The pitter-patter of the rain against the window was punctuated by the distant lightning, basking the dark room in occasional flashes of white light. Noah laid on his bed restlessly, his arms folded under his head as the man continued staring up at the flaring ceiling. Spring was supposed to give way to summer, yet the sky continued to bask the town in water. 

Weather was perhaps one of the only downsides to the town of Namiport—this, and the cost of living. It didn’t have much history, being built in the 2010s by one of the Japanese megacorporations, but the amenities were simply sublime. For such a small town, it had everything: a shopping mall, hospital, airport, and a good public transport system. 

But despite this comfort, he couldn’t get over the feeling of strangeness that came from it. Just like its name, the town was a weird amalgamation of the American and Japanese cultures. Most of the signs were written in both languages, with a food selection to match. But instead of the fake Asian restaurants you found elsewhere, these were legit. Sometimes, it was easy to forget he was still in America.

A knock on his door snapped Noah from deeply thinking about nothing. Standing up, he found Mike waiting on the other side. His neighbor was pretty unremarkable: short black hair, dull eyes, and an average build. The only thing which helped him stand out from the crowd was the thin pair of glasses around his nose.

“Hey.” He waved, having this look on his face that just told Noah that he was about to ask him a favor. 

“What do you need?” Noah responded, trying to avoid the foreplay.

“Need help throwing out some old furniture. Shouldn’t take us more than like—I don’t know—5 minutes?” Mike said with an innocent smile, gesturing back towards the open door across from Noah’s. “Come on, I will get you something from the vending machine if you help me. Be a friend?”

Rolling his eyes, Noah picked up one of the cumbersome lamps and began marching with it toward the dumpster. It was located at the back of the apartment, the sound of rain against its metal lid ringing through the air. 

“So, did you consider my offer?” Mike asked, trying to make small talk during the job to make the time pass quicker. That way, maybe Noah wouldn’t realize that this is going to take more than just 5 minutes.

“Maybe. I don’t really have money for lessons.” He responded in a matter-of-fact way, throwing out a stained cushion. 

Mike continued talking as if trying to sell a pitch. “It’s good for your future.”

“I am doing economics.” Noah emphasized. “Not linguistics.” With all his money troubles, it almost seemed ironic.

 “You are going to need to learn Japanese at one point, Noah. Might as well get started early.”

He exhaled, putting down a scratched shelf into the steel container. “Just because most of the corpos here are from Japan doesn’t mean that you need to know the language. They are rich enough to hire translators, and most of them know English anyway.”

“It’s about making a good first impression.” Mike explained while handing over a can of chilled coffee to Noah. “The economic miracle has been going strong for the past 80 years. Don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon.”

Noah grabbed the drink, walking under the flat roof. The warm summer air indeed arrived on time, even if the spring rain remained. “Fine. I will think about it, alright?” His neighbor just gave him a thumbs up, walking inside the apartment building while sipping on the cold coffee. 

Just as he was about to follow, Noah noticed a cardboard box resting by the side of the dumpster. It was the type of box in which people would sometimes dump off the stuff they didn’t need anymore—clothes, books, whatever. Despite its waterlogged walls slowly dissolving, the man still felt compelled to look inside. Even if it was something he didn’t need, extra money was always appreciated. 

Opening the box, he noticed a small figure resting inside. She resembled a tiny woman—no taller than 2 ft. But despite her small height, the stranger had a plump body, with thick thighs and large breasts wrapped in an old, red blanket. What drew his attention, however, were the cat-like ears and tail which she possessed. They were both tucked in—a look of restlessness on her pale face.

Glancing over her body, Noah searched for any signs of life. She was perfectly still except for quivering red hands. A pair of bright blue eyes rested underneath messy short brown hair with a discolored pink ribbon attached to it—all drenched in water. They were lifeless, staring off into the void. With her tiny head tilted off to the side, the woman looked like a broken doll. And just like a broken doll, her right leg was missing, leaving in its place a short stump. 

There was a moment of silence filled only by rain and the sound of cars passing by. Getting over his initial confusion, Noah reached down to pick the creature down, pressing her body against his chest. She remained still, yet her heartbeat against his hand reassured the man that she was at least alive. Relieved, he retreated back into the apartment, slamming and locking the door shut. 

Now back inside, the tapping of the rain became dull, with only his own heavy breathing filling the room. Everything happened so quickly, there was no time for Noah to really think about it all. His body was working almost automatically, driven by a desire to help this…thing without thinking of why and what and how.

Noah placed the small figure on the kitchen counter, grabbing a few dry towels from the closet to gently pat her dry. As he did so, he noticed that her skin was surprisingly soft, having a very gentle feeling to it. Her trembling seemed to subside slightly as the warmth enveloped her. But now, she just laid there motionless. Somehow Noah felt that this was better, yet the absence of movement took away the little life the creature still had within it. 

Exhaling deeply, he sat on his bed, once again having his arms folded under his head. But instead of looking up at the ceiling, his attention was turned toward the bundle of towels wrapped around his new roommate.

"What in the world are you?" He muttered under his breath to fill the deafening silence. Unable to sleep, the man reached for his phone, blinded by its bright screen. When his eyes finally adjusted to it, he searched the web for answers. His search queries were disorganized and sporadic, but as if brute forcing his way to the truth, he finally found something. 

It was an older article from 2026, showing some business tycoon flanked on either side by two creatures similar to whatever he brought into his house. The businesswoman had a strong aura of authority, with her black business suit absorbing all the light in the bright studio; it still reflected off her pearly white smile and a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. Her pets, however, were the exact opposite. They were all dolled up in scarlet dresses, sitting by their mistress’s long legs like accessories. The text itself spoke about the company—EikōBio—resuming their commissions for Kemonomimi pets. This was apparently a little publicity stunt to get people interested again. It seemed to have worked.

Noah rubbed his chin. He remembered hearing about those animal-people-pets-things somewhere before, but he has never actually seen one in person. One thing which he specifically recalled was the fact that they were supposed to be expensive—really expensive. Just as he had expected, a short search showed him that even a low-quality one could go for as much as 10'000 dollars. 

Immediately, a wide grin appeared on his face. Whoever lost this Nekomimi must be worried sick. Surely, if he were to be a good samaritan and return the pet back to his owner, a small reward awaited him. 

Snickering to himself, it was now not anxiety, but excitement which kept Noah from falling asleep.