diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/models/topic.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/models/topic.js
index 2170c0ee4c..ed0d7c2c33 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/models/topic.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/models/topic.js
@@ -225,14 +225,8 @@ const Topic = RestModel.extend({
   },
 
   @discourseComputed("category_id")
-  category: {
-    get(categoryId) {
-      return Category.findById(categoryId);
-    },
-    set(category) {
-      this.set("category_id", category.id);
-      return category;
-    },
+  category(categoryId) {
+    return Category.findById(categoryId);
   },
 
   categoryClass: fmt("category.fullSlug", "category-%@"),
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/models/topic-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/models/topic-test.js
index 1f466fd164..02fbdbd492 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/models/topic-test.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/models/topic-test.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import Category from "discourse/models/category";
 import Topic from "discourse/models/topic";
 import User from "discourse/models/user";
 import { discourseModule } from "discourse/tests/helpers/qunit-helpers";
-import createStore from "discourse/tests/helpers/create-store";
+import EmberObject from "@ember/object";
 
 discourseModule("Unit | Model | topic", function () {
   test("defaults", function (assert) {
@@ -36,9 +36,7 @@ discourseModule("Unit | Model | topic", function () {
   });
 
   test("lastUnreadUrl", function (assert) {
-    const store = createStore();
-    const category = store.createRecord("category", {
-      id: 1,
+    const category = EmberObject.create({
       navigate_to_first_post_after_read: true,
     });
 
@@ -47,9 +45,10 @@ discourseModule("Unit | Model | topic", function () {
       highest_post_number: 10,
       last_read_post_number: 10,
       slug: "hello",
-      category_id: category.id,
     });
 
+    topic.set("category", category);
+
     assert.equal(topic.get("lastUnreadUrl"), "/t/hello/101/1");
   });