A peculiar fragrance hung in the air—probably from some rare flower or exotic spice. But the prickly sensation against my back and head, like lying on grass, dismissed the idea of being indoors. So I must be on the ground outside—

I slowly opened my heavy eyelids. Before me wasn’t a ceiling—just the vast blue sky. Wispy white clouds dotted the azure expanse. Towering ancient trees came into view. And a dark shadow fidgeting beside me—wait! What the heck is that black shadow?

I awkwardly twisted my numb neck right. A person’s knee pressed against my cheek, clad in black pants. Even in this chaos, the clothes looked familiar—But if someone’s watching me, why no soft lap pillow? Just staring feels so rude!

Anyway, the surroundings confirmed I was outdoors. How did I get here? I vaguely recalled a thick holy book smacking my face, knocking me out. Woke up here—No way, did I transmigrate?!

Hooray!! Now I won’t face those troublesome folks—like Zixuan or Xia Mo. Normally, after transmigrating, you dominate the new world, right? Why return? Don’t copy isekai MCs whining about home. Learn from 486—since you’re here, live it up! Even if he died extra times.

“Meow meow meow~”

A cat-like sound came from nearby. But no cats around? I shot up, scanning the area. Nothing. Only a person kneeling—the one whose knee hit my face. Their black outfit resembled a cloak, but no—it was a onesie. Then I remembered: Zixuan’s cat pajamas…

Startled, I sprang up. But my wobbly legs gave way, and I collapsed back. Numbness, probably—My butt slammed hard against the ground. Pain flared, but no time for that. Before me stood a living catgirl—

This “outfit” matched Zixuan’s black pajamas perfectly. Except this girl had tails—not one, but two. Like an angry cat, they stood rigidly upright. She arched her back on all fours, sizing me up—

She didn’t recognize me. An unapproachable aura radiated from her—likely self-defense. Or she was wary.

What ridiculous drama is this? Stop acting like a cat! I love cats, but meeting someone from my world post-transmigration? Way too forced!

“Mmm…”

A low growl rumbled from her throat. I’ve never owned a cat, but from Discovery Channel, I knew this meant fury. If my apartment allowed pets, I’d get one. But in a building? Asking for trouble! Hello, noise complaints!

She kept that sound, eyes locked on me. I froze. Then a strange female voice echoed in my head—

“Who are you? The nekomata says.”

Huh? I scanned the lawn. Only me and this cat-sized humanoid—or human-sized cat. Nekomata from myths have two tails, right? So a real one? But what’s this system voice?

I mentally ranted. If no one’s here, this must be telepathy—invading my brain solo. From just “Mmm,” it deduced “Who are you?”—isn’t that absurdly far-fetched?!

But since she asked, I’d break norms. What to say? Reality? Or this world’s unknown—so cliché it is.

Calmly, I pushed my non-existent glasses up with a finger—channeling that Sakamoto vibe. I sat upright, cleared my throat dramatically. When did I get so full of myself?!

“Long story short, I’m the Hero. Off to defeat the Demon King. Got it?”

I puffed my chest proudly, awaiting praise. But expecting it from a cat? Pretty dumb, huh?

“Meow meow meow?”

She tilted her head, meowing softly. Her guard dropped. She sat properly, hands tucked under thighs. Gazing up with gray eyes, she looked serious. That’s when I noticed—her face was identical to Zixuan’s. This character overlapped beyond clothes.

Earlier chaos blurred my vision. Now I was certain—the girl before me was Zixuan. Or rather, a nekomata—What messed-up plot is this? Even in another world, I can’t escape her?!

“Please let me join your party. The nekomata says.”

Ignoring how a cat joins a Hero’s party—how’d you “translate” that? What differed from the last voice? Just higher pitch? How’d that convey new info?

Rant later—if she asked, refusal felt rude. But I’d lied. Her reaction confirmed Heroes and Demon Kings existed here—so I’d roll with it.

“Alright then! I specially permit you to join.”

Huh? Why not refuse? No reason to say no to Zixuan. Plus, a catgirl companion’s nice—and she might share world intel—Wait… am I really asking a cat for info?

“Nekomata has joined the Demon King-slaying party.”

That toneless female voice echoed again—like a generic RPG NPC. But hell, am I actually slaying the Demon King?! Did I mess up? That was just a lie I spun—

“Meow meow meow!”

“Let’s depart now to slay the Demon King! The nekomata says.”

Seriously, how’d you extract all that from meows?!