On an unremarkable, peaceful spring afternoon—no urgent work to attend to—a man lay sprawled out in his living room with four cats, lazily pondering this thought.
Wasn't this the very definition of happiness? Relaxing comfortably with his family (his beloved cats)?
If only this moment could last forever, he wished.
That wish went unfulfilled. Today marked exactly one year since his eldest cat had departed for the great beyond.
"You know, you might've actually become a nekomata by now, huh?"
He'd teased his eldest like this often enough—the cat had lived a remarkable 22 years. He'd been grateful for every extra day. Then one day, peacefully, without suffering, the old boy had set off on his adventure to a new world.
In human years, that was 104. A truly blessed end to a long life.
But that didn't make the grief any easier.
He'd heard stories from fellow cat lovers before: "I was fine when my parents died, but when my cat passed? I cried my eyes out." He'd always thought, surely it can't be THAT bad—but when his eldest was drawing his final breaths, he'd found himself sobbing uncontrollably, whispering:
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better life. Sorry you had to live in this cramped apartment. But now... now you're free. Go wherever you want. Follow your heart.
And even if you miss me, please—don't come back to this planet. This world isn't kind to cats. If you came back and we somehow missed each other...
I'll come find you instead. One day, I'll come to wherever you are. So just... wait for me a little longer. Until we meet again.
And then—"
The days of overwhelming grief eventually passed, and life returned to something resembling normal. Then came the first anniversary.
The extraordinary arrived without warning.
The man thought he'd recovered from his pet loss. Apparently, he was wrong.
This morning, scrolling mindlessly through old social media posts, he'd realized what day it was. The weight of it hit him all at once—a hollow, helpless feeling.
'Has it really been a year already?'
Barely holding back tears, he forced himself to stay busy, keeping his mind occupied. He went out to run errands.
After finishing up some work meetings and catching up with friends, he stopped by his regular vet clinic on the way home.
His second-oldest cat was over 20 now, but sadly, no nekomata transformation for this one either. Well, that was to be expected—but senior cats required constant care. He was here to pick up the usual medications. Thankfully the kidneys were still holding up, but the mild intestinal inflammation required meds, plus nutritional supplements were essential.
"Amagitaiki-sama! Amagitaiki-sama—"
Hearing the receptionist call out what was technically his name, the man gave a wry smile. She wasn't exactly wrong in how she read it. But that wasn't his name.
'You'd think at my regular clinic they'd know a longtime customer's name by now...'
Then again, looking at the receptionist, he realized she was someone he'd never seen before. He hadn't even noticed until now. He smiled bitterly again. Can't exactly call someone careless when I didn't notice either.
"Excuse me, it's Amashiro ōteru," he corrected gently.
"Oh—! I'm so sorry! Male, 4X years old, Amashiro ōteru-sama. Norgaar's owner, correct?"
"Yes."
"I sincerely apologize. Our previous receptionist is on maternity leave, and I'm still new..."
"No worries, happens all the time. Don't worry about it. Can we settle the bill?"
"Of course. For Norgaar and your other two cats—one month supply of anti-inflammatory medication and nutritional supplements. That'll be 25,300 yen."
"Sure. Card, please."
"Certainly. Paying in full?"
"Yes."
That's right—his name was Amashiro ōteru (天城大輝).
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People often called him "Amagi" or "Taiki," but getting both his family name AND given name wrong? ...Actually happened pretty frequently.
"I'm hoooome! Were you all good while I was gone?"
He couldn't quite bring himself to set up a full Buddhist altar, but he'd bought some of his eldest's favorite treats to leave in front of the memorial photo. Opening the front door, he called out to the cats who should've been waiting.
"Huh?"
Nobody at the door.
Usually at least one of the three would come trotting up to greet him with a look that said "welcome back!" But today? Not a single fuzzy face in sight.
Maybe they were sleeping. Cats were light sleepers though—not coming to the door was one thing, but no reaction at all as he took off his shoes and headed toward the living room? That was weird.
'No, wait. Someone's here.'
The cats weren't unresponsive—they were preoccupied. With someone else.
He sensed a presence deeper in the apartment.
Someone broke in?
Did something happen to the cats?
He didn't want to think about it. Anxiety mounting, he crept cautiously toward the living room. Then suddenly, from the direction of the bedroom, he heard a voice:
"Norgaar, how long are you planning to sulk? It's me, your big brother.
Isha, I appreciate the sentiment, but maybe ease up on the licking? That tickles.
Ow—Asha, no biting! Honestly, you...
Oh! Everyone, it seems Father has returned."
The voice was unfamiliar—deep, resonant—and it sent confusion rippling through him.
Whoever this was seemed to be playing affectionately with the cats, but the Amashiro household cats were ALL shy. Even when his friends visited, the cats would hide and refuse to show themselves. Yet this stranger knew all their names. And was apparently... on intimate terms with them.
And what was that about "big brother"?
While he stood frozen in confusion, the bedroom door opened. A massive figure emerged.
Easily six feet tall, maybe more. Muscles clearly defined even through his clothes—a physique that radiated strength.
The sheer presence of this being made it hard to breathe.
He tensed instinctively, though he knew he'd be helpless against someone like that.
But then he saw the face—and his mind short-circuited.
Am I dreaming?
Emerald eyes. Vertical black pupils. Blue-gray fur covering the entire face, sleek and lustrous. A pair of sharp triangular ears standing alert on top of the head. A straight nose bridge, black nose pad. Whiskers sprouting from the sides of the mouth. Soft, rounded cheeks.
Perched atop the intruder's shoulders... was a cat's head.
In other words: the intruder was what you'd call a "cat beastman."
And that face—it was one he'd never forgotten in the past year. A face he'd longed to see again, even in dreams.
His eldest cat's face.
How is this possible?
Is this a dream? A hallucination?
While his brain scrambled for answers, the cat-headed man spoke:
"It has been too long, Father."
'Father? What?'
The moment he heard that voice, his sanity hit its limit. His vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges, and Amashiro collapsed right there in the living room.
"Father! Please, get ahold of yourself! Father!"
The man—cat beastman—no, ghost?—kept shouting "Father!" as consciousness slipped away entirely into darkness.
"Is this... the banks of the Sanzu River?"
A field full of blooming flowers.
Amashiro sat dazed by the riverbank, voicing his idle thought aloud.
"...And that old man calling me from across the river..."
"Doesn't exist, obviously."
"Yeah, figured... WAIT, WHAT?!"
He whipped his head around at the sudden voice, and there—sitting right next to him—was his eldest cat. The one he'd longed to see, even in dreams.
"Rashion! You..."
"It has been too long, Father."
"You finally came to see me! God, I've dreamed about you so many times..."
"I understand your feelings, but this isn't a dream."
"Huh?"
"I said, this isn't a dream."
"Wait. Does that mean... I died? Am I in the afterlife? Is that why I can see you again?
Oh no—Norgaar and the others are still back in the living world..."
He'd always thought he wasn't particularly attached to life, but the thought of dying and leaving his cats behind—helpless, dependent on him—was unbearable.
His precious family. His children, who couldn't survive without him. To leave them behind...
"Father, please calm down."
"Right, okay. Let's think rationally. How do I save them...?"
"No, listen—"
"How do I come back to life? HEY! SOMEONE GET ME A MANAGER! I CAN'T DIE YET!"
Watching Amashiro spiral into full-blown panic mode, Rashion the cat shook his head with an exasperated sigh.
"No helping it, I suppose. Forgive me for this... Here it comes! NEKO PAAAAWNCH!"
"ABESHI?!"
That tiny, adorable paw (well, adorable to Amashiro, at least) delivered a full-power slap that hit way harder than expected—but ah, god, that toe bean texture was heavenly—
—Snap.
Amashiro's eyes flew open.
He blinked, confused about when exactly he'd fallen asleep.
At the same time, a pang of sadness hit him. So it was just a dream after all.
'If you're gonna show up in my dreams, buddy, couldn't you pick a better scenario?'
The sensation of those toe beans was still fresh on his cheek.
He found himself wishing he could've savored that nostalgic feeling a little longer. Why'd he have to wake up so soon?
But then—
—squish.
The sensation from his dream—those soft, familiar toe beans—was still there.
Yes, that was it. That exact feeling. So comforting... Wait, TOO comforting.
Like he was being held by someone. A strong, reassuring embrace...
Embrace?
"Father, you're finally awake."
"WAAAAAAAAAH!"
Realizing he was, in fact, being cradled in the arms of the cat-headed man from before, Amashiro let out an involuntary scream.
I've had a story I've wanted to write for a long time.
This is my first time writing a novel, so there may be many shortcomings, but I hope you'll enjoy it even a little.
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Nekomata (猫又): A mythical Japanese cat yōkai (supernatural creature) that gains magical powers and a forked tail after living for many years—typically said to occur around age 20+. Think of it as "cat leveling up to mystical entity."
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Amagi Taiki: The receptionist mispronounced his name as "Ama-gi Tai-ki" (reading the kanji 天城大輝 in the most straightforward way).
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Amashiro ōteru: The correct pronunciation of 天城大輝. Japanese names can often be read multiple ways depending on context, and his happens to have a non-standard reading.
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Kemonomimi/Beastman: In Japanese fantasy, these are humanoid beings with animal features—cat ears, tails, sometimes full animal heads on human bodies. Think Beastars or Western "furry" characters.
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Sanzu River (三途の川): The Japanese Buddhist equivalent of the River Styx—the boundary between the living world and the afterlife that souls must cross after death.
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"Abeshi": A classic death cry from the manga Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken). It's become a meme in Japanese internet culture for comedic "knockout" moments. Think "K.O.!" but more ridiculous.