, also known as The Deskmate Cat and the Love Novice, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akinoko. It initially began serialization on the author's Twitter account in November 2023. It later began a parallel serialization in Square Enix's manga magazine Monthly Big Gangan in April 2024.
Synopsis Minato Seno is a shy and lonely high school student. One day, he is told by his teacher to wake up his classmate Mugi Nekozane from her slumber. He later befriends Nekozane due to their shared interests in cats and photography, and they slowly start to develop feelings for each other.
Characters
Voiced by: Tomori Kusunoki (PV) A first-year high school student. She spends most of the time sleeping and considers cats to be superior beings in the world, showing little interest in humans.
A first-year high school student. Even though he is shy and introverted, he still hopes to become friends with his classmate sitting next to him, Nekozane.
Publication Written and illustrated by Akinoko, Learning to Love My Cat-like Classmate began serialization on the author's Twitter account on November 21, 2023. It later began a parallel serialization in Square Enix's manga magazine Monthly Big Gangan on April 25, 2024. Its chapters have been compiled into six volumes as of April 2026.
The series is published in English on Square Enix's Manga Up! Global service. During their panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Yen Press announced that they had licensed the series for English publication under the title The Deskmate Cat and the Love Novice.
Reception The series was ranked thirteenth in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics list of 2025. The series was nominated for the 11th Next Manga Awards in the print category in 2025, and was ranked seventeenth.
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