Page 8 of We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat

When Moé got home, Bibi emerged from her bedroom. Taking one slow step at a time, he cut a glamorous figure in black fur.

Because she’d made sure to store away anything a cat shouldn’t mess with, he was able to roam freely. At six years old, he seemed pretty calm, and thankfully the curtains and sheets were still intact.

“Bibi, you’re such a good boy.”

When she reached out her hand, Bibi stopped. Oh, that’s right, I can’t approach him. He has to come to me. Well, in that case…

Moé took out the teaser wand she had just bought. Colorful strings hung from a long stick. The pet store was stocked with a ton of toys—motorized cushions, glowing balls, and even a figure-eight track toy that looked like something a human child would want. Everything looked so appealing, but she took Reona’s advice that simple was best and opted for the basic, handheld teaser.

She crouched down and waved the toy. Bibi stared at her. Those eyes. He was definitely intrigued.

This will work.

She swung the wand left and right and slowly closed in on him.

Bibi’s eyes were wide and trained on the toy. When it was almost in front of his nose, Bibi struck with incredible speed, snagging the end of the string. Once he took hold of it with his mouth, he wrenched the toy away and dashed off.

It had been swiped from her. In a matter of seconds.

Bibi sprawled on his side, chewing and scratching. He was definitely playing, but it wasn’t exactly exercise.

She giggled to herself.

“I thought this might happen.”

From her bag, Moé took out another toy. Then another.

“What do you think? Double wands!”

She held two different teaser toys in each hand. Bibi let the string drop from his mouth. Apparently, even cats could be stunned.

“Here we go! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!”

She waved the two toys in the air.

Bibi hunched his shoulders, and then, in an instant, he pounced. Perhaps judging that he wouldn’t be able to capture both toys at once, he leaped toward one toy, trying to snatch it away. Not to be beaten, Moé pushed and pulled on the toy, flicked it up high, and made it slither on the floor, engaging Bibi with lively movements.

“Wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa!”

Nonsense sounds kept flying out of her mouth as they both became lost in the moment. Bibi tugged on one of the cat toys, but Moé had anticipated the move. She let go and grabbed the cat toy Bibi had taken from her earlier. Bibi’s pupils looked round in shock.

The cat’s expressions. Surprise. Anger. Joy. It wasn’t just in the movements; his whole body was radiating delight.

How long had they played?

Before she knew it, the cat toys were completely ragged. Only one toy was still intact, and Bibi had dragged it far away and was chomping on it tenaciously. Moé sank down. It was already evening.

“It’s dinnertime…I have to boil some chicken.”

All right. Here we go. She heaved herself up and went into the kitchen to cook some chicken tenders. When she turned around to look for the bowl of cat food, she was taken aback.

Bibi was nose deep in his bowl, ravenously gobbling up his food.

“W-wait a second, Bibi! Let me mix in some chicken for you!”

She quickly drained the chicken, let it cool slightly, and shredded it into fine pieces. She mixed it in with the cat food, and Bibi devoured it all with great gusto.

She was relieved. And happy. And completely worn-out.

She must have dozed off without realizing it and was woken by the sound of her door buzzer. When she looked at the intercom monitor, she saw that it was Ryuji. She ran to the door.

“What’s up?”

“Moé, your hair is a mess.”

“Oh, that, well— But this is the first time you’re here on a Friday. Aren’t you busy meeting clients on the weekends?”

“That’s true, but I thought I should speak to you as soon as possible. I think we should—”

“Hold that thought!”

Moé interrupted.

Bibi was just emerging from the litter tray in the corner of the room. Moé scurried over and checked inside. There was double the usual amount of poop, and it was carefully covered with litter.

“That’s a big heap of poop. Good job, Bibi!”

She was so happy that she turned to Ryuji and said, “Look, there’s a big heap of good-looking poop.”

“I-I see. A big heap. That’s great.”

They were both looking at the cat poop buried in the litter.

Even small problems can pile up when left unresolved. Feeling Ryuji’s gaze on her, she turned to him. He was laughing.

“Let’s give it our best shot.”

“Yes, let’s try our best.”

Moé nodded.

What goes in must come out. It might not be easy, but she was going to do her best.