Darklord's Cat : S1 | EP1

It was supposed to be an ordinary day. Naomi Hoshino remembered walking home after school, earbuds in, lost in thought about the upcoming exam she hadn’t studied for. Then everything went black.

Now she was awake.

But something was wrong.

For one thing, she couldn’t feel her hands. Her body felt... small, light, and oddly flexible. Naomi blinked, the world around her fuzzy and strange. She tried to sit up, only to stumble, her limbs uncooperative. It wasn’t until she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the nearby mirror—golden eyes, sleek black fur, and pointed ears—that reality hit her.

“I’m a... cat?”

She expected to utter words, but all she could manage was a weak, confused "meow." Panic rose in her chest as she scrambled in a circle, trying to process what had just happened. Naomi stared at her reflection again, wide-eyed. Yep, definitely a cat.

"Okay, Naomi. Think. You’ve read enough isekai to know what’s going on here. You’ve been reincarnated. Fine. But... Why a cat?!"

Before she could further lament her new feline form, a door creaked open, and Naomi froze. In walked a figure, tall and draped in dark robes, his black hair messy and covering part of his face. He carried a large, ancient-looking book in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in the other. His mismatched socks poked out from under his robes, an oddly mundane detail given the gloomy aura surrounding him.

The man sat down in an oversized armchair, completely ignoring Naomi as he flipped open the book with a sigh. His focus was entirely on the pages in front of him, his tea floating beside him in mid-air. Naomi blinked again, her new cat senses on high alert.

"Who... is this guy? Is he some kind of evil overlord? A sorcerer?" She studied him carefully, tail twitching. He certainly looked the part, but something about his tired posture screamed "sleep-deprived student" more than "villainous Dark Lord."

Without looking up, the man finally spoke. "I see you’re awake," he muttered in a soft voice, still absorbed in his book.

Naomi blinked, startled. "Wait, he knows I’m here?" She took a cautious step forward, testing her balance on all fours. "Uh, meow?"

The man glanced over briefly. "Right. Forgot to mention. You're my new familiar now. Got summoned last night." He took a sip of his tea. "You’re a cat, by the way. In case you hadn’t noticed."

Naomi’s ears flattened, her whiskers twitching in annoyance. "Thanks for the news flash, genius," she thought. But all that came out was another faint "meow."

"Great conversationalist, too," the man mumbled, turning back to his book. "Lucien, by the way. Dark Lord and all that."

Naomi’s mind raced. Lucien? Dark Lord? Well, that explained the ominous robes and the medieval castle-like setting she found herself in. But this guy didn’t exactly scream ‘evil overlord.’ In fact, he seemed more interested in the text on "Potion Brewing for Beginners" than ruling over any kind of evil empire.

"Dark Lord? Really?" Naomi thought. "This guy looks like he couldn’t even lead a study group, let alone a horde of minions."

She cautiously padded over to his side, peering up at the book. Lucien absentmindedly reached down and scratched behind her ears, making Naomi freeze. She had to resist the urge to purr. “Wait, no, focus, Naomi! You’re not just a cat—you’re a human inside a cat! You need to figure this out.”

Lucien continued reading. Naomi, on the other hand, was already formulating a plan. She needed to understand what was going on, why she’d been reincarnated, and most importantly, how to regain control of this bizarre situation.

But first, maybe she could start by subtly helping this so-called Dark Lord figure out how to actually be one.

TO BE CONTINUED...