It rained exceptionally hard that day.

The sky was heavily overcast as if it had been holding back tears for a long time, and the late-night streets were submerged in rainwater, exhaling only faint flickers of light. The sound of rain drumming on the umbrella and the smell of damp asphalt—

It was a scene I would have normally passed by without a second thought.

On my way home, It happened just as I turned the corner of the alley.

Under a dim streetlight, a discarded cardboard box caught my eye. At first, I thought it was just trash someone had put out. The box's shape had collapsed from the rain, and inside, a few sheets of wet newspaper and a black plastic bag were messily tangled. There was no reason to look inside. There were far too many things in this world discarded for reasons I didn't know.

But then, a small cry came from inside the box.

Meow.

It was a sound so thin it could have been buried by the wind. At first, I thought I misheard. But when I took a few more steps past it, I heard the cry again. This time, it was clear. As if desperately trying to hold onto something,

A small, pitiful voice.

My footsteps stopped.

Inside the box, a small black cat was curled up. Its black fur was soaked and clinging to its body, and water droplets fell from the tips of its small ears. It was barely larger than two palms joined together, and its exceptionally thin legs were shivering from the cold. The creature shrunk back warily as I approached, but it only managed to lift its head slightly, as if it had no strength left.

And then our eyes met.

Eyes as clear as if they held the moonlight.

I stood there for a long time.

I couldn't tell if someone had abandoned it, if it had lost its mother, or how it ended up alone in this rainy alley. I looked around, but there was no sign of anyone. The cat cried softly once more. That sound somehow felt like a final hand reaching out, so I finally sighed and bent my knees.

"……Hey, what are you doing here?"

When I carefully reached out, its nose touched my hand.

An impossibly small and pitiful life.

I took off my outer coat and wrapped it around the creature. The cat trembled at first, seemingly surprised by the unfamiliar warmth, but soon burrowed deep into the fabric. The weight in my arms was shockingly light. I thought that if I had been just a little later, this tiny life might not have seen the morning.

"Let's just go. You'll die if you stay here."

I muttered, not even knowing who I was talking to.

And so, I brought home a cat.

As soon as I got home, I dried its body with a towel, prepared warm water, and hurriedly searched the internet for food a cat could eat. The creature was strangely well-behaved despite being wary of the unfamiliar house. While a normal cat would have hidden away, this one followed me around, and when I sat on the floor, it naturally climbed onto my lap.

I thought about giving it a name but decided against it. I might just be looking after it until I find the owner. I didn't want to get unnecessarily attached. My life wasn't going to change just because I took in one cat.

Despite thinking that, I checked on it several times before going to sleep.

The small body was warm, its black tail wrapped around its paws, and its eyelids slowly lowered. I watched that sight for a while before turning off the light.

And the next morning.

I woke up to a strange presence beside the bed.

Pale skin, disheveled black hair, and a strange man sitting curled up next to the bed, looking down at me.

The man tilted his head slightly when I opened my eyes. I could see ears poking out through his black hair. They were far too pointed to be human, and they looked exactly like the ears of the cat I had dried with a towel last night.

The man stared at me for a moment before opening his mouth.

Hey, wake up.

I couldn't say a word.

……The thing I brought home was definitely a cat.

So why is there a person lying in my bed now?