April 9, 2001 (Monday) – Early Morning, Morioh, Japan.
The soft chime of a wind chime outside (Y/N)'s bedroom window was the first thing she registered that morning. The second was the golden sunlight streaming through delicate pink curtains, casting a warm glow over her ultra-cozy, pastel paradise of a room. Everything was exactly how she liked it: plush Hello Kitty dolls stacked neatly against her pillows, lace-trimmed bedding slightly rumpled from sleep, and the faint scent of vanilla and fresh linens in the air.
It was perfect.
Well. Almost.
Something was missing.
With a tired sigh, (Y/N) stretched her arms and reached out, expecting to feel the familiar warmth of her chunky calico cat, Maple, curled up beside her. But instead of soft fur, her hand met—
Nothing.
She blinked.
Then sat up, glancing around.
Her bedsheets were slightly indented where Maple had been the night before, but her chubby, no-thoughts-just-vibes fluffball of a cat was nowhere in sight.
"... Maple?" she called groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Silence.
A small frown tugged at her lips as she tossed her covers back, glancing around her Sanrio-filled haven. She peered under the bed—nothing. Checked behind the vanity—nope. Even peeked into her closet, just in case Maple had somehow decided to take a nap in her shoeboxes.
Still no Maple.
Her eyes flickered toward her bedroom door—left slightly open.
A beat of silence.
Then, her stomach dropped.
Oh no.
She was supposed to feed Maple this morning.
And if there was one thing Maple was good at, it was seeking out food when (Y/N) forgot.
"... Oh, shit."
⸻
Meanwhile, at the Higashikata Residence...
Josuke Higashikata was in the middle of the most important part of his morning routine: fixing his hair.
Standing in front of his dresser mirror, he carefully ran his comb through his pompadour, making sure every strand was perfectly in place. His pomade tin sat open beside him, and the room smelled faintly of aftershave and hair product.
It was a sacred ritual. A process. A masterpiece in the making.
And then—
THUMP.
Josuke's eye twitched.
Ignoring it, he went back to smoothing down the sides of his pompadour.
THUMP.
His grip on his comb tightened.
What the hell was that noise?
THUMP.
Okay. That was coming from his window.
Brows furrowed, Josuke set down his comb, irritation creeping in as he turned toward the sound. "If this is Okuyasu throwin' shit at my—"
He stopped.
And stared.
Because squeezing her entire round, fluffy body through the window gap was a very determined calico cat.
A pause.
With one final push—PLOP.
The cat landed inside, tail flicking as she sat up like this was a completely normal occurrence.
Josuke blinked.
Maple blinked back.
A long, slow, judgmental frog blink.
"... What the hell."
Josuke was still waking up, brain not fully processing the absurdity of what was happening. He looked at the tiny pink bow around her neck, the little silver bell jingling softly as she shifted her weight.
And then—
Maple tilted her head.
Just slightly.
Big brown eyes round as mochi, drifting slightly in opposite directions.
A tiny mrrp sound escaped her, her tongue just barely sticking out.
Josuke, who had previously been one minor inconvenience away from chucking something out the window, now stood there completely disarmed.
"... Oh."
A beat of silence.
And then—
Maple sprinted out of his room.
Josuke's eyes widened. "OI—"
Too late.
The tiny menace was on the loose.
⸻
Josuke stormed out after her, groggy irritation fully replaced by pure determination.
The second Maple hit the hallway, she took off with the speed of a demon, her paws skidding slightly on the wooden floor.
Josuke stomped after her. "HEY! GET BACK HERE, YA LITTLE—"
Maple ignored him completely.
She bolted straight into the dining area, where Tomoko Higashikata was peacefully sitting at the table, sipping her morning coffee with a newspaper in one hand.
She had no idea what was about to happen.
Tomoko looked up just as Maple skidded into view.
"Oh?" She blinked. Then her expression softened. "Awwww! Who's this little cutie?"
Josuke's stomach dropped.
"MOM, NO—"
Too late.
Maple launched herself onto the dining table.
Tomoko's eyes lit up. "Oh my God, look at her little bow—"
BUMP.
The coffee mug tipped over.
A moment of pure, deafening silence.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL—?!"
Josuke winced.
Tomoko slammed her newspaper down, her face flashing from soft motherly affection to pure unfiltered rage in 0.2 seconds.
"JOSUKE."
Josuke froze. "UH—"
"IS THIS YOUR CAT?!"
Maple, sitting directly in the spilled coffee, blinked up at her with wide, unfocused eyes.
Josuke opened his mouth. Closed it.
Then—
Maple took off again.
Tomoko pointed after her.
"FIX THIS. NOW."
⸻
Josuke rushed into the kitchen, out of patience.
"Alright," he muttered. "Time to end this."
CRAZY DIAMOND!
With a flash of pink energy, his Stand materialized behind him.
"Catch her."
WHOOSH.
Crazy Diamond lunged forward—only for Maple to DODGE.
Josuke gawked.
"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME—"
Maple zipped past Crazy Diamond, bolting under the dining table.
Josuke dived after her.
Maple dodged again.
Josuke and Crazy Diamond chased her around the entire house like it was a goddamn arena battle.
Finally—after multiple failed attempts—Josuke faked left, then swerved right, catching Maple off-guard.
With one final burst of speed—
Crazy Diamond SNATCHED HER OUT OF THE AIR.
Gotcha.
Josuke collapsed against the counter, utterly exhausted.
Tomoko, arms crossed, gave him a look.
"... I don't even wanna know," she muttered.
Josuke just sighed, staring at Maple, who was still held up in Crazy Diamond's hands.
She blinked slowly.
Then purred.
Josuke exhaled.
"... You're lucky you're cute."
Josuke dragged himself out of the house and over to the front door of his next door neighbours house, exhausted, disheveled, and mentally questioning his entire existence.
He was a strong guy. He had fought off actual delinquents before. He was supposed to be a badass.
And yet.
A fat calico cat just outmaneuvered him for a full ten minutes straight.
Maple purred contently in his arms, looking pleased as hell like she hadn't just wreaked havoc on the Higashikata household. Her big brown eyes were drifting in opposite directions, and her tiny pink tongue was sticking out just slightly.
Josuke sighed through his nose.
"This better be the last time I see your little troublemaking ass," he muttered.
Maple responded with a lazy, half-lidded blink.
Josuke groaned.
Finally, he rang the doorbell, shifting Maple slightly in his arms as he waited.
⸻
(Y/N) had just given up on searching the house when she heard the doorbell.
Still frazzled, she rushed to the front door, pulled it open—
And Josuke nearly forgot how to speak.
He had expected—well, he didn't know what he expected. Some middle-aged woman? A kid? Some old dude??
Not... this.
Not a chubby, soft-looking girl with big, pretty eyes and messy morning hair, wearing a slightly wrinkled school uniform like she had just thrown it on last-minute.
Not someone who looked like she had just stepped out of a cozy dream, with plush cheeks, a delicate Sanrio keychain dangling from her sleeve, and the faintest scent of something sweet—vanilla? Strawberry?
Not someone who instantly made him pause for a second longer than he should have.
"...Huh?"
(Y/N) blinked up at him, still confused.
Josuke snapped out of it, clearing his throat before holding up Maple.
"... Think this belongs to you?"
(Y/N) blinked rapidly, trying to process.
Then—horror.
Her eyes widened as she snatched Maple into her arms. "OH MY GOD—I'm so sorry!! She wasn't in my room this morning, and I didn't think she'd—"
She paused, looking up at him.
"...Where did you even find her?"
Josuke gave her a long, tired look.
"... She broke into my room."
(Y/N)'s soul left her body.
"She what?"
Josuke rubbed his temple. "Yeah. Climbed through my window."
(Y/N) felt her entire existence crumble.
"I—I swear she doesn't do this—"
"She also," Josuke continued, deadpan, "spilled my mom's coffee. And made me chase her around the house. Like, full-speed."
(Y/N) froze.
Her brain fully shut down.
She just stared at him.
Then at Maple.
Then back at him.
Then back at Maple—who was purring like an innocent little angel.
(Y/N) was going to die right here on this doorstep.
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh my god—I'm so sorry—I swear I'll make it up to you, I'll—"
A pause.
Wait.
She didn't even know this guy's name.
Her eyes snapped open.
"...Uh." She hesitated. "Wait—who are you?"
Josuke blinked.
Then smirked.
"Higashikata Josuke. I live next door."
(Y/N) paused.
...Oh.
Oh.
That explained why she hadn't seen him before—she had only been living here for a day and had barely even met her neighbors.
Josuke shifted his gaze at Maple in (Y/N)'s arms, and then back up at (Y/N)'s face. "And you?"
(Y/N), still embarrassed, cleared her throat. "Oh. Uh. I'm (L/N) (Y/N)."
Josuke's smirk widened a little.
"Nice to meet ya, (Y/N)," he said, voice smooth. "Though, I gotta say—most people just say hi to their new neighbors. Your cat broke into my house instead."
(Y/N) wanted to disappear.
"I swear—she's never done this before..."
Josuke chuckled. "Relax. I mean, I did almost die, but... what's a little cardio first thing in the morning, right?"
(Y/N) buried her face in Maple's fur, groaning.
"This is so embarrassing..."
Josuke watched her, a little amused now.
It was kinda funny seeing someone this flustered over a cat.
(Y/N) sighed and looked back up at him.
"... I feel terrible," she admitted. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
Josuke tilted his head, pretending to think.
"Well..." He rubbed his chin dramatically. "Now that ya mention it... I did skip breakfast 'cause of your little menace."
(Y/N) immediately perked up.
"Oh! My family owns a bakery—I can get you something! Free of charge!"
Josuke raised a brow.
"...Wait. You're the one whose family just opened that fancy café in town?"
(Y/N) nodded. "Yeah! We just moved here from Tokyo—"
"Tokyo?" Josuke smirked. "That explains a lot."
(Y/N) paused. "Huh?"
He grinned, gesturing vaguely toward her.
"You just... look like a Tokyo girl."
(Y/N) blinked.
Her brain shut down completely.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?!
Did she look weird?? Did she stand out that much?? Was that a compliment?!
Wait.
WAIT.
...Was he flirting with her??
She had never been flirted with before.
And certainly not by a ridiculously good-looking guy standing on her doorstep holding her cat.
"...Uh." She cleared her throat. "So. Breakfast. You want something?"
Josuke chuckled. "I'll stop by later. See what all the hype is about."
(Y/N) nodded quickly. "Right! Yeah! Please do! I—I promise I'll make sure Maple never bothers you again!"
Josuke gave her a look.
Then glanced at Maple, who was still sitting in her arms, blinking slowly with the dumbest, most smug expression possible.
"...Yeah. Good luck with that."
And with that, he gave her one last smirk and walked off.
(Y/N), still processing, just watched him go.
Watching Josuke casually stroll back to his house.
Watching her very attractive next-door neighbor, who just flirted with her.
Her heart was beating a little too fast.
She looked down at Maple, scowling.
"...You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Maple let out a tiny, smug mrrp.
(Y/N) groaned.
This was gonna be a long year.
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