My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 - Study Date

After their date at the cat café, Sui found himself in front of Yuiko’s door on a Sunday evening, his backpack crammed with textbooks and butterflies in his stomach.

This is nothing, he thought. This is just study date. You’ve done study dates before. It’s no big deal.

Only it wasn’t ’just a study date’. Her parents would be gone for the day. They’d be completely alone.

Completely. Alone. With her in her own house.

Swallowing hard, he raised his hand to knock.

The door opened in a second. Yuiko appeared in casual clothes – a big comfy sweater and yoga pants. Her ears were perked forward and her tail was wagging happily.

"You’re early!"

"Always early."

"I know. Adorable."

Stepping inside, he kicked off his shoes. Her house smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. Warm. Comfortable. Like Yuiko.

"Your parents have already left?" He tried to sound indifferent.

"About an hour ago. They won’t be back until dinner time." She led him to the living room where textbooks and notebooks were laid out on the coffee table. "I’ve made a study place. Hope you don’t mind."

"No. Perfect."

They sat on the floor, sitting on cushions and surrounded by the coffee table which divided them from the whole world. Yuiko opened her math textbook, determination written on her face.

"Okay. Let’s get algebra. I will conquer it."

"You sound as if you’re preparing for war."

"Yeah, against numbers. They’ve been my archenemies since middle school."

He chuckled. "I can help you. I’m pretty good at math."

"Pretty good? Or actually good?"

"Good enough to help you."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "We’ll see."

For the next hour, they studied together. Sui patiently explained concepts to her, pointed out her mistakes and helped her reach the right solution. Yuiko listened attentively, with perked ears and twitching tail.

"Wait," she said, squinting at the problem. "If x is 5, then why isn’t this..."

"Because you forgot to transfer the negative sign."

She looked at the paper, then flattened her ears.

"Oh no. I did."

"It’s okay. You can easily do that."

"I’ve been doing this mistake for years."

"Then we can fix it now."

He reached for her hand and showed her how to do it properly. Her breath hitched at his touch. Her tail curled around her hand slightly.

"There," he said, taking his hand away. "Easy."

She looked at the solved problem and back at him, blushing.

"You’re a great teacher."

"I have a great student."

She smiled, her tail twitching softly. "Charmer."

"Just being honest."

They continued studying for an hour more. The afternoon sun shined through windows, creating warm patterns in the room. Yuiko’s yawns became more frequent and her eyelids heavier.

"Yuiko?"

"Hm?"

"You look tired."

"I’m fine. Just sleepy."

"Have you slept well last night?"

"Not really. I’ve been...thinking about you, about us, about how happy I am."

His heart melted. "Why didn’t you tell me? I would have let you sleep in."

"Then I wouldn’t see you today."

"Good point."

She giggled, but it was a sleepy giggling. She leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes.

"Maybe just a quick break," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Five minutes."

"Take all the time you need."

She rested back, closing her eyes. Sui watched her with a smile. Her breathing calmed down. Her ears lay back, flat against her head.

Turning back to the textbook, he gave her some privacy.

Then suddenly, she dropped on his shoulder sideways.

Freezing, he understood what happened.

She fell asleep on me.

Not daring to move, he felt the touch of her hair tickling his neck, her warmth penetrating his body. Even in her sleep, her tail curled around his arm.

Carefully, he put his textbook down.

"Yuiko?" He whispered. "Are you asleep?"

Silence was his answer.

He just sat there, not moving an inch, afraid to awake her. The afternoon sun was still shining through windows. It was silent in the house, except for her soft breathing.

She stirred in her sleep, curling her tail around his arm tighter. Her ears twitched.

Sui’s heart started racing.

She looks so peaceful, he thought. So beautiful.

He watched her for a while, memorizing her sleeping face, how her eyelashes rest on cheeks, how her lips part a bit, how occasionally her tail twitches with a dream.

But his shoulder was getting numb and she seemed to be uncomfortable in such a position.

Carefully, he maneuvered himself away from her. She stirred a little, but didn’t wake up.

And, with all his gentleness, he slid an arm under her knees and another under her back.

I’m holding her, he realized. Actually, carrying her to bed.

He blushed. But continued, stepping slowly towards the stairs, every step deliberate.

Her bedroom was just like he expected it to be – soft colors, a bookshelf with novels, a stuffed cat on her pillow. The bed was untidy, but warm.

He carefully put her down, putting the blanket on top of her.

She mumbled something in her sleep, stretching an arm.

Then, without opening her eyes, her tail reached for his wrist and curled around it.

Freezing, he understood what happened.

Her tail holds me, he thought. Even without waking up, she wants me here.

He remained. The sun kept moving along the sky. Eventually, she found his hand, interlacing her fingers with his.

When she finally woke up, an hour later, she opened her golden sleepy eyes and looked up at him.

"Sui?"

"Hi."

"What..." She looked at their entwined hands and at her tail, which held his wrist. Her face went red.

"Did I..."

"You fell asleep on my shoulder. I carried you upstairs and then your tail kept me here."

"Kept you?"

"Didn’t let me go."

She groaned, hiding her face. "Oh no. I’m so sorry."

"Don’t apologize." He squeezed her hand. "That was the best hour of my week."

She peeked at him through her fingers. "Really?"

"Really. I got to watch you sleeping."

"That’s creepy."

"But very adorable."

She hit him with a pillow, chuckling.

"Next study date same time next week?" he asked.

She smiled, letting her tail go of his wrist to wag happily.

"Same time next week."