Shinsou Hitoshi

S/o gets reincarnated as a cat

"To-Toshi are-are you ok?"

"I'm fi-", Shinsou freezed mid sentence.

You were laying on the ground, and there was a huge gash across your chest.

"What? No-this can't be happening.", he gasped.

"I-I'm just-just glad you're okay.", you smiled weakly.

You had just managed to push him out of the way. The villain had thrown some kind of a sickle at him, but you took the hit instead. You had managed to take down the villain, but the sickle had gone deep into your chest, and severed some major arteries. You would bleed to death in no time at all. At least it wouldn't be too excruciating. You could see Shinsou hovering over you, trying to stop the bleeding, but you knew it was too late. You'd die here, but there was something more you had to do. You had to tell him.

"I love you Toshi.", you whispered weakly.

"I love you too, don't leave me. Please.", he pleaded.

Your last breath escaped your lips and you were gone. Your face was left in a neutral expression. Not peaceful and not pained. Somehow it suited you.

"So the bitch died huh?", Shinsou heard a voice say behind him.

He turned around and saw that the villain who had killed you was standing up again.

"Pity, she could have made me money, human trafficking is a good business ya know. I was gonna take you out but the bitch jumped on the way.", the villain continued.

You had protected him. This was his fault, if he had been more observant, you wouldn't have had to save him.

"Hey asshole.", Shinsou growled.

"You talkin-", the villain's eyes went blank.

"Shut up.", Shinsou growled.

He wanted to make this guy suffer. He wanted to make him carve open his own chest, like he had done to you, but he couldn't. Even in the middle of all this heartbreak, pain and anger, he couldn't. He wasn't that kind of a person. He couldn't be. It would dishonor your memory. So he just forced the villain to knock himself out.

Shinsou sat on a piece of wall that had crumbled in the midst of fighting. Then he lowered his head to his hands and sobbed quietly. He couldn't bare to look at your battered body. He didn't want to see what his failure had cost. His inability to observe his surroundings had been the reason to your end. He was the reason to your life ending. If he couldn't even save you, maybe he shouldn't be a hero after all. He shook his head. No, you would want him to keep chasing his dream. And he would, for you.

It had been about a month since your death. Shinsou was still pretty down, but he had gotten some comfort from a cat that had been following him around. It was a peculiar cat. Same eye and hair color as you. First he had thought the universe had wanted to punish him with constantly reminding him of his failure. How his mistake had cost your life. But over a little time he had grown to like the cat. It was always around and gave him comfort.

"I know you can't talk, you're a cat after all, but... Why do you keep following me around? It's not like you have any reason to. I haven't even given you food very often."

The cat just tilted it's head and looked at him questioningly. It had done that many times before. You had done it too back when you were alive too. The cat was a painfully sweet reminder of you. Someone he could never get back, and someone he could never forget.

"Damn you.", he muttered at the cat.

He would keep chasing his dream of becoming a hero. That was how he could honor your memory, he knew that was the future you had hoped for him. Besides he already had his first sidekick. His sidekick was a cat, but it was a start.