Chapter 15

This is a past dream.

That night, Emma dreamed of the time when she was at the port.

Perhaps because she had been thinking about the cat all day, it was a dream from her childhood.

The cat she kept during her childhood at the port was a calico cat named Komai. He was the same age as her brother and was an older cat for the port and Peta.

Whenever the port and his friends returned from elementary school, Komai would always be lying at the gate to greet them. When they said, "We're home," he would twitch one ear as a greeting. The rest of the time, he would ignore them.

However, when they had a fight at school or something difficult happened, he seemed to understand and would add a "nya" to his greeting.

That's right, during this time, Komai was there when things got tough. Since keeping cats inside the house was forbidden, she would cry in the yard next to where Komai was sleeping soundly.

The port hated school. Looking back, it wasn't that he was being bullied or lacked friends, but he really hated it.

He was afraid of many things. The playground equipment at school, the dodgeball during recess, and the Labrador Retriever named Love that he would encounter on his way to and from school—all of these things scared him.

He felt fear in everything that other children seemed to enjoy easily, and he couldn't do anything well.

In the dream, the port was crying again.

He wasn't crying in the yard, and Komai wasn't next to him. He was crying alone in the forest, which was forbidden to enter because it was dangerous.

...I remember. On this day, after school, Love, who was usually tied up, had escaped and ran towards the port.

The dog itself was probably just excited and wanted to play, but the port panicked and ran away. In the middle of nowhere, he couldn't find anyone to help him.

He ran, ran, and occasionally got caught and pounced on, then ran again. When he entered the forest, the dog stopped chasing him.

He was too scared to move and cried for a long time, but it gradually got darker. The light in the forest was fading, but he couldn't move.

He was afraid that if he left the forest, the dog might chase him again, or that the forest itself was already scary. He didn't know how to get back. He had run through the forest in a panic and had no idea where he was or which direction the exit was.

He was so scared that his legs wouldn't move. Tears overflowed, blurring his vision.

All he could do was cry and sob.

Feeling anxious and scared, he sobbed and sobbed, and then...

Meow

Meow

A cat's meow sounded.

Meow

Meow

It sounded like a mother cat looking for her kittens...

The meowing gradually got closer.

If it had been a dog, he would have trembled at the mere presence, but he loved cats. And this voice...

"Meow"

When the meowing sounded nearby, he lifted his sobbing face...

There was the calico cat, Komai.

"...Komai?"

"Meow!"

"Did you come to get me?"

"Meow!"

Komai, who usually didn't like being held, jumped onto the port's lap and licked his tear-streaked face...

Rough, rough.

The cat's tongue was rough and a bit painful, but the port laughed. He loved cats. He loved Komai so much.

"Thank you, Komai."

The port felt a smile and energy return to him, who had been so anxious and scared.

"Meow"

Komai walked away from the port.

As if saying, "Follow me," he moved forward, checked behind to see the port, and then moved again.

Even though he had been so scared and couldn't move just a moment ago, he was fine now.

He wiped away his tears, stood up, and followed Komai.

Without hesitation, Komai led him out of the forest and onto a familiar path.

The dog that had been chasing him all the way to the forest was nowhere to be seen.

Even the dimly lit path wasn't scary with Komai.

When he safely returned home, his mother simply said, "You're late today."

Despite having been so scared, he felt a bit let down, as if it had been just a small adventure.

During dinner, his brother, Kō, revealed a shocking fact.

"Today... Komai fought with the Labrador, Love."

"Really!?"

The whole family exclaimed. Komai, a regular calico cat, and Love, a Labrador Retriever... there was a significant size difference.

"Is Komai okay?"

Peta asked worriedly.

Kō, with a serious face, said...

"Komai... completely dominated Love..."

Love had literally run away with his tail between his legs.

"Really!?"

The family exclaimed again.

"Sure, Komai is the boss cat around here, but..."

"Love is a pet dog... and Komai is kind of a stray..."

"Komai is amazing!!"

While the family expressed their surprise and admiration, the port chuckled to himself.

Komai had protected him from his enemy...

After that, not only Komai but also the port, when he met Love, Love would run away with his tail between his legs. This is a side note.

The three brothers call Komai with the honorific "san."