The festival is a sea of voices, with people coming and going. The little white cat, Vanilla, is nimble and agile, a blur of white lightning darting through the gaps between people's feet. It quickly stops near a long bench on the other side of the street. The cat leaps onto the bench, its eyes bright and full of life. It sniffs the bench and looks out at the world, its two furry ears standing up straight, its gaze suddenly sharp.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Vanilla has stopped. He walks at a steady, unhurried pace toward the other side of the street.
"Hiratsuka, long time no see. Did you come to see the Obon dance too?" a familiar voice says beside him. Ryosuke turns and sees that it's Hayama Hayato.
"Hayama..." Ryosuke starts to greet him, but his peripheral vision catches Vanilla jumping off the bench and running in another direction. He quickly says, "Sorry, Hayama, I have something to do," and takes off again.
Vanilla seems to be chasing something with a great attraction, a hint of excitement in its eyes. Ryosuke doesn't know where the cat is going or why it suddenly jumped out of his arms, but his footwork is good enough to dodge through the crowd without losing it.
The cat stops once more, this time at the feet of a girl. She is as elegant and graceful as a white peony and as pure and noble as a lily. Seeing the boy chasing the cat, she picks up the little feline, a bright and cheerful smile on her face. She greets Ryosuke, "Oh, little Ryosuke, you came to find me."
"Yukinoshita Haruno, give me back my cat," Hiratsuka Ryosuke says calmly.
A hint of slyness flashes in Yukinoshita Haruno's moist brown eyes. She draws out her words, laughing, "Oh? Is this your cat, little Ryosuke? It seems to really like me, your big sister." She holds Vanilla and gets close to Ryosuke, their faces inches apart. A light breeze blows, and Ryosuke can even feel the ends of her purple hair brushing against his face. Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes curve in a smile, and she says in her signature charming voice, "Little Ryosuke, wouldn't you say this is a fateful encounter for us?"
The girl's warm, humid breath, carrying the scent of lilies, washes over him. Hiratsuka Ryosuke just watches her silently. Before he can respond, Vanilla moves again. It sniffs at Yukinoshita Haruno, shakes its head like a person, then leaps from her arms and continues to run. Yukinoshita Haruno's smile suddenly freezes.
"Is that so? It seems the person of fate isn't you, Ms. Yukinoshita Haruno," Hiratsuka Ryosuke says indifferently before he continues his chase.
Haruno turns and looks in the direction where Ryosuke disappeared. She shakes her head and lets out a long sigh as she looks around. "Little Ryosuke is looking for his cat, and I'm looking for mine. Where did my cute little Yukino run off to?"
After summer break began last month, Yukinoshita Yukino returned home from abroad. Living in the shadow of her strict mother and perfect older sister, she felt like nothing more than a "substitute." All her life, she longed for her mother's approval and attention, wanting to prove that she was just as excellent as her sister.
Then, last year, while still in elementary school, she received a piece of news that felt like a bolt from the blue. She was to be engaged to a young master from the Hiratsuka family whom she had never met. From that moment on, she became disillusioned.
A few minutes ago...
"Little Yukino, there are a lot of people at the festival. Stay close to me and don't get lost," Yukinoshita Haruno says with a playful smile, teasing her sister like a cat. Yukino would rather stay home and read, but she can't go against her sister's wishes. She follows her sister like an emotionless doll.
Meow~
A faint meow, quiet as a mosquito, catches Yukinoshita Yukino's attention. She looks over and sees a small, chestnut-colored cat on a bench not far away. The cat's meow sounds almost magical. Yukinoshita Yukino secretly slips away from her sister and quietly walks to the cat.
"Meow~"
Yukinoshita Yukino sits on the bench, trying to get the cat's attention. The chestnut-colored cat licks its paw, and seemingly hearing the sound of its own kind, it looks up. Seeing that it's a female human, a big question mark appears in its tiny head. It ignores Yukino and leaps into the bushes behind the bench. Yukino turns and looks at her sister's back, a hesitant and uncertain look on her face.
Meow~
The chestnut cat's meow is like a shot of adrenaline for Yukinoshita Yukino. She takes a deep breath, as if making a momentous decision, and looks around. Seeing that no one is paying attention to her, she follows the cat, leaving the liveliest area of the festival.
A moment later, the chestnut cat stops under a tree in a small park. Yukinoshita Yukino crouches down and watches the cat licking its paw. Her eyes are filled with light, and a faint smile appears on her face.
A short while later, a pure white cat comes to Yukinoshita Yukino's feet and gently rubs its little head against her. Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes widen slightly, and her mouth hangs open. She tentatively reaches out to pet the newcomer. She finds that the little white cat actively rubs its head against her hand.
Oh my god, so cute! Am I being blessed by the great Cat God today? Yukinoshita Yukino senses the little white cat's affection. She feels her heart melting.
The chestnut-colored cat, which had previously ignored Yukinoshita Yukino, is startled by Vanilla's arrival. It meows a greeting to Vanilla.
Meow~
Vanilla's brilliant blue eyes look at its fellow cat and meows back.
Meow~
At this moment, Yukinoshita Yukino feels like she's in heaven. Seeing the two cats having a friendly chat, she tries to join in. She can't help but let out a soft, "Meow~"
"Where did Vanilla go?" Hiratsuka Ryosuke says quietly to himself, standing under a tree and looking around. After parting ways with Yukinoshita Haruno, he had run into the imposing Mrs. Yukinoshita. As a junior, he had to stop and greet her, which gave Vanilla the chance to disappear into a bush. He quickly said goodbye to Mrs. Yukinoshita, but he had already lost the cat.
Just as he's at a loss, he hears a faint meow from behind the tree.
"Meow Meow"
Ryosuke walks around the tree and, as expected, finds Vanilla and another chestnut-colored cat. But the meowing isn't coming from the cats; it's coming from a girl with long, straight black hair. The girl seems to sense someone behind her. Her eyes sharpen, and she turns around, her gaze meeting his.