Page 24 of We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat
When she arrived at the clinic, she found the haughty nurse seated at the reception.
“Ms. Kajiwara, you still have a day of the cat remaining, but you’ve come to return her already?”
she said, without looking up.
“No, I left the cat at home. I have something I need to discuss with the doctor.”
The nurse’s eyes flicked up briefly to Reona.
“I see. In that case, please head to the examination room.”
As she waited nervously for the doctor, Reona wondered, What should I do if he says no? She suddenly felt regret bubble up. I should’ve come earlier! Perhaps they’d already arranged for someone to pick up Shasha.
The curtains in the back parted, and the doctor entered. Reona rose instantly from her seat and approached him.
“Excuse me!”
“Whoa! You startled me.”
The doctor shrank in surprise.
“What’s up?”
“What’s up is that we want to adopt Shasha. We’ll raise her lovingly as Hajime’s little sister, so please let us adopt her. Please!”
she begged, pressing the doctor against the wall. The doctor offered a wry smile.
“You’re very, uh, intense. Our noses are almost touching. All right, all right. Have a seat. Take a deep breath.”
Reona sat in the chair. She took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly.
The doctor smiled brightly.
“How do you feel? Are you still upset with your mother?”
“N-no.”
Reona felt her face heat up.
“It’s fine now…I mean, I never really hated her. It was just that I was a little bit jealous that she always seemed to pay more attention to my brother.”
The doctor burst into laughter.
“A bit jealous? Ha-ha!”
“Ha-ha…”
She wished he wouldn’t keep repeating what she’d said. Suppressing her embarrassment, she went on calmly.
“I feel grateful for my parents—for all they do for me, including the things I normally take for granted. I also feel grateful for our cat, Hajime. Seeing Hajime happy made me appreciate Shasha, too. I’ll take good care of them so they can both remain happy. I’ve already gotten my family’s approval. Please let us have Shasha.”
Please let Shasha still be available for adoption. May she be destined to be part of our family.
“Hmm…”
The doctor sounded amused. Reona looked up and saw the doctor smirking.
“I thought you’d come sooner. You took your time.”
“I-I’m sorry. It took some courage to decide on having another cat.”
“Well, it’s a long-term relationship, so I guess you need time. But if only you’d come a little earlier, just a little earlier.”
“Oh…”
Reona was aghast. The shock nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Suddenly, the curtains flew open with great force. The nurse marched in, glaring at the doctor.
“Dr. Nikké! Why are you being pointlessly mean?”
she shouted.
“Until a moment ago, you were uncertainly contemplating whether you should extend the prescription.”
She then put on a somewhat calmer expression and turned to Reona.
“The kitten is from a reputable breeder. If you’re interested in taking her in, I’ll give you their contact information so you can handle the arrangements yourself. But I’ll be honest: it’ll cost you. That’s just how it is with breeders.”
“O-okay.”
Reona quivered under the nurse’s penetrating glare, but she nodded deeply.
“I have money saved up from my part-time job, so I should be all set.”
“I see. Then, Dr. Nikké, no more nonsense from you. We’re expecting the patient with an appointment soon,”
she snapped, and disappeared behind the curtains.
The doctor mumbled, “I mean, did she have to get super mad? I was just kidding…”
“Excuse me, doctor.”
“Yes?”
“Is your name ‘Nikké’?”
“It is. I used to have a different name, though. By the way, the breeder named the kitten ‘Shasha,’ but feel free to give her any name you like since she’s becoming a member of your family.”
Some cute cat names popped into Reona’s mind, but they all disappeared. The spoiled one with a playful bite: Shasha. The one who was always napping: Shasha. Hajime’s beloved companion: Shasha.
“I’m going to keep the name. Shasha’s been Shasha from the start.”
“I see,”
said the doctor with a smile.
It struck her anew that the doctor and her brother were like two peas in a pod.
When she left the examination room, the nurse called her to the reception and handed her a piece of paper with the breeder’s information. Reona examined it closely.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Is the breeder someone I can easily reach? They’re not like this place, are they? Hard to find depending on the day?”
“I have no idea,”
the nurse answered curtly.
“I doubt it, but if you’re concerned, why not ask your brother, the very knowledgeable, super reliable cat expert, to accompany you?”
Despite seeming uninterested in Reona, the nurse had remembered her snide remark quite well. Although the nurse was crabby, she had graciously shared the breeder’s information with her. Like the doctor, she was quite odd. For some reason, Reona found this endearing.
“Actually, I was just putting on airs. My brother really is a cat expert, but it’s an exaggeration to say he’s super reliable. In fact, he can be absent-minded sometimes.”
“Oh?”
The nurse’s gaze flickered up to Reona.
“But he’s older than you, right?”
“At a certain age, sibling roles reverse, don’t you think? In my family, it’s my older brother people tend to worry about.”
“Really? Is that so? Well, it’s none of my business. Now, take care.”
Her expression turned blank again.
When Reona emerged onto the street, she glanced back down the alley. It was dimly lit, and hard to see what lay at the end. From today, she was the owner of two cats. It was unlikely she’d return here to be prescribed another one.
But if she met anyone with a problem, she would consider suggesting a visit to Dr. Nikké and his Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.