It seems I’ve gained a sister.

Wait…stop.

I know what you’re all thinking.

“That sperm-less loser, err Mark, finally managed to have a child?”

No…that’s not what I mean, although Romy and Mark have been acting quite strange lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually the case, but nothing has been said yet. Besides if those two had a girl, she’d be my cousin. Wait…I’m not really Romy and Mark’s nephew, right? So, it’d be like an adopted sister…

Eh, whatever!

What I’m really talking about is the Demi-Cat girl, which saved my life. See…after the operation, it took quite a while for her to wake up. Still, she recovered unexpectedly quickly. None of us would have been surprised if it took her a week or more to regain herself, but in the span of a few days, she awoke. During that time, Romy and Mark went to town and found the girl’s parents. After they were told of the situation, they ran over here to make sure their daughter was okay. Incidentally, adult Demi-Cats are quite cute. Even the males have the ears and tail, although their fur is a bit coarser than the females. In my past life, I always considered getting a cat. However, the knowledge that they would grow old and die before me, held me back every time. Ugh, I keep thinking about the old days. Come on, Myrr, that’s all in the past now. Let it go!

Anyways, I explained to her parents that we were attacked by a Demon Scout and that their daughter had saved my life. Despite my insistence that she was the one who protected me, when they heard that I assisted in her healing, somehow the story got a little mixed up. I’m not entirely sure…but I have the feeling that Demi-Cats may not understand our language very well. After some time, I managed to shake off their thanks before it became too embarrassing of a situation, but already, I think the damage has been done. Her parents love me.

To make the scenario worse, since I told Romy and Mark that the girl was my friend (which would technically make her my first friend my own age), this naturally got relayed to the girl’s parents as well. Apparently, my new friend’s name is Natalia and her father is Pisa. Her mother’s name is Nadasha. Thus, when Natalia woke up in my bed (hey, I slept on the couch, it’s not what you think, okay?) the first thing she heard was her parents heroically recounting the story of how I “saved” her by helping Mark find the right spots to heal. To be honest, I don’t really think it mattered because when she heard that I was her friend now, it was already game over. And that…is how it happened. Now, whenever I go for a walk to cool off after getting beaten by Romy, there is no peace. No more calming forest and lonely sunshine. Because Natalia is waiting in the trees. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even leave at night…

Does she have a tent pitched outside?

How does she manage to find me instantly!

Can she track me by scent or something?!

“Are you sure you want to hang out with a weirdo like me?” I know I should be grateful to have made a friend, but I mean, I was twenty years old in my past life. Hanging out with a five-year-old kid with cat ears and a tail like some sort of weird cosplay, could really draw some misunderstandings. Like seriously, what if there is an inter-cosmic police force dedicated to catching reincarnated pedophiles in other worlds or something? I could end up on To Catch A Predator…Isekai Edition if I’m not careful.

“Myrr is my friend.” That’s pretty much all she says, unless it’s to ask me a question. She’s quite curious, which I guess makes sense because she’s part cat. If I was really a child, this would really be the dream scenario, the childhood friend I never had. But though I try to be understanding, because apparently, I’m her only friend, it’s kind of annoying to be clung to all the time. Is this what it’s like to be a parent?

Still, I owe her…big time.

So, I don’t chase her away. To be honest, she’s pretty low maintenance, minus all the questions. Even if it’s just watching me practice magic, Natalia is satisfied just to be in my presence. Huh, now that you mention it…maybe she is actually a cat. Well, I can always hope that she grows up to be hot. Wait, wait hold on, that came out wrong! Ah screw it…there’s no such thing as Isekai Police. Who am I kidding, I’m kind of enjoying having a little cat-girl following me around…

Alright, I lied.

It’s not all that bad.

Naturally, as repayment for her saving me, I had to do something about the bullying. So…basically, I may or may not have declared to everyone in Sines that touching Natalia was the equivalent of harming my property…ahem…sister. A quick demonstration of my magic (Raccoon Romy would approve), and the kids in town go the long way around when they see Natalia. Heh…they better, or I’ll teach them a real lesson!

The only problem with my strategy is that unfortunately, my little demonstration pretty much destroyed any chance of her getting to know other kids. So now…I’m her only choice, and it’s me and her forever. I asked Natalia if she wanted anything, since she did save my life and all. To which she replied that since I’d saved her, we were even. Personally, seeing as I got her injured in the first place, I hardly think patching her wounds makes up for it, but the Demi-Cats seem to have weird understandings of honor. Perhaps it’s the species difference. In the end, I offered to share my knowledge of magic and swordsmanship with her, if she wanted.

“So…try the words…and remember to focus…” I started with magic. However, that didn’t quite go the way I expected…

“Um, Frozen Breeze of My Fur, Come Out-CHILL!” Natalia just doesn’t have the memory for it. Her little orange tail pops out from under her oversized sweater as she attempts to remember the incantation. She is quite young, but even still, I feel like she’s messing up on purpose or something because no one can be this bad…right? “Sorry, Myrr, can you show it to me again?”

“Y-Yea…once more, it goes like this!” I really don’t have the patience for this. Despite my best efforts, I struggle to get her to cast the Basic Spells. Now that I think about it, Mephis did say that most mages don’t cast their first spell until they’re seven. Hmph, but with me as a teacher, how can you fail! “Don’t shame your master, Natalia!”

“Okay! FROZEN BREATH OF MY HAIR, PUFF OUT-CHILL!” She screeches as she realizes she’s made another mistake again and I have to resist the urge to facepalm. Seriously, this has to be on purpose!

“Mmm…maybe that’s all for today. Do you want to learn swordsmanship?” I try to change the topic. Though she’s been trying hard, Natalia’s poor talent for magic has dampened the fire of her enthusiasm. She’s still very curious how it all works, but it seems my explanations will have to remain as theory for now. When I mention physical fighting however, she grows excited again. Ahh youth. To forget your failures in an instant, what I would give to be young again…wait…I am young again…

“Yes please! I’d love to learn anything Myrr has to teach!” She claps her hands, and I eye them, remembering how they turned into big furry paws during battle. “Although…when Demi-Cat’s battle, we don’t usually use weapons…”

“They’re hard to hold, right?” I guess and surprise lights up her cute little face. “When you transform into cat mode, it must be difficult to grasp objects.”

“How did you know?!” She’s astounded by my genius even though it was a pretty easy guess. Feeling a little smug inside, I resist the urge to grin. Okay, okay…maybe I am enjoying having a friend. It’s like having a little mini-me that I can make do, whatever I want. She’ll even call me master if I ask her. This must be why Mark wants a kid. So, he can boss someone else around for once. I don’t blame him. He certainly deserves a chance to be in charge for once. Still, Mark has really have been acting strange lately. Could it be he finally succeeded…?

“Nah…”

“Myrr?” Natalia is confused by my sudden exhalation and I shake my head.

“Uh nothing. Anyways, how do Demi-Cats usually fight then, if you don’t have a sword? I mean you have those big claws and all, and they look pretty scary, but I can’t imagine they work very well against armor…” My response makes her face fall. This girl appears very stoic when she’s facing the other kids, but she drops her guard against me and then her emotions change all the time. I need to be more careful or I’ll accidentally say something stupid and hurt her feelings.

“M-Myrr thinks my paws are scary?” Her crestfallen expression and stuttering voice is enough to make anyone’s heart melt. Even a cold, reborn bastard like me. Frick…I messed up.

“No! I think they’re very cute! Absolutely, the fur looks super soft and stroke-able. I just meant that they look very strong! Y-Yea…totally, very strong! I bet no one dares to fight with Demi-Cats because of that!” I let out a sigh of relief as her expression gets better again. Luckily, even if I blunder and hurt her feelings, it’s pretty easy to put them back in place. Well, so far, I haven’t made any big mistakes.

“Soft…and stroke-able…mmm…” Her mouth hangs open slightly and I notice that her canines are very sharp and long for a child. Are those really baby teeth? For that matter, do Demi-Cats have baby teeth? “So, you don’t think my paws are scary?”

“Not at all. Natalia, did your parents ever tell you how they fight?” I try to see if I can guide the conversation away from the matter of her paws. She seems quite sensitive about the whole subject of transforming. Maybe it has something to do with the bullying? I should pay those kids another visit and see if I can get to the bottom of this!

“Well…Father says that we don’t need to fight anymore. Because we joined the Human Alliance, so now all Demi’s can live in peace!” She naively parrots off her parent’s peace-loving sayings and I want to barf. Live in peace? You didn’t even teach her how to defend herself in the slightest! This is why your daughter is getting bullied! Ugh, that’s it! I’m definitely going to pay those kids a visit and exact some vengeance. That way, even when I leave, they’ll remember not to mess with Natalia.

“I see…” Shaking my head, I give up on getting any more information about Demi-Cats. Clearly her parents have been poisoning her mind. If I listen to this too much, I might get infected with idiocy too. Mentally ejecting the contents of the last conversation from my memories, I reach into my pocket. “Here, I made you a practice sword. Well, it’s more of a dagger since we’re small, but it’s how I’ve always learned.”

“…” Natalia doesn’t answer for so long that I look up at her in surprise. Her eyes are round, and her lips are trembling again. It’s freaking adorable. I can say that, right? Yea, that’s not weird. “Myrr made me a present?! Already! But I haven’t even gotten anything for you…”

“It’s just a toy, relax.” I hurriedly shove the damn thing into her hands. Though it wasn’t that hard to make, it does feel kind of good to be praised. After all, Romy usually just insults me while beating my body. Heh, I even seared off the bark with Burn so that the handle would be smooth. Not bad craftsmanship if I do say so myself. Beats the one Mephis gave me. Damn…I miss that wooden sword. Too bad I lost it when Jarold Westblade ambushed us. That bastard really did his best to piss me off.

“O-Okay! I’ll accept!” She makes it sound like I’ve given her something very valuable, but I guess that’s just how kids are. Wait…now that I think about it…if she doesn’t have any friends…has anyone ever given this girl a present before?

“This isn’t your first time getting a gift, right?”

“N-No!”

“You don’t sound very sure…”

“My mother gives me clothes and my father gives me food.”

“Those don’t count.”

“But Father says that the bare necessities are the best gift a Demi-Cat can receive. Anything else would be expensive and extraneous, not worth wasting on a young kitten who might die before her Naming Ceremony anyways.”

“Oh, for the love of God! Where’s your house! I’m going to teach these idiots how to parent!”

Not everyone is lucky enough to be raised by Romy and Mark, I guess.

Feeling a little grateful towards Lian for sending me to such good friends of hers to grow up with, I sigh. Damn…it’s been a long time since I thought about my mother in this world. So much has been going on, I’ve been so busy surviving and learning that I honestly forgot that my family is still out there, fighting against those people. Well, I’m sure she’d want me to be happy, so what can I do? I’m still small. This is the place she sent me to grow up so I’m following her plan. When it’s time for me to leave, Romy and Mark will tell me more.

“Wait, hold on a sec,” I hold up a hand after giving Natalia the wooden sword I carved, “You haven’t had your Naming Ceremony yet? How old are you?”

“I’m turning five tomorrow! Too bad, Myrr already gave me a present. So, I definitely wouldn’t get anything else…” She chews on her lip. That is so not fair. You’re making me guilty on purpose, aren’t you? First of all…you didn’t tell me it was your birthday tomorrow! Second of all…are you not happy with my craftsmanship? I’ll have you know that it took me half an hour to get the bark off properly! Now you want something else?! I take it back, the women in this world are exactly the same as my last life! All women are the same! They just want one thing!

“Were you going to invite me?” I question her.

“Yes, tonight.” She responds matter of factly, as if giving no heads up is normal.

How free do you think my schedule is that you’d wait to tell me until the night before…?

Kids…these days.

“Okay, I’ll go.” Rolling my eyes discretely, I make a mental note to find something proper to gift Natalia for her birthday. As tempting as it is to just say the sword counts as my present, I feel way too bad for this girl. Her parents really told her that clothes and food are legitimate presents? And that she’s not worth anything expensive until she’s five? That’s cold, man! “Are you going to choose a new name for yourself?”

“W-Well…I was thinking Myrr has a pretty cool name…” She shyly turns a bit red in the cheeks while glancing at my feet. Hero worship. Wait, she doesn’t want to change her name to…

“If you change your name to mine, it’ll be confusing.” I shoot her down and she quickly looks away. Yep…she was totally going to try it. “Any other names you’re considering?”

“N-No! I don’t mind the one my parents chose.” Natalia seems a bit disappointed, but brightens as I begin to show her the basic ways to swing a sword. In human form at least, she has no problems with wielding weapons. It’s just…the combat training ends up being a bit weird like the magic training, but in a different way-

*Clack*

Huh?

Wasn’t I holding a practice sword just now?

Why is it on the ground…?

Did I have a stroke?

Why can’t I remember how it got there?

“What…?” I can’t understand it. But when I reset the positions and Natalia strikes again, I realize the truth of the matter. Demi-Cats…are freaking strong! What the hell is this?!

“S-Sorry! Did I hurt Myrr?!” My little “sister” runs forwards as I massage my wrist. Maybe I’m not the big brother in this relationship? The hell was that! It seems, after we clashed, she instantly knocked the wooden sword from my hand. Even the second time, when I was prepared, she still managed to hit so hard that the branch I’m using for demonstration purposes begins to bend. Luckily, I made her wooden sword from one of the hardest trees in the forest or it’d never hold up to Natalia’s power!

“I’m alright. Just surprised. I didn’t realize you were so strong!” I praise her and she practically glows.

“Hehe, Father says that Demi-Cats are blessed by the Cat God. Our natural abilities are pretty good amongst the Demi’s!” She mentions this with pride. As I rewind the tape in my head and try to remember exactly what happened, I lock onto the exact moment she struck me. Fortunately, after training with Romy, my eyes don’t miss much, even when I’m not using Foresight. Yea…she didn’t even hit me with proper form. That was just pure power. If she were to be trained properly in swordsmanship…could I have a killer cat-maid swordswoman following me around? It could be like an anime…wouldn’t Natalia be the perfect bodyguard? Hold on, isn’t this a dangerous line of thought? But still…

“Hey, Natalia, do you know what a maid is?”

“Like a servant? Father says we can’t afford those. But Mother told me that I can become one when I’m older to help support the family. She said that people would love to hire a Demi-girl like me…though I’m not sure why…” Natalia explains and I cock my head.

“How would you like to work for me? Err wait, that’s a bit derogatory, we’ll work out the roles later. But that sounds fun right?” I’m just playing around now. Please don’t arrest me, Isekai Police. It’s just a joke.

“Absolutely! Travel with Myrr?!!” Naturally, my joke flies right over Natalia’s head. The scary part is…from the sounds of it, her parents would be totally down. I think they’re really poor. Why does this feel like I’m some sort of scumbag buying children? She gets unreasonably excited, “Can I really?”

She is way too gullible.

Clearly, I need to educate my sister properly since her parents are doing such a crap job.

Don’t worry, Natalia, after I’m done with you, you’ll never trust anyone again!

That way, you’ll be prepared for dealing with normies…

“Um, another lesson! Don’t agree with strangers too quickly. First, you have to learn what they’re really after.” The back of my neck is getting itchy. It feels like I’m being watched by invisible eyes. The memory of Glacia in my head seems to be glaring at me. Stupid conscience, look, I’ll treat her like my sister. But I mean if she wants to be my little slave maid when she’s older, then who am I to say no…wait, Glacia, stop looking at me like that! Why aren’t you smiling anymore?!

“But Myrr isn’t a stranger. And he wouldn’t want anything bad from me.” She says it so innocently and with such childish faith that I can only hang my head in shame. It was funny…but I should stop teasing her. “That’s it, from now on, Natalia will grow up to become Myrr’s maid! And then we’ll travel the world together and fight bad people!”

“Pfft!” I can’t hold it in anymore and just start laughing out loud.

I’m totally going to hell.

“Don’t tell your parents about this conversation please.”