Yukina learned about loneliness the second month of her stay in the Kuwabara household.
“Don’t worry about a thing Yukina-san, I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Kazuma’s favorite photo of Eikichi was taken when he picked up the kitten from the pound. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
Eikichi was a “feisty” one, as Kazuma said, and he had scratched his new owner as soon as Kazuma had picked him up.
“No, it’s all right. Don’t worry about me, and take your time.”
Eikichi’s mother had been run over by a car when Eikichi was a month old.
“You heard her, bro. Go on, have fun.”
Even though Eikichi’s claws were small, they left a considerably deep scratch on Kazuma’s face. If Yukina leaned in closely, she could still see the marks.
“Aw, what’s the rush? I could stay a little—crap, the train!”
Shizura had teased Kazuma and warned against adopting such a vicious kitten, but Kazuma had fallen in love and insisted on the little creature.
“See ya, bro.”
The kitten continued to hiss and wriggled, but Kazuma only held on patiently and calmly.
“Good-bye, Kazuma.”
After deciding on a name, Kazuma slipped the collar on the kitten’s neck and declared him, “Eikichi.”
“Bye, Yukina-san! And don’t mess with my room while I’m gone, sis!”
Eikichi turned his claws to the collar instead, and after scratching at it for a few seconds, seemed to accept his fate.
“Bye.”
A drop of blood from Kazuma’s scratched cheeks dripped onto Eikichi’s fur. Kazuma, who could not bear the sight of Eikichi’s fur dirty, tried to wipe away the offending splotch.
“It’s hard to believe he’s going to college already. He might be visiting now, but he’ll be attending come September.”
Eikichi swatted away Kazuma’s hands and saw the red gashes on his face.
“It’s so far away. Where will he live?”
Without any trace of guilt or responsibility, Eikichi lapped away at Kazuma’s cheeks.
“We’ll be looking at apartments next month, though he says he can’t stand the thought of being away from you, Yukina.”
Shizuru, with a keen sense of aesthetics, snapped a picture with her camera and framed it.
“I can’t, either.”
