My vision became increasingly blurry. The exhaustion from a life filled with nonstop work was finally taking its toll. I could feel my body slowly shutting down.

—Poor soul, dying from exhaustion. If you had another chance, what would you like to be? —I heard a soft voice, resonating in my mind as I lay on the ground. I could hear my coworkers' frantic voices around me, disturbed by my collapse.

Where is that voice coming from? Am I dying?

So this is what it feels like... Actually, it's not so bad. The pain and fatigue are fading away. Finally, I can rest. But that voice... what does it mean?

I didn't want anything complicated. I simply wished for a peaceful life. If I could choose, I would like to be like a cat: sleep whenever I want, eat only when I'm hungry, and above all, have the strength to protect my peace.

One Month Later

It seems that voice took my request very seriously. Right now… have I possessed something? I'm not sure, but the thing is, I'm in the body of a young half-cat.

How do I know? Because when I woke up, I was wrapped in sheets in the middle of a forest. When I went looking for water to drink, I saw my reflection, and… well, I was no longer human.

I'm not going to lie: it surprised me at first. But I have no complaints. There are no schedules, no bosses, and basically, I can sleep and eat whenever I want. However… the food is a disaster! My tongue is incredibly sensitive, and my city-dwelling human palate isn't much help.

Hunting isn't an issue; this body is incredibly agile. I have retractable claws that I can sharpen on trees and a nearly feline ability to climb and jump through their canopies. Oh, and the biggest surprise came yesterday when I woke up and my body had... shrunk.

Still half asleep, I went to the river to drink some water without realizing it, and when I looked at my reflection in the water... who was that? A cat. I'm allergic to cats. But… Because it was mimicking my movements. When I looked at my body: I had turned into a cat!

At first, I found it curious, but soon I became worried. Would I have to live like this forever? Luckily, after a full day of trying to regain my human form, I succeeded. But I still have doubts. For example: What kind of cat has two tails?

This is definitely a fantasy world. And if it is, will there be magic here? I would love to learn it, but I have no idea where to start. For now, I'm focusing on training my body. After all, I want to live peacefully, but I also need strength to defend my peace.

Six Months Later

Half a year has passed since I arrived in this world. Thanks to my constant training, I've become physically much stronger. I needed to, because this forest is not friendly at all. I've encountered strange creatures, some of which can use magic. Although I'm generally stronger than them, their ability to cast wind gusts or fireballs fills me with great envy.

I tried many methods to learn magic, but… nothing. How can I use something I can't even feel? Eventually, I gave up.

One interesting thing is that my animal form seems to grow bigger as I gain strength. It's like my body has to adjust to the accumulated energy. However, in my human form, I hardly notice any visible changes.

One Year Later

I think I've completed a year in this world. I've been counting the days since my arrival, but I'm not sure if one year here equals the 365 days of my previous life.

In the last six months, I've explored the forest thoroughly. My life is peaceful, maybe too peaceful. While I appreciate this calm, I can't help but miss quality food. After all, I'm still a city person at heart.

During my explorations, I found a human village, but I didn't get too close. Despite my curiosity, I was worried about how they would react upon seeing that I wasn't fully human. What if they reject or attack me?

My life would have continued the same way if it weren't for what happened today.

Another routine day, but I noticed something different. The air smelled like blood.

Should I go? It could be my chance to meet a human and, hopefully, try their food. But I'm still worried.

I finally decided to take a look.

When I arrived, I found a group of armored humans facing off against small, muscular green creatures. Knights vs Goblins! It definitely looked like I was watching an anime. Further ahead, an incredibly decorated carriage had overturned near the path. From what I could infer from the situation, the knights had tried to buy time for the carriage to escape. But sadly, it had tipped over.

A group of three gray wolves had surrounded the carriage. They seemed to be working with the goblins.

—Protect the duchess! —yelled the most skilled of the knights. Clearly, he was the leader of this group.

Duchess? Is someone in the carriage? If I help her… will they give me what I long for?

There were four knights; the leader was quite skilled with a sword, but it was impossible for him to turn his back on the enemy to help the duchess. The number of goblins was quite large, around twenty of them.

—Damn! Dealing with goblins is a nightmare. It takes too long to take them all down. We won't make it in time.

—Don't worry about me, I'm fine —said the duchess in a casual, carefree voice.

I know what you're thinking: What am I doing on top of the duchess in my cat form? Well… While I debated whether or not to help, the duchess got out of the carriage. The calm aura she exuded activated a feline instinct inside me. Exactly! I had found the perfect lap to rest on.

Honestly, it's better than I expected. Her thighs seem like perfect thermal pillows, ideal for a nap. Plus, her calm demeanor and the gentle way she pets me... Ah! This is definitely good.

—Is that a cat? Maybe… Duchess, it's a half-beast! Don't be fooled.

—I know. But it's cute and soft. Plus, it saved me.

—What?

I don't know why they're so surprised, but well, knights, I'm not helping you fight the goblins. Those three need battle experience, plus those creatures smell awful, I'd rather avoid them.

Clearly, all of this is just in my head, because I don't even feel like talking. I'm too comfortable.

—Mr. Cat, thank you for saving me, but I need to heal my guard.

How terrible! My seat, I mean, the duchess, is kicking me out... Wait... What does she mean by healing?

It's literally the first time I've seen magic. The duchess was able to heal all the injuries the knights received in the previous fight. Since no one was paying attention and my seat, I mean, the duchess, was busy, I decided to look for my dinner.

Now that I think about it, if the duchess knew magic, couldn't she have dealt with the gray wolves herself? Maybe I did something unnecessary.