When I woke up from my nap, something was in my mouth.
โMonyu monyu?โ
It was a strangely addictive taste.
โMonyu?โ
I wondered what was in my mouth, and when I checked, I found a black cat.
It seemed that I had picked up the cat with my left hand and was chewing on its tail.
โSorry?โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโ
The black cat didnโt meow.
โYou have two tails, donโt you? Did you get hurt?โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโ
I was worried that its tail might be split due to an injury, but it didnโt seem to be the case.
โYou have wings tooโฆ cool. You might be a new type of cat.โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆโ
โIโll show Mom.โ
If anyone would know about a cat with two tails and wings, it would be my mom, who is knowledgeable about creatures.
The black cat was very quiet.
โKyu kyuโ
Carro, who was being held in my right hand, was staring at me.
โCarro, did you sleep well?โ
โKyu!โ
โWhat about Daru and Koruko?โ
โBau!โ โKokou!โ
I greeted Carro, Daru, and Koruko while still holding the black cat.
Then, I took a closer look at the black cat.
โThis black catโฆ hm? Could it be a spirit?โ
โโฆNyaa~โ
It was too late for it to start meowing like a cat now.
Upon closer inspection, it wasnโt an animal. It was a spirit.
I hadnโt realized I was holding it because I wasnโt using magic to cover my hand.
I didnโt know why I was able to hold it.
โโฆA well-formed spiritโฆโ
โFunyaa~โ
โCan you let go?โ
โNyaa~โ
It seemed like it wasnโt going to stop imitating a cat.
Newborn spirits are soft and blurry in shape. As they grow, their outline becomes clearer, and with that, their sense of self becomes stronger, and theyโre able to speak.
The fact that it could take the form of a proper cat meant it was definitely a powerful spirit that had grown quite a bit.
There was no way it couldnโt speak. But it wouldnโt.
โโฆI might not be able to talk to spirits in this lifeโฆโ
โNyaa~โ
It was different from my past life. In this world, there was a good chance I wouldnโt be able to talk to spirits.
But for some reason, I felt like I could communicate with this black cat spirit.
โAhโฆ are you not talking because you donโt like me?โ
โNyaa!?โ
โโฆBecause Iโฆ couldnโt protect everyoneโฆโ
At the end of my previous life, I sacrificed myself to burn everything around me.
That was all I could do.
But I didnโt know if that allowed the spirits to escape.
If I had more power in my past life, I might have been able to destroy the metal tube that trapped the spirits.
No, if I had more power, maybe the spirits wouldnโt have been caught in the first place.
It was no wonder the spirits might hate me.
Even though they had helped me so much, I couldnโt help them when they were in trouble.
โโฆIโm sorry.โ
I felt so sad and guilty that I almost started crying.
โNo, no! I donโt hate you!โ
The black cat hastily spoke.
โโฆCan you speak?โ
โโฆI can speak.โ
After that, the black cat spirit started speaking slowly.
โBack then, Lady Louisaโฆ helped everyone.โ
โDid the metal tube burn properly?โ
That was what I was worried about.
I did everything I could.
But I died before seeing the result.
โIt didnโt burn, but it melted properly.โ
The black cat spirit stared into my eyes.
โI was also in that tube. Thank you. Really, thank you, Lady Louisa.โ
I was glad I was able to help the spirits.
Louisaโs life had been full of misfortune and pain, and there hadnโt been much good, but at least it wasnโt wasted.
โEveryone, was everyone saved?โ
โYes, all the spirits were saved. Thank you.โ
โโฆIโm so gladโฆ really, so glad.โ
I hugged the black cat spirit tightly.
It shouldnโt have been a physical being, but it felt warm.
Daru started licking me as I held the spirit.
โUmโฆ Is Loa okay?โ
โLoa-sama, after that, not long afterโฆ unfortunately, he passed away.โ
โโฆI see.โ
Passed away. In other words, he died.
Tears naturally started to fall.
That kind, gentle spirit king Loa was gone.
I would never be able to see him again.
โPlease donโt cry, Lady Louisa. Even if we die, spirits will eventually reincarnate.โ
โโฆWill I be able to see Loa again?โ
โThat I donโt know. But itโs not completely impossible.โ
โI see. Thank you.โ
Just knowing thereโs a chance was enough for me.
No, it was still very sad.
But if itโs not absolutely impossible, then I could keep going with that hope.
โI hope I can meet him someday.โ
โYes, I hope so too.โ
โIf you see Loa after he reincarnates, will you know?โ
โI donโt know. Iโm sorry.โ
โNo, itโs okay. You donโt need to apologize.โ
I hugged the black cat spirit tightly again.
โThank you for staying alive.โ
โYesโฆ Yesโฆ Thank you, Lady Louisa.โ
As I held it, I started feeling that I should give the black cat spirit a name.
Loa had told me never to give a name to a spirit that hadnโt fully grown yet.
Because young spirits could get bound by that name.
And if they grew too strong, they might lose control of their power, or conversely, be hindered in their growth because of the name.
I didnโt fully understand what it meant for them to be โboundโ or what โlosing control of powerโ meant, but thatโs what he had said.
โCan I give you a name?โ
โIs it okay? Iโm happy, butโฆโ
โYes! Then, your name will beโฆ Kuro.โ
โNameโฆ my nameโฆ Kuro?โ
โYes, is that okay? Or would you prefer something else?โ
โIโm happy. My name is Kuro!โ
Kuro purred happily.