Naming
Hey, guys!
The moment I woke up, this scary-looking guy with a scar on his face was peering right at me, and I instinctively went right back to sleep… well, more like I pretended to sleep. That’s me, Yuta!
No, seriously, that freaked me out…
After I started faking it, I remembered.
For some reason I’d been reincarnated as a kitten and wandered through a midwinter forest… and then I finally met a human, climbed onto his thigh, and just fell asleep there on my own!
Thinking back on everything that happened last night, I cautiously opened my eyes.
And sure enough, that scarred, intimidating guy was staring right at me.
Scary.
“Meow~”
“… Finally awake, huh. Slept like a log on top of my leg all night.”
“Unyaa, nya.”
Clicking his tongue, the scary guy poked me with his index finger.
Without thinking, I let out a small sound and clung tightly to that finger.
… But I got a little too into it, my claws popped out and dug right into his finger.
“Miya!?”
Ah, sorry!?
Crap, I finally met a human, I was planning to suck up as hard as I could!
This is the worst possible first impression!
… But even though my claws were digging into him, the guy didn’t react at all.
If anything, he just tilted his head like, “…?”
“Are those claws? So you can extend and retract them at will… but they’re way too small to be weapons. Guess you’re not a monster after all…?”
Looks like my claws did zero damage.
I mean, yeah, his finger wasn’t even red, let alone bleeding.
That’s a relief… no, wait, my pride kinda hates that!
“Meow, meow!”
I placed my little paw on his palm and this time deliberately popped my claws out to show him.
But when he saw that, he actually snorted.
“Hah. What’s that supposed to be? Don’t tell me you’re trying to threaten me.”
“Nya~!?”
“Hmph. With claws and a body that small, you think you can challenge me? Do you even know who I am?”
Come to think of it… yeah, who is this guy?
I didn’t notice yesterday, but… looking closely, his clothes are weird too.
Leather armor and a cloak, definitely not something you’d see in modern Japan.
And he’s got a sword and shield right next to him.
On top of that, he’s got gray eyes and matching hair, a rugged face, and a powerful build.
No way he’s Japanese.
Wait… does that mean… this isn’t Japan to begin with?
“Nii…”
A weak sound slipped out of me.
What do I do…? I totally thought I was still in Japan, so if I made it to a town, I could just suck up to cat lovers and get picked up by an animal shelter right away…!
And then eventually I’d become someone’s pet cat and enjoy a classy life with three meals a day and naps!
But if this isn’t Japan, then my whole plan is completely ruined.
Worse, what if this is a country where people hate cats!?
My tail drooped as I hung my head.
And then, something suddenly touched my forehead.
When I looked up, that scary guy was frowning down at me.
Scary.
“Hey, what’s with the sudden sulking? You hungry or something?”
“Nii…”
“… Guess it’s about time to eat. I’m getting hungry too.”
The guy rummaged around inside his cloak and pulled out some reddish jerky and a piece of black bread that looked hard as a rock.
He drew the short sword at his waist, sliced off pieces of jerky, and tossed them into his mouth along with the bread.
The sound of chewing echoed through the quiet cave.
“Not much flavor… well, can’t be picky.”
As he said that, he cut off a small piece of jerky and dropped it in front of me.
“Miya!?”
Eh, wait what, seriously!?
I can have some too!?
I found myself glancing back and forth between the jerky in front of me and his face.
But he didn’t say anything, just kept eating his own food.
“Nya, nya~...”
“What, being polite? You’ve got better manners than the guys in my crew.”
With a faintly sarcastic grin, he tore off a piece of the black bread and dropped that in front of me too.
Wait, what!? Not just the jerky, even the bread!?
“Go on, eat, runt.”
“Nya, nyaa…!”
And just like that, hunger finally won. I pounced on the jerky and black bread in front of me.
It was a bit tough, but the more I chewed, the more flavor seeped out.
More than anything, to my empty stomach after not eating for a whole day, it was the best meal imaginable.
“Meowwr…”
After finishing, I licked my front paws and carefully washed my face.
After sleeping on his lap all night and filling my stomach, my energy had completely come back.
I walked over to him to say thanks.
He had already finished eating and was leaning back against the wall, quietly watching me gobble everything up.
When I rubbed my head against his leg, his hand reached out and started petting my head.
“Myaaa~”
This time, I rubbed my head harder against his palm.
He let out a low chuckle from deep in his throat.
“Well, looks like I’ve gone and tamed you completely. I was planning to eat you, too… good grief, what am I even doing?”
Wait, eat…?
Y-you’re kidding, right? Come on, don’t joke like that!
You weren’t seriously thinking of eating a fluffy, adorable kitten like me… right?
… Right?
“Nyau~”
“Hah. No way something this lacking in caution is a monster. If anything, I’m impressed you managed to survive alone in this forest.”
Saying that, he scooped me up and stood.
Once again, I was reminded just how small I was, completely fitting in his large palm.
And then…
“…? Come to think of it, my leg doesn’t hurt at all…”
He set me down and began unwrapping the rough cloth around his leg.
It was soaked with bright red blood, but the wound underneath was shallower than expected, already starting to close.
At the same time, I noticed it too.
The deep gash on his cheek from last night had already begun healing, forming a thin scab.
Even the strong smell of blood from before had faded considerably.
“That was supposed to be a pretty bad wound… is it just from resting overnight?”
“Miyau…”
The wound didn’t look that deep, but I still couldn’t help worrying.
I cautiously stepped closer to his leg and let out a small cry.
He chuckled again and picked me up.
“Don’t make that sad sound. I’m fine.”
“Nyaa…”
“So don’t worry. If anything, I can probably leave here and go look for my men now.”
With that, he lifted me again, holding me snugly in one hand as he started walking forward.
His strong steps headed straight for the cave entrance.
“I’ll take you with me, runt. Something as small as you won’t survive on its own.”
“Meow~!”
I answered energetically.
Yep, absolutely correct!
There’s no way I can survive alone!
As if he understood exactly how I felt, the guy’s lips softened into a faint smile.
“Can’t keep calling you ‘runt’ forever. Guess I’ll give you a name. Let’s see… how about Al, taken from my own name?”
“Meowr!”
I replied with a short cry, and he nodded in satisfaction.
“Alright, it’s settled. I’m Valdo, the captain of the Black Iron Claws mercenary band.”
My chest filled up, and I let out another cheerful “Nyaa!”
And just like that, in this snowy forest, I met Valdo, the captain of the Black Iron Claws… and began walking the path of living alongside him.
What do you think about this chapter?
