The cat that started all the trouble
The episode starts with a young woman, Shizuko Amagi, coming across a stray cat, who she dubs "Muru", after she moves into a new apartment. However, while everything is at first going well, they start getting weird when Shizuko gets starts getting prank calls, packages she didn't order (delivered by Ai and Co), and threatening letters, with one warning her to get rid of the cat. After that, she hires a private eye, who finds tells her that it was her neighbor, Kyouko Tachibana, behind it.Since she thinks that Kyouko is annoyed about her cat "Muru", she writes a letter telling her that she's sorry and that she'll move out with the cat ASAP. Later on, Shizuko finds her apartment broken into and the cat gone.
Tropes for The Distant Room Next Door
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: The plot (or most of it) wouldn't have happened if Kyouko just told Shizuko that Muru was hers
- Cruel Twist Ending: After believing that Muru was butchered by Kyouko, Shizuko pulls the string, damning both herself and Kyouko to Hell. However, Ren reveals during the boat sequence that Muru's death was staged by Kyouko, which is confirmed by Murr showing up to greet Shizuko just moments after she pulled the string, meaning that Shizuko damned herself for nothing.
- Hikikomori: From what we can guess, Kyouko seems to be this, considering how reclusive and shy she is.
- Only Friend: Muru was Kyouko's, it's seems, considering the measures she took to get the cat back and how reclusive she seems to be.
- Poor Communication Kills: The entire time Kyouko was just trying to tell Shizuko that the cat was actually hers but resorted to threats and malicious pranks to do it. After the latter sends her to hell for another one of her pranks, Shizuko finds out too late that Muru had an owner and that Kyouko would never do anything to hurt the cat.
- Rivers of Blood: Kikuri turns Kyouko's apartment into a whirlpool of cat blood before Ai sends her to Hell.
- Tomato in the Mirror: The whole episode has been Kyouko experiencing the events of the previous several days from Shizuko's perspective.
