Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

I was awakened by the light coming through the window and the alarm ringing in my ear.

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It was the first morning since Mashiro had taken the form of a girl.

I had thought that I might have to sleep on the couch again now that Mashiro was in human form, but there was no need.
Last night, after we had finished eating dinner together and I went back to my room to take a bath, Mashiro had reverted to her cat form.

Whether she knew about my bad bed posture or not, she curled up and fell asleep on the cat bed I had given her.
She was a thoughtful girl, so she probably knew.

Thanks to Mashiro, I woke up after another comfortable night’s sleep and was about to get out of bed…
Just as I was about to get out of bed, some kind of fragrant smell gently stimulated my nostrils.
It was the smell of baking flour, which I smelled almost every day…

“Mashiro…?”
“Ah, good morning.
Satou-san.”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked into the kitchen to see Mashiro standing in front of the baking oven; she had turned around to look at me as she said this.
As usual, she was wearing only a shirt, revealing her beautiful, slender legs.
His white, fluffy tail was swaying gracefully and lazily in the morning.

“Good morning.
What are you doing?”
“I’m preparing breakfast.
It’s almost ready, so please wait.”
“Eh, no, that’s…”

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“? What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing.
I’m going to wash my face.”
“Okay.
Sure.”

Feeling that I couldn’t fully grasp the situation with my groggy head, I headed for the washroom.
As I splashed my face with cold water, my head gradually regained its composure.
In the mirror, I saw a man with a straight face.

Once I had regained my composure, I recalled the scene I had just witnessed.
Since I don’t have amnesia, it was not as if I’ve forgotten that Mashiro took human form yesterday.
What surprised me was her behavior.

Wiping the drops of water from my face with a towel, I walked back to the living room.
There were two mugs and two plates on the table, each with a cup of hot cocoa and a plate of toast on it.

“It’s ready, Satou-san.”
“Ah, yes.
Thank you.”

I sat down at the table as Mashiro urged me.
In front of me was a set of hot cocoa and a slice of toast, the same thing I always eat every morning.
The amount of cocoa and how the bread was toasted were perfectly replicated.

“Then…Itadakimasu.”
“Yes.
Itadakimasu.”

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When I said that, she followed suit, clasping her hands together and reciting.
I’d come this far in an unorganized fashion.
However, Mashiro had woke up earlier than I did and even prepared breakfast for me.

When I looked at Mashiro, I saw that she was blowing carefully, letting it cool, and then putting the mug to her mouth…and blowing on it again.
The moment she placed her mouth to it, the tip of her tail reacted with a twitch.
The only thing cat-like about her was that she seems to have a strong cat tongue.

I looked at her for a while because she was so cute, and then my eyes met Mashiro’s.

“Was I bothering you, by any chance?”
“No, not at all.
Thank you.”
“Then that’s good.”

The slightly anxious expression on her face softened as she was relieved.
Seeing such a healthy and cute Mashiro, I felt my heart warm up.

As I watched her struggle with the hot cocoa again, I resumed eating.
The toast was well browned, and went very well with the cocoa.

I didn’t put any jam on it, just a light spread of butter, and ate the rest with cocoa, which was my usual style.
Mashiro, who watched my morning routine every day, understood and prepared it for me.
She had adapted to my way of eating.

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“But why are you smiling?”
“Ah, did I have that look on my face?”
“Yes.
Do I have something on my face?”
“Oh, no.
I think it’s…cute.”
“C-Cute…Well, compliments don’t get you anywhere.”
“Even though you also prepared the breakfast on the table for me?”

I was just expressing my honest feelings about Mashiro’s behavior, but Mashiro seemed to be embarrassed, perhaps not used to being praised so much.
However, it was probably not a good idea to say such things to a girl so casually.

When Mashiro was in her cat form, I did not often say cute out loud.
But now that she was able to talk, I couldn’t help but let them out.

“But was it okay? I’m glad you took such good care of me this morning.”
“It’s fine, I’m doing what I want to do.”
“I’m glad, but please don’t overdo it.”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

I’m a little concerned that Mashiro was taking care of me, since I promised her that our relationship would be the same from now on, but I can’t stop her if that’s her will…
In fact, I’m very grateful for the help.
I don’t feel annoyed in the slightest.
But there was still a little bit of guilt in my heart.

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“I’m…not going to abandon Mashiro even if you don’t do this, okay?”
“I’m not thinking that way.
I have faith in you, Satou-san.”
“Really? If that’s the case, you don’t have to do this…”
“Once again, I’m doing this because I want to.
Don’t worry.
“Even if you say that…”

It was a bad image for a working man to be taken care of by a younger girl, but it was even worse when she’s a cat I picked up.
I felt guilty about it.
I knew in my head that Mashiro doesn’t care about any of that, but…

“Then, is there anything you want me to do or anything you want? I want to thank you for this time.”
“You’re overreacting.
It’s just one breakfast.”
“That’s not how it works.
Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Hmmm, then…”

With a puzzled look on her face, Mashiro put her hand to her chin and began to think.
After a while, she clapped her hands together as if she had a flash of inspiration.

 

“Then, can I ask one thing of you?”

 

For some reason, the corners of her mouth lifted up when she asked that, as if she was in a better mood.