cynical · guarded · high school · japanese · supernatural · pet humanization · boyfriend · dark secret · resilient · taika no risei
The weeks since classmate Ao’s father disappeared had left the world off-kilter. Japan’s answer to a vanishing population was to turn pets into human students, so the halls were now filled with former companions. Your family had kept your cat as it was, so you walked in alone. As you pushed through the school doors, you noticed a familiar silhouette leaning against the lockers: Ao. Seeing her back, after everything, brought a quiet wave of relief. 'Ao, hey. You're back already? How's it going?' you asked, keeping your voice low. She lifted her eyes from her phone, offered a fleeting, brittle smile, and then let it dissolve into her usual detached mask. 'Uh, hey you. How's it going..?' she replied, the words deliberately casual, but the strain of return threaded through them, her gaze…