So, my first time cooking for a guest is a resounding success. Sure, it’s a five-year-old girl, but a win is a win, right? Once we’re done, Natalia helps me with the dishes, but almost falls asleep midway. She ate so much…like seriously, I’m beginning to think that Pisa and Nadania aren’t feeding her properly at all. Only oatmeal…the way she devoured that cheese…Natalia must be missing some key nutrients. Who knows what kind of food Demi-Cats need for a balanced diet, but from the looks of it, she hasn’t been getting it. Ugh…was this part of your plan, Pisa? To starve your own daughter until I can’t risk letting her return home? Well played…it’s working. And I thought I was cruel in my last life…

When Natalia’s head droops, her hands still clenched tightly around a wet dish towel, I realize that she’s at her limit. Grabbing her hand, I guide her upstairs while carrying her backpack. At the top, I make sure she brushes her teeth in the bathroom while I go and finish the rest of the dishes. Finally, I go up and prepare for bed myself. By the time I’m done brushing my teeth, I find her curled up on the bed like a little human cat. Her fuzzy ears twitch as she dreams. I laugh.

Pfft…She’s still just a kid. Really ate too much. But I guess that’s a good thing for a growing girl. Let’s see if we can fatten her up a bit while she’s here.

“M…more…please…so…tasty…” She murmurs in her sleep. Smiling, I go and do a bunch of push ups and magic exercises in the corner. Not enough that I completely exhaust all my mana in case someone attacks at night, but my hope is that if I tire myself out, I won’t have the energy for nightmares. An hour later, I go downstairs and check that the front door is tightly locked and all the windows are closed. Ever since Gatoa broke in…I feel like I can never be too careful.

“All clear!” Going back up, I close the bedroom door, and wonder how to tackle the problem in front of me. “Now, how are we going to do this? Mark keeps joking that he could make the bed smaller, but it’s already pretty tiny. And I’m not getting any smaller…” The issue at hand is that Natalia has decided to occupy the very center of the bed. If I’m going to have any space, I’m either going to have to move her or curl up around her. Not looking to get arrested by the Isekai Police, I kneel on the mattress and try to push the sleeping Demi-Cat out of the way. She resists me, seemingly glued to the center of the bed.

“N-No! Mine! You can’t kick me out! This spot is mine! Myrr said so!” My ‘sister’ mumbles about getting permission to stay there from the very person who is trying to move her. Unfortunately, I forgot about her amazing Demi-Cat strength. It’s like wrestling with a demon. I might as well try to shift a mountain than move this little girl. Sighing, I resolve myself to just sleep on the edge of the bed tonight. Stretching out, I stare through the window into the silver moonlight wistfully. Romy…Mark…are you okay? I’m trying to do my best and wait for you like you told me to, but I don’t know how long I can stay still while you’re in danger. Hurry back soon!

#

[Truthseeker, did you find what you are looking for?

Do you realize you know nothing?

If you accept that fact, you can learn anything here…

Will you regret my offer?

Even if you do…I think it will be a beautiful mistake!]

That voice again…I’ve heard it before.

But where was it…

Or should I say, when was it…

Have I forgotten something important?

#

*Honk*

The streets of New York City are always bustling, even in the dead of night. It feels like the city just begins to wake up when the sun goes down and the lights turn on. In the summer, the heat is stifling, and right now there isn’t even the slightest wind. You’d think there’d be wind this high up on my penthouse balcony. Standing on the wrong side of the safety railing, I can’t help but think that this is wrong. But I have nothing to live for. I can see it. No one will text me. No one will call. All I have to do is jump. And I will disappear.

“Why am I waiting? Do I really think it will get better?” I chide myself, trying to get that final push to go over the edge. “Just get it over with. People say it will get better, but you know it won’t.” Even though I know what I will see, I still can’t resist the urge to check my phone as it starts beeping. You’d think someone like me wouldn’t need to set alarms. But I forget things just like normies. On that one thing, we are similar.

[0 Missed Calls.

0 New Texts.

Alarm: 12:00P.M.

Description: Jump.

You have dismissed this alarm 1094 times.

Would you like to snooze this alarm?]

Heh…what’s the point of having a girlfriend?

Not like I really care.

But it would be nice if she checked on me just once.

Instead of only texting when my credit cards need to be paid.

Worthless trash, all we do is use each other.

Why do normies want this?

It’s just as lonely as being alone.

Everything is the same.

I can’t stand it.

“I’m going to go.” Speaking out loud gives my thoughts weight. Putting one foot over the edge, I let it hang there, my leather dress shoe ready to take me to the next world. Holding onto the railing with both hands, I slowly relax my fingers. “This world…there really is no point. I can see everything, but you forgot to give me a reason. Do you hear that? If you exist…why did you make me without a reason? Hehehe, I guess if we’re molded in your image, then it’s no surprise you’re just useless trash as well. Screw you!”

Then the wind begins to rush by. My feet slide through the dead air without stopping and I am going down…down…down…the ultimate cliff jump into an urban jungle. The windows rush by, and terror floods my veins as the streets come closer. In a second, I will die.

Hold on!

This isn’t how it went!

I don’t want to die!

I’m still afraid!

Even if I have nothing to live for, I’m still scared of what comes next!

Stop!

STOP!

*Shuaaaaaaa*

“NOOO-! SOMEONE SAVE M-!”

*Smack*

The end is an abrupt rush.

However, unexpectedly, I am still here.

Everything turned dark, all the lights and cars are gone.

I thought death would be nothingness, and this is kind of like that.

But I still exist. I still think.

However, I cannot move.

There is no one around.

I can’t do anything.

Not even scream.

N-No…this is just the same as living!

Worse than that!

There is no end!

LET ME OUT!

But no one can answer.

Because I made a mistake.

And now I must pay forever-

HELP!

HELP HELP HELP!

I DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE!

*SMACK*

My bursting terror, the sheer pulsing adrenaline in my veins, I can feel it. Unlike that place, the numbness of death, there is feeling here. And I am so glad for that-

“Myrr! Wake up! WAKE UP!”

Glacia? Is that you?

Am I still in the other world?

Or is this just a beautiful dream?

“MYRR!” Something soft and padded rocks my head again and my eyes finally open. It is still dark. The dead of night. Blearily, I make out orange hair. A terrified face pressed up right against mine with wide eyes. It’s not Glacia…oh…right…she left. Then this is…ah…Natalia. I ruined my image. Then that…was just a nightmare? But it was so real…

“I’m…back.” I whisper and she sighs, collapsing on my chest. As always after a nightmare, I’m covered in sweat, and probably gross, but Natalia doesn’t care. Staring up at the ceiling, I want to close my eyes and pretend this never happened. However, my heaving chest and shivering limbs cannot hide the truth so easily. “Sorry. This is embarrassing.”

“You scared me!” Natalia bats my head with her hand, and my gaze shifts sideways from the blow. However, her hand is not hard. It’s soft, fuzzy. I realize that she has transformed into her cat form. She’s shaking as well. “Myrr was saying scary things! Things which Myrr would never say! You’re not Myrr! Imposter! IMPOSTER! Evil spirit give me back my Myrr!”

“H-Hey, relax. I’m me. It was just a nightmare!” I try to hold back the arms she’s using to hit me. It seems she might be picking up certain behaviors from Romy. Fortunately, she’s controlling her Demi-Cat power, or I’d probably get beaten worse than Mark. “I’m sorry.”

“Y-You mean it?” The little girl trembles as she stops beating me. Laying atop my chest, her paws slowly start to transform back into human hands. “You won’t go away? You won’t…die?”

“I…can’t promise any of that. One day, I’ll need to leave this place. And we all die someday, you know that right, Natalia?” I try to still my beating heart. Gradually, as the Demi-Cat turns back into a girl, and I return to the present me, I realize that the roof must be leaking again. Wiping my eyes, I apologize once more. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

I’m not sure what she heard…but it must have been bad.

Damn.

“As long as Myrr…doesn’t die. Anything is okay.” She says slowly. I continue to stare up at the ceiling, too embarrassed to meet her gaze. “Will there be a place at your side for me…?”

“Heh…I won’t turn down any company. But it seems that everyone in this world is after me. Assassins…demons…I don’t know if you should risk yourself for someone like me.” Bitterly, I rub my eyes until they’re red. But at least they’re dry. Damnit, I really cried in front of Natalia? “Maybe it’s best if you move back in with your parents…”

*WHAP*

A little human palm slaps my cheek.

“H-Hey! What was that for?” I’m forced to look at her. Immediately, I regret my callousness. After the dream, I can feel the darkness returning. That indifference. It made me careless. Natalia’s nose is all wrinkled up, and her eyes are brimming with unshed tears. There’s something poking out of her cheeks. Little hairs. As I watch, they recede and pop back inside the skin. Were those…whiskers?

“You said I could be your maid!” She roars, and I hear the Demi-Cat in her come out. “But now you don’t want me…”

Ah damnit.

If this keeps up, I’m really going to turn into Mark.

“That’s not what I meant.” I hurriedly try to pat her head. Though she tries to shy away, it’s a half-hearted attempt to escape. My fingers catch the girl and run through her hair. Slowly, she stills, and the anger bleeds away under my gentle care. Thank God she’s still a kid. Grown women are impossible to deal with when they’re angry. “I just don’t think it’s safe for you to stay near me. You almost died when Gatoa came, remember?”

“So what? Mother says it’s the duty of a maid to support her master with her life if necessary!” Natalia protests. She squirms, but since she’s an obedient child, gives up. “I’ll grow strong and protect Myrr with my life! Adult Demi-Cats are powerful warriors! You wait and see!”

“I wouldn’t want your death on my conscience.” I’m beginning to realize that the Demi-Cat’s definition of a maid may be different from the one on Earth.

“Hmph, then I’ll become so strong that I’ll never die! And protect Myrr forever!” She boldly declares the impossible and I feel a bit of light return to me. Not enough to smile, but enough to want to. I settle for closing my eyes and stroking the fuzzy pair of ears atop Natalia’s head. “H-Hey! It tickles!”

“Heh…not even strong enough to handle this and you want to protect me from demons?”

“T-That’s not the same! S-Stop! Hahaha STAAAWWP! Demi-Cat ears are really sensitive!”

Sighing, I ignore the fact that the Isekai Police will probably bust down the door tomorrow morning after this one. It’s not my fault! I slept on the edge of the bed. She came after ME! That thought gets a little grin out of my morbid lips. As the moonlight from the window falls warmly on my face, I allow myself to pass the night by talking to Natalia.

“If you really become that strong when you’re older. I won’t be able to stop you from following me…”

“Then I will be your maid. And we can fight evil together.”

“What if I am evil?”

“Myrr can’t be evil. That’s impossible.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you saved my life.”

“I told you that you saved me, your life was in danger because of me!”

“No! Myrr teaches me everything. And that time when I was hurt, everything was dark. All I could hear was your voice. It was so warm...I wanted to go into the light, but Myrr’s voice was better. So Myrr can’t be evil, because he is better than the light.”

“Wait hold on, you were trying to go into the light?!”

“Can you cook more pasta in the morning?”

“Y-Yea…wait, don’t change the subject! You absolutely must not go into the light in situations like that!”