Zakuro

A Feline Home

Tae, a servant in the Agemaki household, comes to the Ministry to send Agemaki home. He agrees to go, but begs Zakuro to come with him. However, she must hide her ears. As compensation, Agemaki must buy her candy later. Once at the house, Zakuro asks Agemaki is he brought her to the house to investigat a spirit. Agemaki is surprised that a spirit still resides in the house. The pair are called down to dinner, where Zakuro learns that Agemaki's father wholeheartedly supports Westernization and is greatly prejudiced against spirits. She also notices that Agemaki's sister is feeding a cat. He explains that when he was younger, a spirit frightened him. His father scolded him for being afraid. Later, Agemaki noticed that his cat, Itsue, was missing. Although he promised to apologize for whatever he did wrong or give up some other treasure, Itsue never returned. Zakuro tells Agemaki that Itsue has always been in the house. She asks Itsue to change form and appear to Agemaki. When Agemki can see Itsue, he finds that she was the spirit that frightened him. Zakuro explains that when a cat is loved, it becomes a cat demon. Itsue simply wanted to thank Agemaki for being kind. She notes that most humans cannot see Itsue in her original form, but there seems to be an exception. The next morning, Agemaki's mother apologizes for her husband's discourtesy, hinting that she realizes Zakuro is a spirit.