Matao

Matao was once a young human adult, dying in hospice at home from heart failure. During this time, he discovered he had the gift to see yokai and the spirits of the dead, something that the average human could not. Discovering this ability terrified him greatly so he hid in his house, mainly staying in his bedroom most of the time. While he was dying, his parents didn’t care for him. They had already written him off as dead, and were already trying to conceive another child. Both of them were often out working, paying off the medical bills that Matao was racking up, and in their free time, partying at local clubs downtown. This left the young man very lonely. With nobody else left to talk to, and being told to stay off the internet as it would “rot his mind,” Matao began to confide in the dead and yokai that would pass by his bedroom window at night. Eventually, this would lead him to meeting a certain Rokurokubi, who would eventually become his best friend. .

The street Matao lived on happened to be at a crossroads intersection, a rather busy street. One night, while he was gazing out into the dimly lit street, a young woman crossed it while the crossing light was still red. Matao, noticing this, called out from his window, telling her to go back before a car hit her dead on. Well, it did. He flinched and looked away, expecting to see a splattered mess in the road, but instead came face to face with Kimi, who had a stern expression. Matao fell to the floor in shock as Kimi stretched her neck into the bedroom. He had assumed that she was a human! Shaking his head, he frowned and asked who she was. This was the start of a friendship that Matao prized most.

As months passed, the friendship between the two blossomed, while Matao’s heart became weaker with each passing day. Eventually, he became bedridden, and Kimi grew attached to the young human. Then the day finally came. Neither of his parents were home at the time, nor did they care to see him pass. They were partying downtown once more. The only person who was there for him was Kimi. As Matao rested in his bed, the two tried their best to talk lightheartedly, but eventually, she broke down into tears. Matao reached for her hand and squeezed it, promising to come back to her someday. He closed his eyes and relaxed as his heart gave out on him, and he perished. Kimi couldn’t bear to see the sight of her dead friend, so she left through the same window she came in through every day, sobbing all the while. For a moment, the world stood still. Everything was quiet. There was nothing. Then, he woke up.

Seconds after Kimi left, the soul of Matao had transformed, and turned both his newly deceased body, and his sick heart into a healthy lineheart. Upon waking up, Matao could barely comprehend what had just happened. But he knew one thing. He couldn’t live there any longer, not with parents like his. They wouldn’t miss him anyways. But Kimi would and then it hit him. Where was Kimi? So, he left his house for good and scoured the local area for her, but turned up empty by morning. Frustrated and hungry, he sat in an alleyway with a bunch of cats, unsure of what to do next. A door next to him swung open, and an elderly yokai walked out with a bag of canned cat food. The elderly woman could barely see so at first, it was hard to discern between Matao and the other cats. They did both have cat ears and a cat tail after all! Matao stayed quiet at first, watching the other cats eat their wet food. Then, the old woman addressed him, asking if he would like to come inside, finding that nobody should ever have to go hungry. He nodded and followed her inside, to what was a cat café.

The old lady introduced herself as Hanako, and set a plate of food in front of him, sitting across while Matao nervously eyed the room. Hanako urged him to take a bite, and as he ate, she asked why he was sitting around in an alleyway. He broke down in tears, and told her everything. By the time he had finished, Hanako felt pity for him. She was once in a very similar situation herself long ago. So, she offered Matao a place to live, and in return, he would work at her cat café, serving customers that would come in for both cats and food. Matao hesitantly agreed. He started work that very same day, and began to live in the house that was upstairs with Hanako. Over the span of a few months, Matao got to know the cats well, and quickly rose through the ranks of waiter to then part-time manager. Then, Hanako promoted him to manager of the café, telling him that the owner of the café would be coming that day to see how he does under this new role. If he passed, Hanako could retire to the tropics, and enjoy the rest of her life there. If not, well, it doesn’t hurt to try a second time in the next six months. Matao was anxious, but took on the task regardless.

Later on that day, the owner of the restaurant came, and Matao stood at attention at first. The owner was an oddly haired man who introduced himself as Rikou, and next to him was…Kimi?! During his months at the café, he had almost entirely forgotten about Kimi, but seeing her in person again made his heart skip a beat. It took everything in his body to not approach her as someone he knew. No, he’d have to do that a different time, because it seemed that she didn’t recognize him either. Kimi introduced herself as well, and Matao sat the two down at a table for a treat. As he served others, he realized that Rikou was watching him the entire time. When he brought over the strawberry cake they had ordered, he noticed that Kimi was in the bathroom. Rikou looked at him dead on, and asked where he knew Kimi from. Matao responded nervously, but gave him an honest answer. He had died earlier that year and Kimi was his best friend, but because he took on a new form, she didn’t instantly recognize him. Rikou sighed, and nodded, replying that while Kimi was street smart, she wasn’t very good at remembering things. He then gave Matao a proposition. Matao could either stay manager of the cat café Rikou owned, or come to the Nura mansion, where he had a better chance of speaking with Kimi. Matao looked back at Hanako, who gave an approving nod. If it meant that Matao could speak with his best friend again, then she would be more than willing to stay manager of the cafe. When Kimi came back, she was surprised to see her cake in a to-go box, and with her master standing next to the manager of the cat café. Rikou calmly explained to her that Matao was joining their parade and to welcome him nicely, as she may know him better than others. Confused, she shrugged and along with Matao, followed Rikou back to the Nura mansion. Matao currently resides at the Nura mansion with the rest of the Night Parade.