Chapter 1
My Mochi
Chapter 1: The Brown Cat
Rain had been falling since sunset. By the time the beauty store was ready to close, the streets outside were almost empty. She finished arranging the last bottles of perfume and skincare products before switching off the lights.
Then she heard it.
“Meow.”
She stopped and looked toward the glass door.
A small brown cat was sitting beneath the store’s awning. His fluffy fur was soaked from the rain, but he didn’t seem frightened. He simply stared at her with a pair of unusually bright golden eyes.
“Oh…”
Her heart softened.
She opened the door and crouched down.
“Hey, little one. Where’s your owner?”
The cat didn’t move.
Instead, he slowly walked toward her.
She held out her hand.
“Are you lost?”
The cat sniffed her fingers before placing one tiny paw on her hand.
She smiled.
“You’re adorable.”
She gently picked him up and wrapped him in a clean towel.
“You can’t stay outside in this weather.”
The cat curled against her chest.
She looked down at him thoughtfully.
“What should I call you?”
The cat opened his golden eyes.
“Mochi?”
His ears suddenly perked up.
She laughed softly.
“You like that name?”
“Meow.”
“Then it’s decided. Your name is Mochi.”
She carried him home that night.
Mochi slept quietly at the foot of her bed while the rain continued outside.
She had no idea that the little brown cat she had rescued was not an ordinary cat.
As midnight approached, Mochi’s golden eyes suddenly opened.
12:00.
A strange silver light surrounded him.
His tiny body began to change.
The fur disappeared. His paws became human hands. Within moments, the little brown cat had become a young man with messy brown-black hair and the same golden eyes.
He looked at the sleeping girl.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he whispered,
“So… you finally found me.”
Outside, thunder shook the window.
Before sunrise, Mochi became a cat again.
The girl woke up and looked toward the foot of her bed.
“Mochi?”
The brown cat stared back at her innocently.
“Meow.”
She smiled.
“Good morning, little troublemaker.”
Mochi slowly blinked.
His secret was safe.
For now.
