Cat Tea House

On her way home from school, Lin Xiaoman takes a shortcut, turns down the wrong alley, and walks through a patch of fog. There she finds a cafe with a wooden sign on the door: "We don't serve people who pick fights, flip tables, or pretend they aren't craving anything." She steps inside. In a cardboard box behind the counter, a calico cat raises one eyelid.

"Who are you looking for?"

"A job."

Sancai is a nekomata's descendant, chosen by the spirit world to guard the street between worlds. Udon is a former cleaner, hunted by his own people, whom she carried home from a rainy night. A calico cat, a black cat, and a teahouse at the entrance to the spirit world. Human customers come by day for calico lattes, while spirit customers drink tea and trade stories in the back room at night. Playing cards are the rules, bells form the barrier, the teapot lid falls off every time, and the Chihuahua at the street corner walks past every day at three.

Life on the street goes on just fine, though things outside are less peaceful. The administration is watching in secret, exorcists keep guard at the entrance, the guardians of the boundary network meets once a year, and the old nekomata has tricked her again and still owes her an apology. But life goes on, the night market still opens, the communal feasts still happen, and the dried fish cookies are still fought over.

One nekomata, one black cat, one human shopkeeper, and one street between worlds. Can humans and spirits get along? Yes. As long as nobody grabs the last dried fish cookie, everything else can be worked out.