Golden Festival Day 30
Kagura twirled an envelope between her fingers: "Alright, everyone!" she called out during breakfast. "Today's Odd Job request goes to… Shinatsu and Beatrice!"
Shinatsu's chopsticks froze mid-air: "Why us?"
Kagura: "Because you two aren't working the cafe today."
Shinatsu: "Fair."
Kagura: "So, a client wants stray cats collected around our neighborhood so they can be treated and taken to a shelter. Shinatsu, you love animals, right?"
Shinatsu: "I have never claimed that."
Kagura: "Beatrice said you seem like the type."
Beatrice nodded: "Quiet, skittish. easily irritated. Like a cat."
Shinatsu: "I'm not—!"
Diego: "See? She even hisses."
Shinatsu kicked him hard under the table.
And thus, the Odd Job began.
***
Shinatsu carried a pet-friendly crate. Beatrice carried 2. She had already captured a cat. Shinatsu had captured none.
Beatrice: "This one is friendly," she said, kneeling before a grey tabby that approached as if greeting royalty. It walked into the crate on its own.
Shinatsu: "How are you doing that?"
Beatrice: "Cat magnetism."
Shinatsu: "That's not a thing."
Beatrice: "It is. Some people can naturally draw cats to them."
Shinatsu: "I guess I'm not one of those people."
Shinatsu approached a calico grooming itself on a wall. She knelt and extended a hand. The cat stared at her intensely, then vanished at Mach speed.
Shinatsu froze: "Have cats always hated me…?"
Beatrice: "Very strange. I thought cats would be attracted to cat-like people."
Shinatsu: "Whatever, it's not like I want them to be attracted to me anyway."
As Shinatsu was saying this, another stray wandered to Beatrice, rubbing against her leg. Beatrice crouched and pet it with ease.
Shinatsu's eye twitched: "What about you? Are you some sort of cat whisperer?"
Beatrice: "Ah. Finally noticed."
Shinatsu: "No way.." She tried again. A black-and-white cat sat under a street bench. "Okay," Shinatsu whispered. "No sudden movements. I am calm. I am quiet. I am friendly. I—HEY!"
The cat bolted again.
Beatrice: "Maybe they sense your… inner turbulence."
Shinatsu: "I do not have inner turbulence."
Beatrice gave her a silent, knowing look.
Shinatsu: "…Okay, maybe a little."
They continued. Beatrice gathered cats effortlessly, she now had now gathered and brought in about 6-7 cats.
They saw an orange kitten stumbled by a tree trunk. It looked weak and sounded like it was congested.
Shinatsu gasped: "Oh no, are you okay?"
The kitten looked up, its eyes were glassy and unfocused. Then it wobbled over and flopped against Shinatsu's leg.
Beatrice: "This one is sick."
Shinatsu carefully picked him up. He was warm, but far too light. He purred weakly.
Beatrice's expression lost its usual indifference, turning serious: "We should take him to the vet immediately."
Shinatsu nodded, clutching the fragile little body to her chest.
***
Shinatsu paced as the kitten was examined, fidgeting with her sleeves. The door opened and the vet approached them, her expression was composed but heavy.
"He has an upper respiratory infection. It's been untreated for too long." There was a pause. "He doesn't have much time left."
Shinatsu's breath caught. Beatrice lowered her eyes.
Shinatsu: "Is there any way… we could spend more time with him?"
Beatrice: "The kitten seemed to like Shinatsu."
The vet thought about it: "We usually advise humane euthanasia to prevent further suffering, but… as Odd Jobs, you've earned our trust. If you want to be with him until the end, we'll allow it."
Shinatsu swallowed hard: "Please. Let me."
A small carrier was prepared. Shinatsu carried it out in silence as Beatrice walked beside her. They went to a park, the late afternoon sun filtered through the trees in soft patches. Shinatsu sat by a tree as she opened the carrier. The kitten slowly came out and gently sat beside her.
Shinatsu stroked him carefully: "You poor thing…"
He responded with a weak purr. They stayed like that for a few hours. The leaves fell around them quietly. Birds chirped their evening songs. The world softened around the edges.
Beatrice eventually spoke: "When I was younger, I found a dying bird once. My father told me… even a short life can feel full if there is warmth at the end."
Shinatsu looked at her.
Beatrice gazed at the kitten: "You are giving him something he would not have had otherwise."
Shinatsu didn't respond verbally, her throat felt tight. She continued petting the kitten, who melted into her palm like he had found the safest place in the world. Sunset deepened into amber.
The kitten's purring slowed.
Then faded.
Shinatsu's hand halted.
Beatrice watched her gently stroke the kitten's fur even after the rise and fall of his breathing stopped.
Shinatsu wiped her eyes, tears falling freely: "Thank you… for trusting me."
Beatrice placed a hand lightly on her shoulder: "He chose to be with you. That means something."
Shinatsu gently returned the kitten to the carrier. They walked back to the vet under the warm orange sky.
The vet asked softly: "Did he go peacefully?"
Shinatsu nodded.
The vet smiled sadly: "Cats often hide when they know their time is near. For him to stay with you… you must have a warm soul."
Shinatsu pressed her lips together, trying not to cry again.
The two walked side by side toward Odd Jobs as the autumn wind brushed against their hair. Their footsteps echoed in quiet harmony. This was a reminder that even small, fragile moments of kindness mattered in a world growing darker each day.
The walk back to Odd Jobs should've been simple. But Shinatsu kept glancing down as they walked. Beatrice matched her pace without comment, she had the kind of presence that didn't demand comfort or offer it loudly, she just stood beside you until the air felt breathable again. They passed a bakery. Warm bread smell drifted out, mingling with the crisp scent of fallen leaves. Shinatsu caught it and flinched for some reason. Maybe because it felt wrong that the world still smelled good.
Beatrice: "Would you like something warm before we go back?"
Shinatsu stared ahead: "No." A second passed. "…Maybe."
Beatrice: "Hot chocolate and a warm croissant it is then."
They walked in and the employee recognized Beatrice instantly.
"Oh! Odd Jobs," she said with a bright smile. "Welcome in. Want the usual, Beatrice?"
Beatrice spoke with a soft smile: "Not this time."
They walked back with their order. Shinatsu held the warm cup like it might anchor her. A few minutes later, she spoke without looking up: "Why did it… come to me?"
Beatrice: "Maybe it felt a connection with you."
Shinatsu: "I didn't even do anything."
Beatrice: "You did. You stayed with him."
That word landed differently.
Stayed.
Shinatsu's throat tightened again. She forced out a quiet breath: "You make it sound important."
Beatrice: "It is."
They returned to Odd Jobs. Shinatsu's hand paused on the doorknob. She didn't want to walk in carrying grief like it was something everyone had to step around. But it was too late for that.
Kagura opened the door before Shinatsu could even open it: "WELCOME BACK—" Kagura sang, then stopped mid-victory when she saw their faces. Her eyes flicked to the carrier and her smile dimmed. "Oh."
Diego appeared behind her, leaning on the frame: "Well? Did Shinatsu successfully capture exactly zero cats and then declare war on the species?"
Shinatsu's glare could've cut steel.
Diego immediately raised his hands: "Noted. Not joking today."
Chifuyu stepped in from the living room, towel around his neck like he'd been cleaning up. Yuji followed behind him, arms crossed. Ariel popped her head out from the hallway, eyes curious. Iris and Nicholas peeked from around the kitchen.
Beatrice spoke first: "We found a kitten with a severe infection. The clinic… said it had been too long untreated."
Kagura: "Oh no…"
Iris: "What happened?"
Shinatsu stood stiffly in the doorway, with her drink still in hand, like she couldn't figure out where to put herself in the room.
Chifuyu: "Did it…"
Shinatsu's jaw tightened. She gave a small nod. The atmosphere sank, the usual Odd Jobs chaos drained out like someone had pulled a plug.
Shinatsu: "We stayed with it until the end."
Ariel: "That's admirable."
Kagura moved forward carefully, like Shinatsu might shatter if she grabbed her too hard. She didn't hug, she wasn't sure if Shinatsu wanted that. So she just took Shinatsu's empty hand and squeezed it once: "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Shinatsu: "It's fine." Her voice came out rough.
Diego scratched the back of his head, unusually subdued: "That's… rough."
Nicholas: "Sit down and relax. I'm sure you've been walking non-stop."
Beatrice nodded and they went and settled on the couch. Shinatsu sat stiffly at first.
Yuji: "Let's put on a movie."
Chifuyu: "I say Jump Street 21."
Inside, Odd Jobs stayed together, letting Shinatsu's grief sit among them without trying to chase it away. And slowly, between the warmth of the presence of people who didn't demand explanations, and the simple fact that she'd come home afterward. Shinatsu felt that gentle thing settle again. Not happiness. Not yet. But something sturdier. A small, stubborn warmth.
The kind that stayed.