My eyes crack open.
Pain explodes through my skull.
"NYARRRGGGHHHH!!!"
A scream tears out of my throat as a piercing ring floods my ears, drowning out every other sound. My vision twists into a chaotic mess of colors and warped shapes, spinning so violently that I can't even tell which way is up anymore.
"What the fuck is happening?!"
I roll sideways and slam into something hard. The floor, probably. Pain shoots up my spine, and before I can even catch my breath, I tumble again and hit the ground with another brutal thud.
My hands fly to my head, clutching it desperately.
Please... make it stop.
Every nerve in my body feels raw and exposed, screaming in agony. Panic completely takes over, and I slam my forehead against the ground in a desperate attempt to escape the pain.
Yeah. That doesn't help.
My thoughts are a complete mess, drowning beneath wave after wave of confusion and panic. I can't think. I can't even understand what's happening to me.
Then, little by little, the pain begins to fade.
It doesn't disappear all at once. The sharp agony slowly dulls into a heavy throbbing ache behind my eyes. It still hurts like hell, but at least I can breathe without feeling like my skull is about to split open.
I drag in a shaky breath.
Then another.
My lungs burn as my chest rises and falls unevenly.
Tears blur my vision. I reach up to wipe them away, only to smear dirt directly into my eyes.
"Ghhk... perfect."
I groan in frustration and grab the fabric of my clothes, using it to wipe my face clean. After blinking several times, my vision finally begins to settle.
Slowly, I push myself upright.
The room sways around me, and my headache flares with every little movement. I sit there for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to pass, before the memories finally begin to catch up with me.
The truck.
Right. The truck!
I got hit by a truck.
There's no way I should have survived that. I mean, I remember the impact. I remember the pain. And then there was...
Nothing.
So why the hell am I still breathing?
And the girl. The catgirl cosplayer!
What happened to her? Did she make it out alive? Did I actually manage to save her, or did we both get flattened by that damn truck?
The questions barely have time to form before a much bigger realization hits me.
I have absolutely no idea where I am.
I slowly look around, trying to make sense of my surroundings.
The room is small and rather simple, with creaking wooden floorboards beneath me and rough wooden walls enclosing the cramped space. A narrow bed sits in the corner, its stiff blanket hanging halfway off the side. Judging by the position of the bed and the fact that I just woke up on the floor, I'm guessing I fell out of it.
Great. At least that explains the bruises.
There's a modest wardrobe against one wall, along with a plain wooden table and chair beside the window. Nothing particularly strange about any of that.
Except for the massive chest tucked away in the far corner.
It's wrapped in thick chains and secured with a ridiculously oversized padlock. Seriously, whoever locked that thing up must have been very concerned about whatever was inside. It looks less like a storage chest and more like something you'd use to seal away an ancient evil.
...Should I be worried about that?
Probably.
But that's a problem for later.
The rest of the room feels strangely old-fashioned. There are no lights, no electrical outlets, no television, and certainly no other modern conveniences I've spent my entire life taking for granted.
The only source of light is the moon shining through the window.
And even that feels wrong.
The moon is enormous.
It's far larger than it has any right to be, hanging in the sky like some impossibly bright lantern. Its pale glow spills into the room, illuminating everything so clearly that it almost looks fake. Like someone cranked the brightness and saturation settings all the way up.
...Weird.
I blink a few times, trying to make sense of what I'm seeing.
Then another realization hits me.
Wait a second.
My eyesight!
I reach instinctively toward my face, only to realize that my glasses are missing.
Except... I can still see everything perfectly.
No, seriously. Perfectly.
Even in the dim moonlight, I can make out the tiny grooves in the wooden walls and individual specks of dust floating through the air. It's like I've suddenly upgraded from blurry human vision to some ridiculous ultra-HD night-vision mode.
What the hell?
I've worn glasses for most of my life. Without them, the world usually looks like someone smeared Vaseline all over my eyeballs.
Now I can see every little detail in a poorly lit room.
That's... actually pretty cool.
Still, I have more pressing questions, so I force myself to my feet and stagger toward the window. Maybe I'll find something outside that can tell me where I am.
I push the window open.
And immediately regret expecting anything normal.
"What... the heck is this?"
A bustling medieval town stretches out before me.
The streets below are filled with people despite the late hour. Some carry baskets of goods, others chat loudly in small groups, and a few push wooden carts through the crowded roads. Somewhere in the distance, I can hear music playing, mixed with the general noise of a town that apparently doesn't believe in going to bed.
But it's the people's clothing that catches my attention first.
They look like they've walked straight out of a historical drama.
Some wear simple tunics in muted, earthy colors, while others have heavy cloaks draped over their shoulders. Women pass by in flowing linen dresses that wouldn't look out of place in a medieval European village.
And then there are the people wearing armor.
Not cheap cosplay armor.
Actual armor!
Heavy steel breastplates covered in dents and scratches, clearly worn by people who have seen their fair share of fights. Swords of all shapes and sizes hang from belts or rest across people's backs, and one particularly enormous man casually carries a two-handed hammer over his shoulder.
The damn thing is almost as long as he is.
I stare at him for a moment.
Then I blink.
Okay. Maybe I'm still dreaming.
That has to be it, right? Some incredibly realistic dream brought on by the trauma of getting hit by a truck.
Yeah. That sounds reasonable enough.
Then, as if the universe hasn't messed with me nearly enough already, a carriage rolls down the street below.
Except it's not being pulled by a horse.
No, that would be far too normal.
Instead, a gigantic white bird is pulling it.
I lean closer to the window.
The creature is absurdly oversized, with fluffy feathers and a plump body. It looks less like some majestic fantasy beast and more like someone crossed a chicken with a minivan.
I swear, if it clucks, I'm going to lose my mind.
My jaw slowly drops open.
And just when I think things can't possibly get any weirder, another figure catches my eye.
A girl is walking down the street with a tail swaying behind her.
A real tail.
Not a fake cosplay accessory or one of those clip-on tails people wear at conventions. It's a fluffy, raccoon-like tail that moves naturally with every step she takes. Her round animal ears twitch now and then in response to the surrounding noise.
Walking beside her is a black-haired guy carrying a massive green shield.
He looks so much like an anime protagonist that it's almost painful.
I stare at them, my heartbeat growing louder with every passing second.
The medieval town. The strangely dressed people. The giant bird pulling carriages. The girl with actual animal features. The guy who looks like he walked straight out of an isekai anime.
None of this should be real.
And yet...
Somehow, it all makes a terrifying amount of sense.
Too much sense, actually.
It's exactly the kind of thing I'd expect to see in a fantasy novel, a manga, or one of those isekai anime where some overworked salaryman gets hit by a truck and wakes up in another world.
I slowly swallow.
No way.
There's absolutely no way.
But the more I look at the town, the harder it becomes to deny the obvious.
I think...
I really did die in that truck accident.
And somehow, I've been reincarnated into a fantasy world.
**
But if I've really been reincarnated, then what exactly happened to me?
Am I still myself? Am I still the same twenty-five-year-old corporate drone who worked seventy-hour weeks until his soul practically evaporated?
I mean, I'd always joked about wanting to be reincarnated into a fantasy world, but this is a little ridiculous.
I slowly turn around.
Then I freeze.
Something catches my eye on the wall.
My shadow.
Except...
That definitely isn't my normal shadow.
Perched on top of its head are a pair of cat ears. Behind it, a long tail sways awkwardly from side to side, almost as if it has a mind of its own.
I stare at it in disbelief.
My breath catches in my throat.
Slowly, I lower my gaze toward my hands. And…
Oh god! These aren't my hands!
My arms are now far too slender, and my skin looks ridiculously smooth. I turn my hands over, examining them from every angle, but nothing changes.
Even worse, the muscles I've spent years building at the gym are completely gone!
Gone! Every last one of them!
All those protein shakes, deadlifts, and miserable leg days...
Wasted!
Well… It's not like I can expect muscles to survive reincarnation anyway.
"Sigh…"
I stare at my unfamiliar hands, and a horrible realization slowly begins to take shape.
Wait.
Does this mean I'm a girl?!
My mind immediately spirals into chaos.
I look down at myself again, taking in the white dress I'm wearing.
Okay.
That's definitely an important clue.
But if I'm a girl...
Then why is my chest so flat?!
Seriously, what am I supposed to make of this? Am I a girl, or am I just some kind of femboy?
My thoughts are going in circles, and honestly, I'm starting to panic again.
There's only one way to find out.
My heart pounds harder as I steel myself for the ultimate test. With trembling hands, I slowly reach downward, hesitating for a moment before finally checking.
Please...
Please tell me little bro survived the transfer!
*****
A few moments later, I collapse onto the floor and clutch my head.
"Ohhh shieeettttt!"
Yeah.
Little bro is gone.
In his place is a little muffin.
I stare blankly at the ceiling, trying to process what I've just discovered.
It doesn't work.
My brain seems to have given up entirely.
I've been isekai'd.
Actually reincarnated.
Not as myself.
Not as some overpowered fantasy hero with a legendary sword and a harem of beautiful women.
But as a catgirl.
A literal freaking catgirl.
Holy shit.
And honestly?
I have absolutely no idea how I'm supposed to feel about this.
On one hand, this is kind of amazing. Cute ears, a fluffy tail, a fantasy world... A whole new body! This is basically the ultimate wish fulfillment for every degenerate anime fan alive!
And being flat probably isn't even that bad. Less back pain sounds like a pretty decent trade-off, all things considered.
But on the other hand...
What now?
What the hell am I supposed to do in a world like this?
Everything has happened so fast that I can barely keep up. One moment, I'm an ordinary guy living my ordinary, somewhat miserable life. The next, I'm getting hit by a truck, waking up in a strange room, and discovering that I've apparently become a catgirl.
And somewhere in between, I've lost everything.
My family. My friends. My job. My games. My waifus.
Everything I've ever known is gone.
No internet.
No anime.
No late-night pizza deliveries.
...God, I'm really going to miss pizza.
It's a stupid thing to think about right now, but I can't help it. There are so many little things I used to take for granted, and now I might never get to experience any of them again.
I'm alone in a world I don't understand, trapped in a body that isn't mine, with absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do next.
What if this world is dangerous? What if I can't find a place to live? What if people try to kill me, or worse, sell me into slavery?
I've read enough fantasy novels to know that getting reincarnated doesn't automatically mean getting a happy ending.
My chest tightens.
For the first time since waking up, the absurdity of my situation begins to fade, leaving something much uglier in its place.
Fear.
Real, genuine fear.
I have no idea what's waiting for me out there, and I can't exactly call someone for help.
I'm on my own.
And, honestly...
I'm terrified.
****
Catgirl Fun Fact #1:
Catgirls are night-vision pros! Their eyes are so good that they can read manga in the dark without even turning on a light. (Just don't ask them to explain why they still stay up until three in the morning.