Hirakawa Tetsubumi was certain of one thing.
Amamiya Yoru had a side of her that no one knew about. He trusted his own judgment completely. Her behavior felt almost split, as if two different personalities existed within her.
The question was what that hidden side actually looked like. He felt like he had already grasped a small clue.
Now the problem was how to bring it out.
He thought carefully, then shifted his gaze toward the box. Inside, a large white cat met his eyes and let out a soft meow.
That gave him an idea.
"Sensei?"
"Hirakawa-sensei?"
He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Amamiya Yoru approaching. When he came back to himself, she was already standing in front of him, waving her hand.
"Sensei, what's wrong?"
She asked curiously.
Hirakawa took a small step back, organizing his thoughts before speaking.
"Amamiya."
"Yes."
"I want to ask you something."
"Sensei, you really ask a lot of questions."
He paused for a moment, slightly speechless, but quickly chose to ignore the remark.
"I mentioned before that until you give me your answer, I can take care of these cats for you. So I want to ask you something about them."
"A question about the cats? I can answer that. Go ahead, Sensei."
Her attitude changed instantly. Her love for cats was obvious.
"Do these cats have names?"
"Names?" She blinked, then shook her head. "No."
"I think even cats should have names, don't you?"
He guided her gently.
She thought for a moment and nodded.
"That does make sense."
"Right? So before they're sent to my place or adopted by someone else, as their first owner, you should give them names."
"First owner? Me?"
She asked, but the sparkle in her eyes had already given her away. She was convinced.
Naming cats was not something anyone could easily refuse.
The two of them crouched beside the wooden box, looking at the four kittens together.
All four kittens meowed at once.
If they were a little older, it would have been an adorable sight. Unfortunately, they had just been born. Their fur was thin and patchy, almost like a middle-aged man's thinning hairline. For a moment, Hirakawa thought of the retired teacher Yamamoto, then quickly cut off that disrespectful comparison.
He refocused and began his plan.
"Amamiya, what do you think we should name them?"
She poked her cheek thoughtfully.
"I can't think of anything yet. What about you, Sensei?"
The question was thrown back to him.
As a language teacher, Hirakawa was quite confident in his naming ability. He believed he could accurately capture the essence of things.
After staring at the white mother cat for a moment, he pointed at her.
"This one is Big White."
Amamiya silently turned to look at him. Her expression clearly questioned whether he was joking.
Even the cat turned its head back and let out a protesting meow.
Hirakawa ignored both reactions and continued as if counting numbers.
"This one is Little White."
"The black one is Little Black."
When he pointed at the black-and-white kitten, he paused briefly before continuing.
"This one is Impermanence."
He did not stop there.
"As for their father, he's probably a black cat. Let's call him Big Black."
A complete set. Every member of the cat family now had a name.
"Well?"
He asked as if presenting a masterpiece.
Amamiya fell silent. Only the faint sound of kittens meowing filled the space.
After half a minute, she finally spoke, her gaze full of disdain.
"Sensei, your naming sense is terrible."
"Terrible? I think 'Impermanence' is quite good."
"Black and white impermanence?"
"Very fitting, right?"
"That one is kind of cool, I admit."
"See? And the others are fitting too."
"The others are absolutely not."
Her rejection was immediate.
"Then how would you name them? Let me test you."
It was a childish and obvious provocation, but it worked.
"Hirakawa-sensei, you're seriously underestimating me."
She said it without even using polite speech.
"Please."
He gestured.
Amamiya puffed her cheeks and stared at the cats, thinking seriously.
The surroundings grew quiet.
After a few minutes, she suddenly turned her head toward him with a hint of pride.
"Sensei, I've got it."
"Go ahead."
"This one," she pointed at the mother cat, "is Michael."
"And this one," she pointed at the black kitten, "is Chimera."
"And this one," she pointed at the white kitten, "is Persephone."
"Well?"
Hirakawa considered it, then showed a confident expression.
"I still think 'Impermanence' is better."
"I disagree."
She refused immediately.
"And also," he continued.
"And also what?"
"Using angel or mythical creature names for cats feels a bit too chuuni."
"Chuuni?"
"Very chuuni."
"What's wrong with chuuni?"
She reacted instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Sensei, what's wrong with chuuni? As long as it sounds cool, that's enough."
"I see."
"Of course."
"I understand."
Hirakawa nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. It was the smile of someone who had already won.
"Amamiya, you're chuuni, aren't you?"
Amamiya froze.
Sunlight fell on her face, but she felt no warmth at all.
At that moment, she realized something terrifying.
She had been exposed.
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