I Can't Call Your Name

It was another Sunday morning that Kaito spent with Misaki. They both attended school five days a week and worked part-time jobs on Saturdays.

Sundays were their only day to rest, but also the day to switch household chores. The previous week, following Misaki's suggestion, they decided to switch chores each week, with Kaito handling them the first time.

Now, it was Misaki's turn. She carefully made her way to the kitchen and began washing the dishes left from the night before.

Kaito, unsurprisingly, was doing his sacred Sunday activity on the couch: sleeping, for as long as he could.

While she was washing the dishes, he made strange, unclear sounds. It was clear he was talking in his sleep.

Suddenly, Kaito smiled in his sleep and, with a startled voice, said, "Ah, not there, a little lower."

Misaki barely understood, but quickly processed the strange sentence in her mind. She turned around and shot him a sharp glare. Kaito, still asleep, was laughing and tossing around, as if enjoying a dream.

Once she realized he was talking in his sleep, she stared at him with a tense expression and muttered, "A pervert, even in his sleep!"

Laughing for a while, Kaito suddenly shouted in pleasure, "Ah, yes, right there!"

Misaki quickly turned, her face tense. She could guess the kind of dream he was having, and it made her increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn't stand his perverted muttering any longer.

Holding a soapy glass, she filled it with water and was about to pour it over Kaito when she heard a faint noise at the window.

Actually, Kaito really was having a strange dream involving Misaki too. However, it wasn't as perverted as she had imagined—or at least, not entirely.

In his dream, Kaito was married to Misaki, and she was helping him scrub his back while he was in the bath. All those directions he mumbled in his sleep were actually about the itchy spots on his back.

And just when Misaki found the right spot in his strange dream, Kaito let out a relieved sigh.

Misaki wiped her soapy hands on the apron and started walking toward the source of the noise.

On her way, she shot a tense glance at Kaito, clearly annoyed by the silly grin on his sleeping face.

When she approached the window and looked outside, she saw a black American Shorthair cat tapping on the glass with its paw.

Its bright yellow eyes stared innocently at her. For a moment, she admired the cat with wonder in her eyes.

Then, she opened the window and said, "Come on in, you sweet little thing."

The cat, acting as if it already knew the place, climbed inside and immediately made its way to the couch, settling right next to Kaito.

Misaki sat down nearby and motioned for the cat to come closer. "Here, kitty, come to Mommy," she called gently, her eyes shining with happiness.

As the cat adjusted its position on the couch, it noticed Kaito's bandaged hand from the night before. With curiosity, it began pawing at the wrapping.

Then, it started licking his hand. Kaito, feeling the ticklish sensation, mumbled in his sleep, "Stop, stop this..."

Misaki shot him a suspicious glare, unable to imagine what kind of perverted thing he might be dreaming about this time.

Then, the cat suddenly bit Kaito's bandaged hand. He jolted up with a yelp of pain.

"Agh!"

His sudden movement startled the cat, making its fur stand on end as it leapt onto the table. From its new perch, the cat hissed at Kaito, glaring at him with wide, alarmed eyes.

Kaito, still groggy, he blinked at his surroundings while holding his aching hand.

Soon, his gaze fell on the cat, and with a mix of surprise and joy, he muttered, "Lucky?"

Kaito leaned forward, extending his hand gently toward the cat.

"Come here, where have you—" he started, but before he could finish, the cat hissed sharply at him, clearly unimpressed.

Unable to contain her excitement, Misaki scooped the cat up with a bright smile and settled it in her lap. She gently stroked its chin, her eyes filled with affection.

The cat, which had been tense at first, gradually relaxed and began to purr contentedly.

"Why are you so grumpy, hmm? Did that pervert do something bad to you?"

She spoke to the cat as though it could answer her, her voice full of childlike joy, while Kaito frowned and shot her a disapproving look.

But when he noticed her eyes shining with happiness, he sighed and dropped it, unable to ruin her moment.

"Where did you find him?" Kaito asked, still rubbing his sore hand.

"Find what?" Misaki replied, her attention still fully on the cat.

"Lucky—the cat."

"Oh, is his name Lucky? Is that your name? Tell Mommy!"

Without looking away from it, she answered, "Well, he was scratching at the window, so I opened it, and he just came inside and sat down."

"So, he came on his own..." Kaito muttered, watching the scene unfold.

Misaki finally lifted her head, glancing at Kaito with curiosity.

"Wait, is this your cat?"

Kaito scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit uneasy. "You could say that..."

"Since when?" Misaki asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Uh... I guess it's been about two years," Kaito replied.

"And where has he been all this time?"

Misaki didn't wait for an answer before firing another question, her tone sharp and accusatory.

"Wait, you didn't throw him out on the street, did you?"

"What? Me? No way!"

Kaito exclaimed, visibly tense at the unjust accusation.

"He left on his own."

"Sure, probably because you didn't take care of him properly," Misaki shot back, her gaze dripping with blame.

"That's not true at all! He's just... a free-spirited cat. I kind of got him used to that."

After a brief pause, he added, "The last time he came by was about three months ago, and before that, maybe two months. He does this sometimes—disappears for a while. At one point, I even thought he'd found a new family."

"Why would you leave such a sweet cat outside in the first place?"

Misaki's tone became more serious, making the conversation feel like an argument. Kaito sighed, feeling stuck.

"He was living on the street at first. I found him in a box and brought him home. After a while, I let him go, thinking he'd be okay. He still comes by to visit sometimes. Thats how it is."

Misaki's glare grew even more intense, clearly unsatisfied with his explanation.

"And how is that any different from abandoning him?"

"Really? Is that what you think?"

Kaito was starting to get angry, feeling unfairly accused.

"So, you got him used to your home and then just threw him out on the street. What do you call that?"

"I didn't throw him out, I let him go. It's different."

"Whatever."

"Look, I'll explain again. I've always been against keeping pets and having animals in the house. I think it restricts their freedom. The reason I let him go in the first place was because of that. Plus, keeping a cat is expensive, and I'm barely getting by."

"Ah, so that's the real reason."

Misaki's accusing look only made Kaito angrier.

"Fine, anyway. Think whatever you want."

She ignored his tense gaze and continued to excitedly care for the cat in her arms, secretly keeping the argument going.

"So, this cruel person threw you on the street, and you got stressed out, huh?"

She kept petting the cat, ignoring Kaito's angry stare on her.

"Don't worry, Mommy will take care of you now."

At that moment, the cat suddenly started sneezing repeatedly, followed by watery eyes and drool. It was clearly sick.

Misaki noticed this and turned to Kaito with a worried expression.

"This cat is sick; we need to take it to the vet."

Kaito, still holding onto his earlier frustration, responded indifferently, "Like you said, let the mother take it."

"I just moved to Shibuya a week ago; how would I know where the vet is?"

"Well, when your back is to the subway station, turn right at the third or fourth shop," Kaito said with a cold, decisive tone.

"Since you know so much, go take it yourself. Hurry!"

Misaki stood up and handed the cat to him. As the cat got closer to Kaito, its fur bristled in fear.

"Fine," Kaito said, even though he was still angry with Misaki, he wasn't about to let the sick cat suffer.

He reached out to take the cat, but it hissed and rejected him, tense and on edge.

"You see? It doesn't want me. You take it," Kaito said.

"Ugh!"

Misaki muttered angrily as she quickly headed for the door, but then stopped, turning back with a confused look.

"Did you say the second street or?"

Kaito stared at her for a moment before getting up.

"Wait, let me get ready."