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's 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 this 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, wasting his paycheck on gacha games, and somehow surviving on nothing but 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, I need to let go of who I used to be and learn to adapt. There's no point clinging to a life that's already over, right?
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, gently holding both my hands in hers. Her palms are warm, though rough with little calluses that suggest years of sword practice and hard travel.
"You really can't remember anything?" she asks, squeezing my hand a little. "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." I answer.
Of course, it's a complete lie.
Well... mostly.
But it's a harmless one. Probably.
Eris's expression immediately crumples with sympathy. Her blue eyes glisten, and she hurriedly wipes away a tear that's beginning to form 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 might've happened."
Eris lowers her gaze for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"No, don't say it like that. Anyone decent would've helped you."
Somehow, after the terrible things that had happened, 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 exactly use the name from my previous life, can I? It was way too much of a dude's name. Totally unsuited to a cute catgirl like me!
"Y-Yeah..." I answer. "I can't remember anything about it. Not even the first letter..."
But then, suddenly, I hear something.
A faint whisper inside my head.
It's distant, yet impossibly clear, carried by a feminine voice I can't quite place.
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.
I'm too busy staring blankly ahead, completely stunned.
The moment I hear that voice, the moment I speak that name, something deep inside my chest twists painfully. A strange ache settles there, tangled up with longing, sadness, and a sense of familiarity I can't quite explain. It's almost like the faint echo of someone else's memories brushing against my soul.
Felicia...
The name lingers in my mind long after I've said it aloud.
Is 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 think about it...
Was she even a cosplayer to begin with?
I honestly don't know anymore.
There's no way to confirm any of it now.
Still, the name Felicia feels strangely natural to me. It has a soft elegance that suits this body perfectly, cute without sounding childish and graceful without being overly fancy. The moment I say it aloud, it feels as though the name belongs to me somehow.
And since Eris already believes it's my real name...
Well, I might as well use it.
"Felicia..." I murmur again, quietly testing the sound on my tongue. "Yes, I suppose... My name is Felicia..."
Then, suddenly, Eris gasps.
"Wait!"
Her ears shoot upright, as if she's just remembered something important. Before I can ask what she means, she quickly gets off the bed and hurries toward the large chest sitting in the corner of the room. The same one wrapped in chains and secured with a heavy iron padlock.
"Your belongings!" she blurts out excitedly. "Maybe seeing them will help you recover your memories!"
"Huh? 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 a key from one of her belt pouches. A moment later, the lock clicks open, followed by the clatter of chains falling away.
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 any dress.
It's a breathtaking gothic dress made from luxurious black velvet. The dark fabric shimmers faintly beneath the moonlight pouring through the window, while intricate silver embroidery curls across the bodice and sleeves in delicate patterns. Deep crimson accents line the edges, almost like rose petals stained with blood.
So dark.
So elegant.
So beautiful...
And horrifyingly familiar.
Recognition crashes into me so suddenly that my chest tightens.
I know this dress.
I've seen it before.
It's the exact same outfit worn by the catgirl standing in the middle of the street before the accident!
The girl I tried to save....
Or in other words... My dress.
"Oh!" Eris exclaims, immediately noticing my reaction. "Your expression changed! You remembered something, didn't you?"
"I..." My voice falters. "I..."
Well... not really.
At least, not in the way she thinks.
Still, my hands seem to move on their own. Slowly, I reach toward the dress, my fingertips trembling as they brush against the soft velvet.
And then, the moment I touch it, a strange ache spreads through my chest.
An emotion I can't quite describe.
It feels distant and blurry, like trying to remember a dream that slipped away the moment I woke up.
"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 turns back to the chest and continues rummaging through its contents. A few moments later, she pulls out a small wooden jewelry box.
"And there's more," she says, carefully handing 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 catch the dim light.
But 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, and an overwhelming sadness wells up from somewhere deep inside me.
I don't understand it.
I have no idea why these little objects affect me so strongly.
And yet...
Before I can stop myself, tears begin spilling down my cheeks.
*****
Catgirls Fun Fact #3:
Even if a catgirl's tail isn't as flexible or strong as a monkey's tail, it's still pretty important!
First, it helps with balance.
And second, perhaps more importantly, it makes them look cool and stylish.