“Are you going to be alright alone?” Noah questioned, throwing a backpack over his shoulder. Tanji raised her eyes from the dim TV, turning towards the man and giving him a half-hearted thumbs up. Taking it as a yes, he took one last look at the idle Neko before shutting the door. 

She was currently lying on what once was his bed—one he was now forced to share with the ungrateful visitor. Her body was wrapped in the red blanket in which he found her. The woman must have dug it out of the basket, despite him specifically telling her that he was going to wash it later. 

Well, Noah couldn’t really blame her. The weather might have been warm, but the woman had nothing to wear except for the black mini bikini he found her in and that decayed pink ribbon she refused to throw away. He offered her some of his shirts and hoodies, but she simply looked ridiculous in them, angrily scratching their fabric.

At least she was doing alright. He did go out of his way to give her medicines, even throwing in a few of those vitamin tablets that were supposed to be good for you. The last thing he needed was a sick Tanji.

“Hey, what’s up man!” Mike crept up from behind, throwing his arm around Noah. 

“You seem lively today.” 

“Well, you seem pretty depressed.” He retorted, sitting down on a bench overlooking the rails. The sound of trains wheezing into and out of the bustling platform was almost overpowering, forcing both to speak up. “Come on, we can focus on getting that reward money after class today.”

“What do you mean we?” Noah said half-jokingly as the two stepped onto the train. 

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Mike fixed his glasses, grabbing onto the handle as the cart began accelerating. 

The two soon arrived outside of the college. Its huge black gates greeted them inside after both swiped their keycards on the reader. The entire building was like this, with every door and vending machine operated by the same card they’d been sent upon getting accepted. It may have been a bit annoying, but the place was clean and modern—probably being the 2nd largest building in the town after the mall. Due to being the only college here, it had courses for literally everything. 

After a day of classes, Noah waited by the side of the gate for Mike to arrive. His eyes periodically drifted down to his phone, checking the time. Mike wasn’t usually this late, with the man having half the mind to just walk towards the station without him. But as soon as he began turning, the distinctively Mike-shaped blob in the distance began approaching him—somebody by his side. 

“Hey, Noah. Allow me to introduce you to Mia. Mia, this is Noah. Noah, Mia.” 

Despite her young face, Noah felt an aura of almost philosophical maturity pulsating from Mia’s face. She had long red hair, with a pair of deep green eyes staring at him. “Pleasure.” Mia said, moving her scarlet lips into a reserved smile. Noah couldn’t help but smile back. 

“So, are you two from the same class?” Noah spouted something to fill the void, finding maintaining eye contact with her difficult. 

“Yup!” Taking the initiative, Mike answered the question while pointing at Mia. “We're both doing bioengineering.”

“That’s right.” Mia confirmed, not breaking eye contact with Noah. “And Mike told me that you had a Kemonomimi.” She added out of nowhere.

“Oh, did he now?” Noah could feel his teeth clenching as he turned towards Mike.

“It sort of came up in a conversation.” He tried defending himself, looking away while forcing a laugh. 

“Oh, did it now?” The man continued staring at his neighbor, looking as if he was trying to make his head explode with his mind. 

“Is it true?” Mia asked, giving Noah a moment to calm down.

“Kind of. Well, yes. But it was supposed to be a secret.” He emphasized while looking over at Mike who still tried dodging eye contact. 

Mia chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Don’t worry. Mike just mentioned it in passing, and I was curious. I've always found the idea of Kemonomimis fascinating, but I've never seen one in person before." She looked down, taking a moment to ask the question this entire conversation had been leading up to. “Do you mind if I visit yours ?”

“I am sure Noah wouldn’t mind.” Once again, Mike decided to answer a question not destined for him. 

Backed into a corner of social expectations, Noah could only muster a “Sure. You can come over.” Quickly, he corrected himself. “Actually, my place is a bit messy. Maybe we can meet up downtown?” 

“Gladly.” Mie responded, taking out her phone and exchanging contact information. “I know a great BBQ spot.”

“Then it’s a date.” Mike clapped his hands together, waving off at Mia as both he and Noah walked towards the station.

Back at the apartment, it took a while for Noah to make Tanji presentable. All of his clothes fitted awkwardly around her body, with the tiny woman clearly annoyed by this as much as he was. 

“Alright, Tanji.” He said, fastening a cap tightly around her head. “We are going to visit a friend. So please be on your best behavior.” It felt silly saying this, with him even unsure if she could understand him. Tanji just gave him another weak thumbs up.

The four of them met up outside of the restaurant, with the mouth-watering smell of fried meat and spices emanating from the establishment. It was built in a way that was meant to resemble an old building, with artificially chipped wooden beams and outdated architecture, but at a second glance, it was easy to tell that it was actually modern.  

Mia looked lovely in her off-white blouse and tight jeans, but her trembling lip hid discomfort as soon as she saw Tanji following behind. Her almost comical appearance did very little to distract the crowd from the fact that she was a Nekomimi walking around the city center with a group of freshmen. It was like seeing a fast food worker driving around a Ferrari. Some of them even took out their phones to snap a quick picture, much to Noah’s dismay and Mike’s amusement. At least people weren’t paying as much attention to her missing leg. 

“Welcome.” Mia said after getting over the initial confusion, squatting down in front of Tanji. Her smile was met with a blank stare as the cat girl leaped up onto Noah’s shoulder—something he was getting progressively used to. Even her weight began feeling natural, like wearing a favorite accessory. 

“Don’t worry about her. Noah’s ‘mimi can be difficult sometimes.” Mike explained, padding the woman on the back. “Let’s go inside before it gets crowded.”

They were soon seated around the table. Well, the three humans were, while Tanji just opted to sit right on its surface—leaving the imprint of her ass on the glistening wooden surface. 

“I think people were looking at us.” Noah spoke up from the menu, looking over his shoulder. 

“Well, of course.” Mike said, not taking his eyes off the drink. “More people would watch if you dolled her up a bit.” 

Tapping the menu against the table, Noah noticed Mia peeking at Tanji as she stretched, shaking her little head. It was the type of place where you grilled the meat yourself. Personally, he just preferred to get his food and eat it. Judging by the fact that he had to physically restrain Tanji from reaching for the raw meat and gobbling it down, it looked like she shared his impatience. 

The sound of the sizzling filled the room as the neatly cut pieces of meat were placed against the hot plate. He watched as both Mike and Mia drizzled their cuts with all kinds of exotic spices. Settling for just salt, he placed a piece over the heat.

Tanji hovered above it, watching the frying meat with a carnivorous stare. It reminded him of the first day they both woke up in the same bed and how she looked ready to pounce. Her tail twitched with excitement the moment her piece made contact with the plate, immediately filling her cheeks with the beef. 

“Here.” Mia said, using a pair of chopsticks to pass one of the pieces she was frying over to Noah. The moment he uttered his thanks, Tanji reached down, adding it to her already-filled cheeks. Her reaction to Mia’s cut was a lot more exquisite.

“Tanji!” Noah scolded, watching the Neko continue to put all her strength into chewing. 

“Oh, don't worry.” Mia reassured, picking up another piece to fry. “I can make one for you as well.”

“Thank you.” Noah smiled, with Mike taking a picture of Tanji with her mouth full while suppressing a laugh. He will need to remember to ask him for a copy later. 

As the evening continued, the initial wave of excitement faded in a quiet, pleasant atmosphere, lit by both the candles and the grill. Its still-warm surface was less crowded now, with the dinner guests taking their time cooking the remaining pieces of beef so that they would not go to waste. 

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Mia spoke up, breaking the spell of stillness. “Do you plan on buying your ‘mimi a prosthetic? It’s a bit odd to see her walking on all fours.” She quickly corrected herself. “Sorry, all threes.”

“Don’t they normally do that?” Noah questioned, looking at Tanji lounging lazily on the seat next to him with her belly up. 

“No, it seems like she’s adapted to the situation. Good for her!” Mia continued praising Tanji as if to make up for her gaff. 

“Still, now that you mention it, I should probably get her one.” Noah looked up, thinking about how much that could cost him. With how exclusive these Kemonomimis are, he imagined that everything related to them must be equally expensive. Hell, they probably even sell a special 'mimi soap costing ten times as much as his! ”Walking on the floor is comfortable for her, but I guess walking like a human would be a lot more…decent?” He said, lacking any better word.

The night was still young, with Mia walking out onto the restaurant's patio. Seeing as both Mike and Tanji were dozing off, Noah decided to follow her out into the warm summer night. She leaned against the wooden railing, exhaling deeply. 

“Do you need a light?” Noah asked, reaching into his pocket. 

“I don’t smoke.” She responded, cracking her head. Not wanting to pollute the mood, Noah let go of the lighter, settling his hands on the railing next to Mia.

“What do you think about Tanji?” Noah spoke up, looking out into the sprawling town. It was getting late, yet the streets were as busy as always, with neon lights flashing to life in real-time. Shades of pink, red, and blue soon flooded the starry sky. 

“Waste of resources.” Mia responded after a few seconds of staring up at the sky. Taken slightly aback by her choice of words, Noah was still willing to hear her out—it was something he needed to hear. “There are many greater things which we should be doing with the new gene splicing methods, not making girl pets.” She turned towards him, her mature green eyes appearing calm like the surfaces of two old lakes. “I guess it took me seeing her to realize that.”

“Do you think she’s a person?” Noah asked, wanting to add something to the conversation. The question was directed as much towards Mia as it was towards himself. 

Tapping her chin, she finally responded with a “...not legally.”

“What?” He forced a smile—the type of smile one makes when they are confused and can’t do anything else. 

“I am a geneticist. Results matter. Tanji was made to be a pet, so she’s a pet. As simple as that.” As she spoke, the gentle femininity that Mia harbored seemed to fade away and be replaced by cold logic. When she said that she was interested in Kemonomimis, it must have been the same interest a biologist has towards an invasive species. 

“Doesn’t seem fair.” Noah spouted out without thinking. 

“It’s not fair. Nothing is fair in genetics. Your friend…she’s a vanity project. Like a potato made to be pink just because it looks cute.” Mia peered up at him, looking as confused as he was. “Wait, do you think she’s a person?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged before returning his gaze back to the Namiport. The city was bustling, yet still—wild, yet gentle. 

Mia stretched, turning away from the balcony. “Want to head back inside?” She spoke, with him losing the sight of her wise eyes.

Noah rubbed his index finger against the side of the lighter, exhaling deeply. “Sure. Let’s go.”