Chapter 90. Aren't Cats and Insects Mutually Exclusive?
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On his way to work, Kiyoshi Yuuma spotted a young girl and an elderly woman standing beneath a large tree.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves above, scattering soft shadows across the girl's face.
She looked young, petite, and flat-chested. Lipstick colored her lips, yet her eyes remained strikingly innocent.
"Little kitty, little kitty. Come down."
The girl called softly.
Looking up, he saw a small cat with white paws and a black body crouched in the branches.
The cat glanced down at her, then casually walked a few steps and settled on another branch to lick its paws.
The breeze was mild, the sunlight gentle—it looked completely at ease. A bell hung around its neck, making it obvious at a glance that it belonged to someone.
"Grandma, just wait a moment. I'll go get it down."
The girl placed her briefcase at her feet, eager to act.
"Thank you, young lady."
So it was a cat rescue.
This kind of scene was actually quite common. In Japan, one of the most frequent reasons residents called the fire department was to retrieve cats and dogs stuck somewhere.
Situations like climbing up a tree and getting stranded were far from rare.
Kiyoshi Yuuma glanced at the girl's short skirt and frowned slightly.
"Hey!"
"Hmm?"
She had just hugged the tree trunk and shimmied up a short distance when she heard his voice and turned her head. She looked a bit like a large sloth clinging to a tree.
"It's inconvenient for you in a skirt. Let me do it," Kiyoshi Yuuma said.
He didn't particularly want to get involved, but since he'd run into it, he couldn't ignore it. Besides, this was a road he passed every day.
"Eh?"
The girl froze, looked down, and her face immediately flushed. It was the middle of summer—of course she'd chosen a skirt because anything else would be too hot.
She jumped down quickly and bowed. "Then I'll trouble you."
Kiyoshi Yuuma didn't think much of it. He rolled up his sleeves and spat into his palms. With a quick movement, he climbed the tree.
The black cat above saw this and meowed in fright.
...
After about ten minutes, Kiyoshi Yuuma descended with the kitten held by the scruff of its neck.
"Here you go, Grandma."
"Thank you so much."
The old woman accepted the kitten with a grateful nod. "Would you two like to come to my house? I can get you something to drink."
Kiyoshi Yuuma glanced at the sky.
The August sun was burning hot, almost searing the skin.
However...
"Thank you, Grandma, but I still have work to do. Please be careful not to let the kitten run around everywhere again," he said with a smile.
"Mm-hmm."
"Ah! I'm done for!"
The girl suddenly slapped her forehead. "Damn it, I'm going to be late!"
Before she could even say goodbye, she dashed off.
Watching her disappear, Kiyoshi Yuuma couldn't help but shake his head.
...
"Good morning, President."
As Kiyoshi Yuuma entered the company, employees greeted him warmly. He nodded slightly and walked toward his office, smiling.
Then, from the corner of his eye—
A familiar girl sat near the entrance.
Wasn't this the same girl who tried to climb a tree in a short skirt?
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
"Eh?"
Startled, the girl looked up nervously. The moment she met his eyes, she nearly cried out.
"Cat-catching uncle, what are you doing here too?"
...
"Hello, President! My name is Asano Risa. I'm 22 years old, graduated from Kyoto University with a degree in biology… I'm applying for a planning position at your company. Please take care of me."
She bowed deeply before his desk.
Kiyoshi Yuuma blinked in amusement. Who would have expected this person to be a newcomer applying for a planning job?
But what annoyed him slightly was—
She actually called him uncle?!
Did he really look that old?
He was only 27 years old!
"Hello, I'm Kiyoshi Yuuma," he said with a slow nod.
Her entire body shook. Asano had never imagined she would run into the company president by chance that morning. Worse, she'd arrived late because of the cat rescue. The wild impression she made earlier definitely wasn't ideal.
Thinking about her tree-climbing attempt, she felt utterly doomed.
"Eh? Your major is excellent. Why did you choose a game company instead of biological research?" Kiyoshi Yuuma asked.
"Ah~ well..." Asano scratched her head. "I actually don't like dissections and experiments. They're too cruel."
Uh…
Very straightforward.
[I aspire to do game work.]
[I'm passionate about games.]
[I've loved games since childhood.]
[I want to apply my creativity.]
No pleasantries. Just a blunt explanation of why she didn't want to continue biology.
Remarkable.
Kiyoshi Yuuma had interviewed quite a few planners recently. Because of the Pokémon project, he wanted people knowledgeable in biology and entomology—and paleontology would be even better. But so far, no candidate stood out.
"Do you like insects?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm! I love them!"
Her eyes lit up instantly at the word.
"What insects do you like? Can you name one or two and describe their habits?"
"My favorite is the Allomyrina dichotoma," she said brightly. "Also known as the Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Males are especially aggressive. When fighting, they shake their head horn up and down, contract their abdomen, and make a chi-chi-chi sound."
Asano raised both hands like claws beside her head and mimicked the sound. Her cute gesture even made HR staffer Ayase Akane laugh.
"That sound is how they show resistance," Asano continued.
"Larvae mostly feed on humus from decayed wood. Adults eat tender branches from elm, mulberry, figs, and some melon flowers. They use their shovel-shaped upper lip to cut the bark, then lick the sap with their brush-like tongue.
When I was a kid, I loved catching them on mountains. If I coated a tree trunk with honey and resin, I could collect a bunch the next day."
Hmm…
What an interesting girl, Kiyoshi Yuuma thought.
Professionally knowledgeable, lively, and energetic. If she joined Pokeni, she would bring quite a bit of vitality.
But imagining this personality representing Pokémon on TV someday… that gave him pause.
"Liking cats and liking insects—isn't that contradictory?" he asked, recalling the earlier scene.
"Not at all."
Asano waved her hands. "Insects have their own charm, and kittens have their own cuteness. They're fluffy, and holding them makes your heart melt."
"I meant—cats play with bugs, and insects fear cats."
"Natural law." She lifted a finger. "Biodiversity and ecological food webs are natural outcomes of evolution. Respecting natural laws doesn't stop you from liking both.
Isn't that what makes nature so fascinating? It nurtures so many diverse and adorable creatures. It's wonderful that we get to share this planet with them."
...
"Mm, it's her."
After seeing Asano off, Kiyoshi Yuuma spoke calmly.
"Hmm?" Ayase Akane looked back. "Really, President? Don't you want to reconsider?"
Something about the girl made Ayase uneasy. Her air of natural indifference suggested she could survive even in a primitive jungle.
"It's her," Kiyoshi Yuuma said with a slight smile.
She would definitely do Pokémon well.
After all, there weren't many people in the world who were both furry enthusiasts and insect enthusiasts rolled into one.