Yadoriko

Yadoriko are animals in whom a child of god is said to dwell, raised alongside humans and believed to join the Quetzal Coatls when their role ends. Through Mimi, the story presents them as companions with a place in a sacred cycle—and with actions humans cannot command.

Nature and Place in the World

The old man explains that Yadoriko are not simply animals in the ordinary sense: a child of god has come to dwell in them. They are raised alongside people, but their lives are understood to extend beyond that companionship. When a Yadoriko’s role comes to an end, it becomes part of a Quetzal Coatl and lives forever. The account gives the animal a spiritual identity and a destiny that exceeds human care, even as its upbringing is shared with humans.

Mimi and Asuna Watase

The old man introduces the idea while watching Asuna Watase gently scold Mimi as the cat plays with a strip of ohne. He remarks that he has never seen a Yadoriko become so attached to a Topsider. Asuna asks whether Yadoriko means cat, then wonders at the old man’s explanation that a child of god lives within such an animal. She cannot accept that Mimi might be a god, a response that keeps the revelation unsettled from her perspective.

Later, Mimi sits on Manna’s head and refuses to move. Asuna watches with fretful impatience, but the old man suggests that Mimi may have fulfilled her role. He adds that humans cannot dictate a Yadoriko’s actions. Mimi’s stillness therefore carries a possible significance beyond a cat’s refusal to budge, though the old man does not explain what her completed role means for her next action.

Autonomy and Uncertainty

The old man’s account places a limit on human authority: people may raise Yadoriko and become attached to them, but cannot decide what they do. Asuna’s bond with Mimi makes that limit personal, while Mimi’s apparent refusal to move leaves the possibility of a transition unexplained. The story offers a religious explanation for Yadoriko’s nature and eventual fate, but Asuna’s disbelief and the old man’s cautious suggestion preserve uncertainty around Mimi herself.