My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 26: Chapter 26 - Haru’s Push

The loud ringing of the lunch bell rang throughout the school and everyone rushed out of their classes into the hallway.

Sui was sitting alone in his class looking blankly at the page of his novel.

"You’ve been sitting there for the past five minutes."

Haru entered the class with a smirk and plopped in his seat, in front of Sui.

"I’ve been reading."

"No, you haven’t."

Sui finally turned around to give him a glance.

"...You are mistaken."

Haru chuckled softly.

"I am?"

He gave the direction of the door a glance.

Yuiko was seen leaving the classroom with many books in her hand as she was on her way to return them back to the library during the break period.

Sui couldn’t help but give her another long glance until she disappeared around the corner.

Haru got this right away.

"There it goes."

"What?"

"That gaze."

"I really don’t know what you are talking about."

"You don’t?"

Haru reclined back in his seat.

"Then tell me the truth."

"If Yuiko hangs out with Ren, how do you feel about it?"

Sui frowned.

"I don’t."

"Really?"

"... Really."

Haru folded his arms on his chest.

"Then why do you keep staring at them both?"

Sui opened his mouth to reply, closed it and shut up.

Haru sighed heavily.

"You are hopeless."

"I’m not."

"You are."

Gradually, all the other students left the classroom until the two of them were left alone there.

Haru’s teasing smile turned into a more serious expression.

"Sui."

"Hm?"

"Do you recall our childhood?"

"What of it?"

"You used to have that old mystery novel."

Sui nodded.

"I had lent it to someone."

"You didn’t lend it to them."

"They had stolen it without permission."

"You spent an entire week searching for it."

Sui chuckled softly.

"I remember that."

"When I questioned you as to why you searched so much for your book..."

"... You gave me a very interesting answer."

"What did I say?"

Haru smiled warmly.

"You said, "’It’s important because it means a lot to me’"

Sui looked downwards.

"I guess I did."

Haru put his elbow on his desk.

"People are same."

Sui raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"When a person becomes dear to you..."

"... You notice things you never noticed before."

Sui was listening quietly.

"You notice when they smile."

"You notice when they look tired."

"You notice when they are quieter than normal."

And..."

Haru paused.

"You notice when someone else gets to stand in place where you wished you were."

Sui clutched the edges of his book slightly with his fingers.

"..."

"That is jealousy."

The word sounded loudly in the empty classroom.

Sui shook his head immediately.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because jealousy is selfish."

"It can be."

"But that is not all that it is."

Haru smiled at him.

"Sometimes, jealousy means that someone has become irreplaceable."

Sui stared at him.

"I had never thought about it in such a way."

"I knew it."

"You are always dense with regards to your own feelings."

"I’m not."

Haru laughed.

"You are."

He pointed towards the window that showed the view of the schoolyard.

"Tell me something."

Sui followed his gaze.

There below was Yuiko who had just returned from the library.

She was standing near a little stray kitten and had stopped to stroke its fur.

Kitten rubbed its head on her palm and Yuiko gave a soft smile.

Without realizing it...

Sui smiled along with her.

Haru noticed it instantly.

"There."

"What?"

"You smiled."

Sui blinked.

"I did?"

"You always smile."

"When she is there."

Sui touched his own cheek reflexively.

"I..."

"I hadn’t even noticed it."

"I know."

Haru got up and took his lunch.

"That is precisely my point."

He put a hand on Sui’s shoulder.

"You smile because you want to impress her."

"No."

"What then?"

"You smile because seeing her happy makes you happy."

Sui looked outside through the window once again.

Yuiko giggled softly as the kitten chased a cherry blossom petal falling from a tree branch.

Warmth spreading within his chest was all too familiar to him.

Comforting and natural.

Haru talked once more before leaving the classroom.

"Sui."

"Yeah?"

"Don’t run away from your own feelings."

"Whether you call it jealousy..."

"... Or something else."

"Name doesn’t matter."

"Only the reason why you feel that way."

That was when Haru left the classroom.

Sui kept staring at Yuiko as she walked inside the building until she disappeared.

He thought about Haru’s words.

"Sui."

"What?"

"Sometimes jealousy simply means someone has become irreplaceable."

For the first time, he did not refute the feeling in his heart.

Instead, he started wondering something to himself.

When did Yuiko become the person I could not imagine my ordinary days without?

He did not have an answer.

Yet.

But this time, he decided to seek it.

Classes in the afternoon had ended but Sui was far from being able to pay attention.

Although the notebook was lying opened on the table in front of him, his pen hadn’t been moving for some time.

Instead, his mind kept repeating Haru’s words.

"Jealousy sometimes means someone became irreplaceable"

Irreplaceable...

Could Yuiko be irreplaceable to him?

The idea brought a mixture of happiness and fear in his soul.

The bell rang.

Students began packing their things and talking about plans for the rest of the day with excitement.

Sui zipped his bag slowly.

Standing up from his place, he noticed Yuiko near the window, arranging the books for the literature presentation next day.

Ren smiled to her.

"Thanks for helping today"

Yuiko responded with a small smile.

"It was fun"

"We’re almost ready"

"I’m glad"

Ren waved goodbye to them and left the classroom.

Yuiko watched him until he left and turned to see Sui standing near the door.

Her eyes met his and she smiled.

A small but tender smile.

The same smile she always smiles to him.

And without being able to resist it, he smiled back to her.

His heart suddenly lightened.

"...So this is what Haru meant"

And the two of them left the classroom.

The awkward gap between them was there, but it was not as big as the previous days.

The hallway was noisy with students.

They did not say a word but the silence was not uncomfortable.

It was just incomplete.

As soon as they approached the shoes lockers, Yuiko quietly asked.

"Aren’t you going to go home now?"

"Yeah"

"...Would you like to walk together?"

It was such a simple question.

But for Sui it seemed to have an unusual value.

He immediately nodded.

"I would like that"

Yuiko’s ears flickered slightly.

"I’m glad"

The two of them went outside under the sky cleaned by yesterday rain.

The air smelled of freshness.

Puddles reflected afternoon sunlight.

They walked for several minutes.

Then they came to the little park where they always used to stop to feed stray cats.

One of them appeared running toward Yuiko as soon as she approached.

"Oh..."

She knelt down with a bright smile.

"Hello again"

The little kitten started rubbing against her hand, happily purring.

Yuiko giggled softly.

And Sui was watching it quietly.

He watched it a lot of times before but...

Today he saw something new.

He did not watch the kitten itself.

He watched Yuiko.

The warmth in her smile.

The kindness in her voice.

The way her golden eyes glitter when she takes care of somebody.

And without being able to restrain himself, he smiled.

Yuiko raised her head.

"Hm?"

"You look happy"

She blushed slightly.

"I always feel happy around cats"

"...I know"

"And..."

She hesitated.

"...And around you too"

The words slipped out accidentally.

Her face immediately turned bright red.

"I-I mean..."

"We are friends..."

"So..."

She put her face in her hands.

"I’m sorry..."

Sui’s cheeks heated.

"It’s alright"

He could not help but smiling.

After leaving the park, they continued to walk to their homes.

This time it was Sui who spoke first.

"Yuiko"

"Hm?"

"May I ask you something?"

She nodded.

"Do you like to walk home?"

She blinked.

"Walk with you?"

"...Yeah"

Her answer was immediate.

"It’s the best part of my day"

Sui stopped walking.

"My favorite..."

Yuiko understood what she said.

"I-I mean..."

"Because we can talk..."

"And..."

"...It’s peaceful"

She looked down, feeling embarrassed.

Sui smiled gently.

"I feel the same way"

Yuiko raised her head slowly.

They looked at each other for a while without looking away.

As they were resuming their walk, Sui remembered his actions of recent days.

Lonely walk home.

Empty rooftop during lunch.

The discomfort he felt every time Yuiko laughed with somebody else.

The relief he felt simply walking with her now.

None of it had to do with Ren.

Ren was not the problem.

There was a much easier explanation why he was suffering recently.

He was afraid.

Afraid that the place beside Yuiko...

Is not his anymore.

And understanding that made him stop again.

"...I understand now"

Yuiko turned around.

"Sui?"

He smiled gently to her.

"I finally understand what is wrong with me"

"You do?"

He nodded.

"I don’t think I was jealous because you’ve got another friend"

Yuiko quietly listened to him.

"I was jealous because..."

He paused.

His heart throbbed loudly.

"Because I love you"

The words were almost slipping out.

But instead, he smiled awkwardly.

"...Because I appreciate our time together"

Yuiko’s eyes softened.

"...Me too"

It was a quiet answer.

But completely sincere.

They arrived near their neighbors’ houses just as the sky was turning orange.

Neither of them wanted to go inside.

Yuiko smiled.

"I’m glad that we walked home together today"

"So am I"

She waved a small farewell to him.

"See you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow"

She passed through the front gate of her house.

Right before going inside, she turned her head to him.

"Sui?"

"Yeah?"

"I’m happy..."

"...that you’re smiling again"

His smile became softer.

"I think..."

"...that it’s because I’m walking beside the person who makes me smile"

Yuiko’s ears raised and her cheeks became crimson.

But before she managed to reply, she ran inside and closed the door gently behind her.

Leaning against it, she hid her blazing face.

"W-What was that...?"

On the other side of the street, Sui was watching the evening sky.

For the first time he did not feel confused about his emotions.

He still lacked the courage to call them love.

But he knew for sure one thing.

His everyday life that he appreciates the most becomes complete only because of Yuiko.

And if walking beside her could make him smile so naturally...

Then maybe his heart chose her long ago.