My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 - My Hero

Tension had been mounting for several days now.

Sui could feel it in the way Yuiko smiled but did not seem to be feeling the happiness that usually accompanied her expressions. In the way she barely twitched her tail. In the way she started whenever someone whispered nearby.

The rumors about them were persistent. If anything, they became louder and more vicious than before.

And Sui did not know how to handle it.

He was alone under the cherry tree, lost in his thoughts, when a voice distracted him.

"Bro! You look terrible!"

Sui lifted his head. It was Haru, running towards him with his golden retriever ears perked up and his tail moving excitedly. Behind him came the smaller figure of his younger sister Aki, her cat ears flattened out in nervousness.

"Haru? What are you doing here?"

"Saving you from yourself, obviously." Haru dropped himself on the grass beside him. "I’ve heard about the rumors. So I decided you needed some kind of break."

"A break?"

"A picnic!" Haru waved his tail more energetically than ever. "Aki and I brought food. We’re going to have some fun, eat, laugh, and forget all that drama."

Sui was surprised. "Haru, I don’t think—"

"No thinking today!" Haru pointed at him fiercely. "That’s the problem! You think too much. Today, we eat!"

Aki stepped forward hesitantly and presented a basket to them. "I... I helped prepare some onigiri," she said softly. "I hope you don’t mind."

Sui’s heart melted. Aki was just in junior high, being quite shy and quiet girl, unlike her elder brother.

"That’s really sweet of you, Aki. Thanks."

Her ears twitched up a little bit, and she managed to smile.

Haru clapped his hands together. "Great! Now, where is Yuiko?"

"I don’t..."

"I’m right here."

They turned their heads. Yuiko was coming towards them with her cat tail curled around her leg and her ears flattened out. It was evident that she also had heard about the rumors.

Haru’s face lit up with a huge smile. "Yuiko! Perfect! Come and sit! We have food!"

Yuiko hesitated for a while, casting glances at Sui. He gave her a small encouraging smile.

She sat down beside him, her shoulder touching his.

Haru immediately started unpacking the basket – onigiri, tamagoyaki, fried chicken and a thermos of tea. Aki arranged all that neatly, her cat ears twitching while she was concentrating.

"Okay!" Haru declared. "Eat! Be happy! No drama here!"

Yuiko managed to smile. "You’re very energetic."

"I’m very hungry. Big difference."

They were eating, and the tension melted away gradually. Haru kept telling them about his work, while Aki was talking about some school stuff. Sui and Yuiko found themselves laughing, forgetting about the problems of the last few days.

Then, something happened.

A small butterfly – yellow and delicate – flew from the cherry tree and circled around them once, and then another time, and then gently landed on Yuiko’s cat ear.

Everyone froze.

Yuiko’s ear twitched instinctively. The butterfly stayed there, fluttering with its wings.

Haru burst out laughing.

"Yuiko! You have a butterfly on your ear!"

"I know!" Her voice was high-pitched because of panic. "What should I do?!"

"Don’t move!" Aki was giggling, too. "It’s so beautiful!"

"It’s on my ear! On my ear!"

Sui could not hold back from laughing either. Yuiko’s ears were twitching nervously, her face bright red, and the butterfly stayed absolutely undisturbed.

"Just stay calm," he said quietly. "I’ll take it."

He stretched up and touched Yuiko’s ear very gently, removing the butterfly, which continued to fly to the cherry blossoms.

Yuiko sighed in relief. "Thank you...–"

Their eyes met.

She was still blushing, her golden eyes wide, her ears flat, and Sui’s hand still hovered above her face.

Everything else disappeared from the world for a moment.

"Smooth," Haru whispered loudly to Aki. "Really smooth."

Yuiko recovered from her shock somehow becoming even more embarrassed. She put her face into her hands.

"I’m dying," she mumbled. "I’m actually dying."

Sui laughed quietly, his heart becoming bigger and heavier.

"You’re adorable," he said.

"I’m mortified."

"Says the same about you."

She peeked at him from under her fingers, he was smiling – really smiling, for the first time in days.

Her tail started wiggling.

Haru cleared his throat in a dramatic manner. "So... Are you two going to kiss now? Because Aki and I can look away."

"Haru!" Yuiko threw an onigiri at him.

He caught it with his mouth, grinning.

"Great aim," he said, chewing on the rice. "Impressed."

Aki was giggling, her ears perking up. "Brother, you’re embarrassing them."

"Exactly."

Sui and Yuiko exchanged glances. Despite all those rumors, whispering and pain – they were here. Together. Smiling.

"Thanks," Yuiko whispered.

"For what?"

"For this. For making me forget about all that even for a moment."

He reached out and took her hand.

"I’ll always be here," he whispered. "To make you forget, to make you smile. As long as you want me."

Her eyes glistened.

"Then I won’t ever let you go."

Haru pretended to choke. Aki hushed him.

Under the cherry blossoms, with butterflies circling them, Sui and Yuiko held hands and understood without any doubts – that they would be fine.

Yuiko and Sui walked home, admiring the cherry blossoms dancing in the evening breeze. The picnic with Haru and Aki had been an enjoyable break from all the stress and anxiety.

As the distance grew between the park and the road that led to their apartments, reality came creeping back.

Sui stole a glance at Yuiko. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah," she answered softly, her golden eyes glistening. Her tail curled lazily around her leg as her bandaged hands rested on the edge of her bag. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

She came to a halt, causing Sui to stop with her and turn around to look at her.

"Sui, thank you."

"For what?"

"For always standing up for me and protecting me," she confessed with a broken voice. "I really don’t think I ever thanked you for it properly. You are doing so much for me."

"Saying ’thank you’ is enough."

"No, Sui."

She moved closer, caressing the fabric over his chest. "Before you came along, I felt that I should always fight on my own. I thought that no one could understand or help me. But you... You have always been there, protecting me, no matter how difficult or frightening it gets."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Thanks to you, I’m alive, Sui," she whispered. "You are my hero."

His heart ached at her words. "Yuiko..."

"You’ve always stood up to everyone to defend me. It means a lot to me."

"I..."

"You don’t have to say anything." Her smile was trembling but warm. "Just know that I appreciate it. I’m thankful."

Her tears made him even sadder. Gently, he raised his hand to wipe them away.

"Yuiko," he spoke softly. "You are wrong."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You said that you were protected by me."

Her golden eyes widened.

"That’s true, but you have protected me as well."

"How? In what way?"

"Today, when we met Hasegawa, I was so angry that I didn’t want to see anything else. My rage was making me act irrationally. I wanted to hurt that guy because of what he did to you."

He sighed. "I was ready to lose control and do something I would have regretted forever."

"Sui..."

"However, you stopped me. You stood in front of me and asked me to calm down. You calmed me down," he explained, looking at her with teary eyes. "You saved me from making a terrible mistake."

"Anyone could have..."

"No. Not anyone. You. Only you saw that I was losing myself and stopped me. It is not only protection. It is..."

He didn’t find the words. "It is saving me from myself."

Her golden eyes shimmered.

"Sui..."

"You said that I was your hero," he said and hugged her tightly. "But you are mine as well. It is you who helps me to keep myself together. It is you who makes me better..."

"Sui."

"It is you who..."

He let her go to look at her.

"It is you whom I want to deserve."

She looked at him with tear-filled eyes and started crying, her tail slowly wagging.

"Sui..."

"Thank you, Yuiko," he pressed his forehead to hers. "Thank you for protecting me and calming me down. Thank you for being yourself."

She started laughing through her tears.

"We are a mess."

"The best kind of mess."

She pulled back slightly, smiling.

"Together?"

"Together," he repeated and squeezed her hand.

They continued walking home, holding each other’s hands, admiring the stars above them.

And they knew that they were blessed to find someone special.

Someone to stand beside them.

Someone to fight for them.

Someone to protect them—even from themselves.

There, they stopped as she switched on her porch light, which gave a faint glow to them.

Yuiko lifted her gaze to meet his, golden eyes shining brightly.

"Sui?"

"Yes?"

"You meant everything that you said just now. You truly are my hero."

A smile spread across his lips as he touched her cheek lightly.

"And I’m yours, your hero, your partner, your everything."

She perked up her ears as well as she wagged her tail gently.

"That’s quite a number of titles."

"All well-deserved."

Then she laughed and she stood on her tiptoe to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked.

"Same time tomorrow."

She vanished inside as she wagged her tail happily.

Sui remained there for a long while, touching his cheek, and feeling grateful in his heart.

She had just told him that he is her hero.

Yet, in reality, it was she who had saved him.

And he would dedicate his whole life being worthy of that.