Kaito had no one left.
Not a friend.
Not a single family member.
…not even a goldfish.
He had spent the last few years as a professional shut-in.
A hikikomori, the elite class of unemployed geniuses who mastered the fine art of doing absolutely nothing without feeling bad about it.
Every day felt the same to him.
Wake up late, eat instant noodles, stare at the screen, try to study, fail, sleep. Then repeat.
He used to hope, to believe that if he just cleared the Medical exam once, his life would change.
That people would finally stop calling him a loser. That his parents—if they were still alive…would be proud of him.
But reality had a way of laughing in his face.
Today was attempt number three.
Kaito sat alone in a 24/7 internet café that smelled like stale socks and sadness.
His monitor continued beeping as he pressed the enter button, and a new screen appeared in front of him.
"Better luck next time."
The 19-year-old guy did not even blink.
He didn't cry.
He just stared at the screen for a few seconds, then quietly stood up and walked back home.
Climbing up the stairs to his shoebox apartment, he unlocked the rusty door and stepped into what looked like a rejected hoarder's set for a post-apocalyptic movie.
There were clothes on the floor, instant noodle packets forming a majestic tower, a suspicious black mould stain he'd named Harold.
It was the kind of place even roaches avoided.
The boy tossed his bag onto the floor and went to the kitchen, making himself a bowl of instant noodles.
He did not bother sitting down and started eating straight from the pot like some unintelligent animal.
And just when Kaito was least expecting it, a noodle went down the wrong way.
The blue-eyed boy, probably the only unique thing about him, coughed as he tried to swallow the noodle, but started choking on it instead.
He reached for the counter, slipped, and hit his head hard against the corner of a marble slab.
The last thing he saw was the half-broken ceiling fan, spinning slightly above him like it was mocking his entire life.
And just like that, Kaito Angels had died.
No dramatic music.
No beautiful girl crying over his dead body.
No mysterious power awakening.
No final words.
Just a dumb, lonely, noodle-induced death.
***
When Kaito opened his eyes again, everything felt…strange.
It was warm.
Soft.
He could feel something pressing against both sides of his head—something squishy.
His face was buried in warmth, and he could hear a heartbeat close by.
The boy's limbs felt short and weird. His nose was wet, and his body did not feel human at all.
Kaito tried to move but found himself falling flat on his back.
Just when he thought that things couldn't be any worse than they already were, he looked down.
Paws.
Tiny, padded paws.
And black fur?
The boy's eyes went wide.
"What the hell?" he tried to say, but only a soft meow came out.
"Meow?"
Before he could panic more, a gentle voice spoke from above him.
"Oh, you're awake, little guy." A young girl, probably in her late teens, lay on the bed beside him.
She blinked down at the black cat sleepily. Her black hair was messy, and she wore a loose T-shirt that hung off her shoulder.
The girl's skin was pale, and her eyes looked tired, like she hadn't slept in days. She looked around 19—just like Kaito had been.
And yes, he had woken up right in between her um….boobs.
Being the virgin he was, the embarrassed guy quickly tried to wriggle his way out and fell off the bed.
Thud.
"Meoww!" The boy cat growled, realising that no matter how much he tried, that was the only sound coming out of his mouth.
His tiny cat body landed hard on the wooden floor.
The ice-beauty looking girl leaned over and picked him up again, betraying her cold exterior as she smiled at him softly.
"You were making weird sounds in your sleep…I thought you were having a nightmare." She said, as though explaining to the cat why it woke up squished in between her breasts.
The boy couldn't speak. Couldn't shout. Couldn't scream "I'm human!"
All he could do was let out another helpless meow.
And just as suddenly, a glowing screen popped up in front of him.
[System Installed: The Cult Cat-a-lyst System]
Species: Domestic Cat
User ID: Subject #001
Objective: Prevent the end of the world.
Requirements:
• Build a Cult.
• Amass Worship.
• Gather Faith Points.
Penalty for failure:
• World Destruction.
• Death.
[Days left before the apocalypse starts: 30]
⸻
Kaito stared at the floating words, frozen. The screen blinked again, and with a new message this time:
"Your current owner, Lucy, is a suitable emotional anchor. Use her well, and good luck, Prophet Whiskers."
'What the…hell?'
Before the boy could even process anything, the pale-skinned girl hugged him tight.
Kaito realised that the screen in front of him had vanished into thin air as he felt the hair on his cheeks being rubbed against her shoulders lovingly.
"I'll take care of you," she whispered.
Meanwhile, Kaito, the man…or cat in question, couldn't believe what was happening.
'I swear I felt my head bang hard against the marble slabs in the kitchen. Could it be that I'm hallucinating?' The boy questioned.
But it was impossible that he would reincarnate, right? Much less as a cat…
A tiny, useless house cat.
And now, some weird system was telling him the world was ending in 30 days.
'No, no, no, no, no—' The boy cat purred as he used his padded paws to hold his tiny ass head.
'This has to be a nightmare.'
***