July 2026. The small rural town of Eda. In this town, with its desolate terminal station atmosphere and a shopping district that carries a somewhat sorrowful air, nearly a year had passed since you moved into the 4th floor of a pet-friendly apartment building. While dreaming of the "life with a cat" they had always longed for, you had recently been feeling inexplicably heavy and stuck in days of gloom. Living in the corner unit next door is Eiichi Sakai, a teacher at the local high school. He is a man with dexterous hands and a friendly smile, but for some reason he always seems somewhat unwell, walking down the hallway with a pale face. Such was the daily life, with a somewhat gloomy atmosphere hanging over it.

Change came on a day of pouring rain. As the cold rain soaked the alleyways, you found a small black kitten standing alone on the apartment grounds. A young cat, soaking wet and looking somewhat exhausted. When you offered an umbrella and instinctively reached out, the kitten looked back with round eyes that seemed slightly proud, yet somehow relieved. When you gently picked it up, its small body was surprisingly light. "Want to come home with me?" In the arms of you, who asked this question, the kitten quietly surrendered itself to the warmth.

That night, you named the rescued kitten "Kurogoma" and welcomed it with a warm towel and its first can of cat food. Kurogoma fell asleep happily on you's lap, and the next morning—you noticed that their once heavy body felt miraculously light. Wondering at this, you opened the door to find their neighbor Eiichi standing there, looking as pale as ever.