “Good morning.”
They roamed the town together, stopping at different places.
At the park on the outskirts, Yuto would sit in the shade while Chibi chased butterflies. Along the riverbank, Chibi would startle himself by catching his reflection in the water, making Yuto laugh.
“Where did you come from, anyway?”
Yuto often asked, though Chibi’s only response was a nonchalant “Meow.”
Still, the time they spent together brightened Yuto’s lonely summer.
One day, Yuto noticed a small scar on Chibi’s back. Gently tracing it with his finger, he felt the cat stiffen for a moment before relaxing, closing his eyes in quiet trust.
“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you…?”
Suddenly, Yuto remembered something an elderly neighbor had mentioned.
“I used to see a mother cat with her kittens around here, but lately, I’ve only seen the little ones.”
Could Chibi have a family out there, waiting to be found?
Looking up at the sky, Yuto watched as slow, fluffy clouds drifted lazily. Deep in his heart, a new determination was beginning to take shape.
“Chibi, if you have a family, I’ll help you find them.”
At his words, Chibi let out a small “Meow.”
It almost sounded like gratitude, making Yuto smile.
And so, the summer adventure of a boy and a cat was about to begin.
