The Affectionate Stray Cat and Cheeky Lua
"Good work today."
"Yeah, you too, Jinwoo."
School was over, and as always, Lua and I were walking home together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
That was probably why the other kids kept asking if we were dating. Honestly, I'd wonder the same thing if I were them. Or maybe they were just trying to tease us.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
Lua seemed especially cheerful today. Had something good happened?
"Something up?"
"Nope~ Nothing at all~"
Something was definitely up. Something really good.
What could it be? Streaming stuff came to mind first.
Had something nice happened with Sweet Mare or Fantasy Live?
I was on track to become an insider eventually, but I wasn't one yet—so even if there was good news, I had no way of knowing.
I could ask the Representative directly, of course, but there was no reason for a mere freelancing contractor to be filled in on the company's internal celebrations.
Or maybe something good had happened in real life?
Even turning it over in my head, nothing particular came to mind. After all, today was just the day we'd gone back to school.
No matter how much Lua liked studying, she wouldn't actually like coming to school... right?
"Hey, Lua."
"Hmm? What?"
"Do you actually like coming to school?"
Lua nodded at my question.
"Of course I do?"
"I see."
I nodded at her answer and was about to look away. Yeah, I was about to.
Until I saw Lua staring straight at me.
"Why are you staring? Did I ask you something?"
"Yeah, you did."
"What?"
"If you're ugly."
"Wow. That was actually terrible."
I reached for Lua's forehead, and she recoiled in horror, dodging my hand.
"You're trying to flick me again!?"
"Yep. Dead jokes get the forehead flick as medicine."
"Jinwoo, you pervert! You trash! How can you just hit a girl's forehead!?"
I had nothing to say to that.
Well, I wasn't trash. The trash was Lua Im for making me listen to that terrible joke in the first place.
"Just shut up and take it."
"No way, you pervert!"
"Want me to hit your wrist instead?"
"Hah—so you can casually hold my hand? You pervert."
Watching Lua start teasing me even harder, I began to see Lulu overlapping on top of her.
I'd been trying my best to keep them separate, but every time Lua flashed that mesugaki side of hers, I really wanted to flick her forehead.
"Just one. Just take one hit."
"Aaaah~ Nooo~"
Lua giggled as she ran away from me, and I started chasing after her.
And a moment later—
"Kyaaaaah! Everyone, there's a boy bullying me~!"
I managed to catch her.
I grabbed Lua's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. Yeah, just a playful little massage.
But then...
"Hkyahn!?"
Lua's voice sounded weird. Not like she was in pain—more like a little... how to put it... a little sultry...? That kind of feel.
-Thump!!
Lua pushed me away lightly and put as much distance between us as she could, and I, startled by her reaction, backed off too.
"Uh... um..."
"Th... uhm..."
Neither of us could say a word for a moment.
Eventually, through that awkwardness, we returned to our original positions.
Side by side, that is.
While the awkwardness still hung in the air, Lua muttered something quietly to me.
"Pervert Jinwoo, just massaging a girl's shoulders like that."
"...I just grabbed them and massaged. That's all."
"Pervert, pervert, pervert."
"I'm not a pervert."
"You're a pervert anyway, Seo Jinwoo."
Hearing that made me even more embarrassed. I hadn't been going for anything like that at all.
"......Hey, Jinwoo."
"Yeah."
"Do you... like coming to school?"
I nodded at Lua's question.
"I do."
"Why?"
"We're third-years, after all. This is the last year we can come to school."
"......Hearing you say that, it suddenly feels really precious."
Honestly, when you thought of senior year, pain came to mind before memories. With the insane amount of studying for college entrance exams, that was only natural.
But for me and Lua, we didn't really need to worry about college admissions. We each already had our futures planned out.
"Hey, Jinwoo."
"Yeah."
"......Let's make as many memories as we can. At school."
"At school?"
"Yeah. Like you said, this is the last time we can come to school."
As she said that, Lua took a step closer to me and placed her hand over her chest.
"Walking together in these uniforms... this is the last time for that too."
I nodded as I listened to her.
"Yeah. Last time for the uniforms too."
"......Let's make tons of memories. Jinwoo."
"Yeah. Let's do that."
With that conversation, Lua and I managed to shake off the earlier embarrassment.
Having shaken it off, we were heading home when—
-Myaaaang~
A cat suddenly appeared.
"Whoa."
"Waaaah...."
Both Lua and I marveled at the cat for a moment, and the cat came right up to us and rolled over to show its belly.
It seemed like a cat that was used to human hands.
"Waaaaah...."
Lua, who clearly loved cute things, was staring at the cat with sparkling eyes.
"Jinwoo, isn't this little one... so cute?"
"Super cute."
"Yeah... hey, what's your name~?"
-Myaaaang~
Whether it actually had a name or not, the cat seemed to answer Lua's question.
Of course, we had no way of understanding a cat's name, and the cat just kept meowing.
"Hehehehe...."
Lua's face completely melted as she started taking photos.
The cat stared at her phone while rolling around this way and that.
"Kyaaaaah...!"
Lua seemed completely conquered by the cat, letting out a scream of joy, and I could only watch the two of them with a fond smile.
At the same time, looking at Lua's expression, I felt a twinge of regret.
No matter how I thought about it, if Lua always went around smiling like this, she'd be incredibly popular. So why didn't she?
If I asked her, she'd just give some vague answer like always.
Knowing that well, I didn't ask her about it.
Instead, I could just keep smiling as I watched Lua and the cat.
Lua playing with this cute cat... maybe that was something of a privilege of mine.
Because I was her closest friend, because we always walked to and from school together as the best of friends—a privilege only I could enjoy.
"Lua, didn't you say you liked rabbits?"
"Yeah, I did?"
"But you like cats too."
"Cats are cute. Dogs are cute too."
I couldn't argue with such a logical answer.
Lua's universal-love mindset was the kind of mindset that justified everything.
"Want me to take a photo of you and the cat?"
"That'd be great? Meow~ meow~"
-Myaaaang~
-Click!
I took a photo of Lua and the cat playing together.
And then, the moment Lua looked up at me—
-Click!
I took one more photo.
Of Lua, looking a little embarrassed, her clothes slightly loosened from playing with the cat.
"Jinwoo, did you take another photo?"
"Nope?"
The lie that slipped out without thinking. Lua didn't seem particularly suspicious and just nodded as she stood up.
"Show me the photo."
"Okay, here."
I showed Lua the one photo with the cat.
Looking at the photo, she started teasing me.
"Jinwoo, you reeeally suck at taking photos, huh?"
"...Go find me a high school guy who's good at photography."
"There aren't many, true. Especially you, Jinwoo—you've never even had a girlfriend."
"Why is the girlfriend thing coming up?"
"If you have a girlfriend, you get better at taking photos. You take lots of selfies, take lots of photos together."
That was pretty persuasive, so I nodded.
Even as I nodded...
"You've never had a boyfriend either."
I shot back.
Lua pouted her lips and muttered.
"And whose fault is that..."
"Hmm? What?"
"Nothing. But I've been confessed to a few times?"
"Yeah, and you dumped them all."
"Right, right~ So that means I'm better than Jinwoo, who's never even been confessed to!"
Hearing that, something from middle school came to mind.
"...Actually, not really."
"Huh...?"
"I've been confessed to once."
Lua blinked, then—
"Whaaaaaat!?"
She stared at me in shock.
Was it really that shocking that someone had confessed to me?
Her reaction was more surprising to me, but I understood.
But surprisingly, it was true. I had been confessed to once.
I'd even seriously considered dating her, but that consideration stayed just that. In the end, I decided not to.
"......But you've still never dated, right?"
"Yeah, I've never had a girlfriend. So don't worry."
"Hehe... yeah, thanks."
What a weird way to answer.
Earlier she'd been so logical, so why was she saying thanks this time? And with that smile?
I really don't get you, Lua Im.