After that, I spend several more minutes testing out my new body.
It feels strangely light and agile, far more nimble than the one I used to have. My hair is short and white, soft enough that the loose strands brush against my cheeks whenever I move. I no longer have human ears either. Instead, a pair of cat ears sit atop my head, lined with incredibly soft fur that makes me shiver every time I touch them.
As for the tail, I still have no idea how to control it properly. It keeps swaying and twitching on its own like it has a separate consciousness entirely. At the very least, though, it's exactly the kind of tail I like—sleek and elegant, without any overly fluffy fur getting in the way.
But out of everything, the strangest part is my face.
After rummaging through the room, I managed to find a tiny mirror hidden inside the drawer beneath the table. The moment I looked into it, my breath caught in my throat.
It's her.
I look exactly like the catgirl I tried to save before the accident.
The same short white hair.
The same crimson eyes.
She's beautiful.
No…
I'm beautiful now.
There's still dirt smeared across my face from earlier, and my hair is a complete mess after rolling around on the floor in agony, yet somehow I still look absurdly pretty.
Outside the window, my sensitive ears pick up the distant chatter of people talking in the streets below.
The language isn't English, French, or Japanese, yet somehow I understand every word perfectly. Most of the conversations are ordinary things—people discussing their day, arguing over prices with shopkeepers, gossiping with friends.
Normal life.
"All right," I mutter, lightly slapping my cheeks. "I can't just sit here forever. I need to go outside and figure out what's going on."
Maybe someone can explain where I am.
Maybe I can learn more about this world I've been thrown into.
With that thought in mind, I stand up.
A key rests on the table beside me, and after grabbing it, I unlock the door and step outside.
****
Step.
Step. Step.
I walk slowly down the hallway, breathing in deeply as excitement flickers inside my chest. This is it—my first real step into another world.
My cat ears twitch constantly, picking up distant sounds from beyond the building, while my tail sways restlessly behind me as if it's eager to explore too.
Honestly, despite everything, I can't stop myself from smiling a little.
Sure, this whole situation is insane, but I'm a catgirl now. That's objectively cool.
But before I can even reach the stairs—
Creeeak.
The door ahead suddenly swings open.
My ears flatten instinctively.
Two enormous figures stumble out into the hallway, their heavy boots slamming against the wooden floor hard enough to make the planks groan beneath them.
Then the smell hits me.
It's horrific.
A thick, rancid stench of alcohol, sweat, and something rotten crashes into my nose so hard it feels almost physical. My stomach twists violently, and I recoil on instinct.
My tail instantly puffs up.
And then my blood turns cold.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
The man's voice comes out slow and slurred, dripping with something greasy and unpleasant.
A foul gust of breath washes over me as he lurches closer, smelling like spoiled liquor left to rot in the sun. The wooden floor creaks beneath his weight.
For the first time since arriving in this world, genuine fear grips me.
The first man is massive, an absolute brute with shoulders so broad they strain against his filthy, sweat-stained shirt. A greasy beard clings to his face in tangled clumps, while his bloodshot eyes gleam with the dull hunger of a predator spotting vulnerable prey.
A chill crawls down my spine.
And the second man…
He's even worse.
Tall and gaunt, with slicked-back black hair shining with oily grime, he wears a slow, twisted grin that exposes rows of yellowed teeth that clearly haven't seen a toothbrush in years. His pale skin has an unhealthy gray tint to it, and a jagged scar runs down one side of his face, warping his already grotesque features into something nightmarish.
Slowly, he licks his lips.
His gaze drags across my body in a way that makes my skin crawl.
I freeze.
My legs weaken instantly, every instinct in my body screaming at me to run, fight, do anything—but terror roots me in place.
The two men loom over me, blocking out the light.
Suddenly, the hallway feels far too narrow. The walls seem to close in around me.
"Hey now," the taller man chuckles, his raspy voice slithering under my skin, "looks like a cute little kitten wandered into the wrong place."
His eyes continue roaming over me slowly and deliberately, and the sensation makes me feel filthy, like insects are crawling beneath my skin.
My hair stands on end.
My heart pounds violently against my ribs, each frantic beat echoing in my ears as panic floods through me.
I try to step backward.
They step forward.
The distance between us disappears almost instantly, their massive bodies crowding the narrow hallway until there's nowhere left for me to escape. They block the path completely, trapping me between them and the wall behind me.
My breath catches in my throat.
Fuck.
I'm screwed.
How did I forget something this important?
How could I have been so careless?
In my old life, I never had to think about things like this. I walked wherever I wanted without fear because I was a man.
But I'm not that man anymore.
Now I'm a girl.
And not just any girl, either.
A beautiful catgirl.
Which means I'm vulnerable in ways I never truly understood before.
"Hey, don't be shy now."
The brute's voice softens into a disgusting imitation of kindness.
A thick, grimy hand reaches toward me, his filthy fingers twitching eagerly as they close the distance.
"Come on, have a drink with us. We'll take real good care of you."
His fingers brush against my arm.
A wave of icy terror shoots through my body so suddenly that I nearly stop breathing. I recoil instinctively, but there's nowhere left to retreat.
"Relax, kitten. We're just having fun."
The taller man leans in far too close, and the stench of alcohol pouring from his mouth makes my stomach churn. Then his hand drifts lower, inching toward my tail.
"C'mon, kitty," he whispers with a crooked grin. "Why don't you show us how playful you are?"
The words crawl beneath my skin like something filthy and poisonous.
Panic crashes over me all at once.
I can't breathe.
My mind desperately searches for some way out, some way to escape, but there's nothing.
Only the wall at my back—
And the two monsters closing in around me.