Eris, I'm actually from another world called Earth. In my previous life, I died trying to save a girl from getting hit by a truck, and now I've reincarnated as a catgirl in a fantasy world.
…
Yeah.
Absolutely not.
There is no universe where I can tell her that with a straight face.
At best, she'd think I was insane. At worst, she'd assume I'd completely lost my mind and drag me off to some medieval asylum.
And honestly… explaining that I used to be a man would make the entire conversation unbelievably awkward.
I quietly take a deep breath and force myself to think rationally.
The past doesn't matter anymore.
That life is gone.
I'm no longer some exhausted office worker drowning in deadlines and wasting his paycheck on gacha games while surviving on caffeine and regret.
Now I'm a catgirl living in a fantasy world.
A completely new life.
A fresh start.
If I want to survive here, then I need to let go of who I used to be and adapt to this reality instead.
So what's the safest explanation I can give her?
Simple.
Memory loss.
*****
"No way…" Eris gasps.
At some point, she's moved to sit beside me on the bed, her hands gently wrapped around mine. Her palms are warm, though rough with small calluses that suggest years of sword practice and hard travel.
"You really can't remember anything?" she asks quietly. "Your family? Your home? Nothing at all?"
I slowly shake my head.
"No… Every time I try to remember, my head starts hurting really badly. It's like… like there's a thick black fog covering all my memories."
It's a complete lie.
Well… mostly.
But it's a harmless one.
Eris's expression immediately crumples with sympathy. Her blue eyes glisten as she hurriedly wipes away a forming tear with the back of her hand.
"That's horrible," she whispers. "I can't even imagine waking up one day and forgetting my parents or my little brother. Just thinking about it makes my chest hurt…"
The sincerity in her voice catches me completely off guard.
She genuinely feels sorry for me.
"It's okay, though," I say quickly, trying to reassure her before she gets even more emotional. "If I can't remember anything, then there's nothing for me to miss, right?"
"Well… I guess that makes sense," Eris murmurs, though she still looks troubled.
"Really, I'm fine," I continue. "And honestly, I'm lucky you were the one who found me. If somebody else had discovered me first… especially someone with bad intentions… I don't even want to imagine what could've happened."
Eris lowers her gaze briefly before letting out a quiet sigh.
"No, don't say it like that. Anyone decent would've helped you."
Somehow, I doubt that very much.
Still, before I can respond, Eris hesitates.
"But… your name?" she asks carefully. "You forgot that too?"
The question hits me like a brick.
Oh no.
My name!
I can't really use my past life's name, can I? It was too much of a dude's name, totally not fitting a cute catgirl at all!
"Y-Yeah…" I answer. "I can't remember anything about it. Not even the first letter…"
But then, suddenly I hear it, a faint whisper inside my head. Distant, yet impossibly clear, a feminine voice.
And with it comes a single word.
A name.
Beautiful and unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting at the same time.
Before I can stop myself, the word slips from my lips.
"…Felicia."
Eris blinks in surprise.
"Felicia?" Her ears perk up. "That's a beautiful name! See? You do remember something!"
A bright smile spreads across her face, full of excitement and relief.
But I barely hear her.
Because I'm too busy staring blankly ahead in shock.
The moment I heard that voice… the moment I spoke that name… something deep inside my chest twisted painfully. There's now a strange ache, filled with longing, sadness, and familiarity all at once, like the faint echo of someone else's memories brushing against my soul.
Felicia…
The name lingers in my mind long after I say it aloud.
Was that the catgirl's name? The original owner of this body? The mysterious girl I tried to save before the truck hit us?
And now that I thought about it more carefully… was she even a cosplayer to begin with?
I honestly didn't know anymore.
There was no way to confirm anything now.
Still, the name Felicia felt strangely natural to me. It carried a soft elegance that suited this body perfectly, cute without sounding childish, graceful without being overly fancy. The moment I said it aloud, it felt like the name belonged to me somehow.
And since Eris already believed it was my real name…
Well, I might as well use it.
"Felicia…" I murmur again, quietly testing the sound of it on my tongue.
Then suddenly, Eris gasps.
"Wait!"
Her ears perk upright as if she has just remembered something important. Before I can ask what she means, she quickly rises from the bed and hurries toward the large chest sitting in the corner of the room, the one wrapped tightly in chains and secured with a heavy iron padlock.
"Your belongings!" she blurts out excitedly. "Maybe seeing them will help you recover your memories!"
"My… belongings?" I repeat.
"Yeah! The clothes you were wearing, your accessories, everything! I kept it all safe."
She kneels beside the chest and pulls out a key from one of her belt pouches. A moment later, the lock clicks open, followed by the clatter of chains falling aside. Then she lifts the heavy lid.
The instant she reaches inside and pulls something out, my breath catches.
It's a dress.
No…
Not just a dress.
A breathtaking gothic dress made from luxurious black velvet, its dark fabric shimmering beneath the moonlight pouring through the window. Intricate silver embroidery curls across the bodice and sleeves in delicate patterns, while deep crimson accents line the edges like scattered rose petals stained in blood.
So dark.
So elegant.
So beautiful and horrifying familiar!
Recognition crashes into me so suddenly that my chest tightens.
I know this dress.
I've seen it before.
It was the exact same outfit worn by the catgirl standing in the middle of the street before the accident.
The girl I tried to save.
My dress.
"Oh!" Eris exclaims, immediately noticing my reaction. "Your expression changed! You remembered something, didn't you?"
"I…" My voice falters.
Not really.
At least, not in the way she thinks.
Still, my hands move on their own. Slowly, I reach toward the dress, my fingertips trembling hard as they brush against the soft velvet fabric.
And then, the moment I touch it, a strange ache spreads through my chest.
An emotion I can't describe.
It feels distant and blurry, like trying to remember a forgotten dream.
"I still can't remember much," I admit quietly. "But… this feels important somehow. Familiar."
Eris's face brightens immediately.
"Then that's good! Even small memories are progress!"
She continues rummaging through the chest before suddenly pulling out a small wooden jewelry box.
"And there's more," she says as she carefully hands it to me. "These were with your things too."
I glance down at the box resting in my hands.
Jewelry?
For some reason, my pulse begins to quicken.
Slowly, I open it.
Inside rests a silver necklace alongside a pair of delicate earrings, their surfaces catching the dim light with a faint shimmer.
The moment I see them, something inside me cracks.
A sudden wave of emotion surges through my chest so violently that it nearly steals my breath away. My throat tightens painfully, while an overwhelming sadness rises from somewhere deep inside me.
I don't understand it.
I don't know why these objects affect me so strongly.
And yet, before I can stop myself, tears begin spilling down my cheeks.
—------------------------------------
Catgirl funfact #3:
Even if it's not as flexible and strong as a monkey's tail, a catgirl's tail is still very important! First, for balance! And second, more importantly, to look cool and stylish.