"Now whose fault is this?! Tell me!" the man's voice boomed, filled with irritation.

I was back in that void-like space again, sitting with my knees pulled up to my chest, face buried, too embarrassed to make a sound—even though I knew they couldn't hear me. Dying from sheer fear? I cringed, my pride taking a hit. Man, I really suck as a guy stuck in a kid's body.

"Well… how would I know the system we gave him wasn't for a vampire, but for a beast tamer?" the woman's voice protested, sounding a little defensive.

The man let out an exasperated sigh. "Now what do we do?" he muttered.

The woman's tone softened, sounding defeated. "I... I guess we need permission to make a change…" she trailed off, sounding a bit guilty.

The man replied in a calmer voice, "Alright, I'll get the permission. Meanwhile, you start working on a new system—a vampire system. It needs to suit him properly this time."

Wait, did I hear that right? A realization dawned on me. So it wasn't my fault that I went down from a roar? It was the system's fault for throwing me in front of a massive tiger with a beast tamer setup?

My lips curled in a small grin. Yeah, I knew it. It's not like I'd actually have died from fear—no way. I'm Silas Thorne, a legend in the making.

Feeling a surge of confidence, I struck a proud pose in the void, imagining myself standing tall and heroic.

"Wait—what are you doing?!" the man's voice rang out in surprise.

The woman's voice chimed in excitedly, "Well, you said we needed a new system… so here it is! Pretty cute, right?"

Cute? I froze, feeling a strange chill run down my spine.

Cute? What cute? What's going on? Hello! Why is there a dramatic pause here? My mind raced, the word cute bouncing around uncomfortably. Did they change my body or something?!

Not being able to see or hear anything concrete only made it worse. My panic was just about to spike when, finally, the man's voice spoke up, sounding irritated.

"What?! When did I say to do this? Just give him a nice, normal system—a vampire system!"

Yes! Please, just something normal. No "cutey-muty" anything—just a basic system that will keep me alive, preferably without getting me killed every five minutes.

But the woman clearly had other ideas. "Nope! I'm not changing it." Her voice was smug. "It's cute, it's good, and it even has a personality! The last system was so boring and hard to understand half the time since it wasn't even sentient." She added, her tone aggressive, "So I'm keeping it. You got a problem with that?"

The man's voice sighed, sounding utterly defeated. "No… no, I don't have a problem with that, I guess."

"Great! Okay, let's send him back, then!" she chirped, her voice brimming with excitement.

And just like that, I was yanked back to my body. I blinked, staring up at the dark canopy of trees, feeling the dirt beneath me, the cool air filling my lungs. Back to square one, I thought, lying there in the middle of the forest.

Whatever they did, I really hope it works this time.

I pushed myself up slowly, looking around, checking if that tiger—big kitty, scary kitty—was gone.

Nothing. No sign of it anywhere.

Sniff sniff.

A strange smell hit me, something sour and unpleasant. I turned left, then right, trying to figure out where it was coming from. My eyes traveled down to my own clothes.

Oh. It's me. How could I miss it?

Yep, I'd definitely wet myself during the whole "big kitty scare" event. Ah, my poor body… can we try to hold onto at least a shred of dignity next time? I thought, sighing. What would people think if they read about this?

As if my body was going to listen.

Then, a chuckling sound echoed behind me.

I froze, fear prickling up my spine. Slowly, very slowly, I turned my head, inch by inch, until I was facing the source of the sound. My heart practically jumped out of my chest when I saw—

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

A small, floating cat.

I screamed, a high-pitched, helpless cry. "AHHHHHH!"

The cat's eyes went wide, and it screamed back at me. "AHHHHHHH!"

I took a breath and screamed again, louder this time. "AHHHHHHH!"

Before I could scream any more, the cat raised a paw and slapped me across the face. The sting shut me up immediately.

"Will you stop screaming?!" it huffed, putting a paw to its chest like it was trying to catch its own breath. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

I blinked, rubbing my cheek, stunned into silence. Then, I couldn't hold back anymore and asked, hesitating, "Don't… tell… me…"

The cat grinned smugly, straightening itself up. "Yep, you guessed it. I'm your new, beautiful, handsome, adorably cute system." It raised a paw with a dramatic flourish. "Tadaa!"

"No, no, no…" I cried, looking up at the sky in despair. "Please, no! Just take it back—I'll work with the previous system somehow. Just please, take him back!"

The cat huffed, looking deeply offended, its fluffy tail swishing behind it as it glared at me. "Hyy! You're hurting my pride! I'm at least a hundred times more amazing than that old system. Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have me?"

I let out a groan, covering my face with my hands. "A floating, talking, sassy cat… as my system. How did my life come to this?"

The cat flicked a paw dismissively, a smug smirk on its face. "Oh, stop being so dramatic. Look, I'm going to make your life much easier. I come with a personality, features, upgrades. All kinds of perks!"

I raised an eyebrow, not convinced. "Perks? Really?"

"Obviously." The cat floated closer, practically poking me with its tiny, whiskered nose. "For starters, I can talk to you, which means no more of those vague, boring pop-up windows! I can guide you directly, in real time. And," it added, puffing up with pride, "I have advanced knowledge of your vampire abilities. I know exactly what you need."

I stared, still not buying it. "Fine. If you're so amazing, tell me where to find some food and water before I starve to death. I'm not sure how many more dramatic near-death experiences I can handle."

The cat blinked, then straightened up like it was preparing for a grand reveal. "Easy-peasy." It pointed a paw off to the left, like it was directing traffic. "There's a nice little stream just fifty meters that way, with some wild berries nearby. Follow the scent!"

My stomach growled at the thought, and I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe this new 'system' cat actually knows what it's talking about.

I took a step in the direction it had pointed, trying to keep my dignity intact as I walked with my damp, tattered clothes. The cat floated along beside me, humming to itself, obviously proud of its "guidance."

"So… do you have a name, or am I supposed to just call you 'System Cat'?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" It did a little twirl midair, practically sparkling with excitement. "You may call me Sir Pawsington the Magnificent."

I stopped, giving it a blank stare. "I'm not calling you that."

The cat—or Sir Pawsington, apparently—looked scandalized. "It's dignified! Regal! It screams authority!"

"It screams ridiculous."

The cat sighed, clearly disappointed in my lack of enthusiasm, but didn't argue. "Fine. Call me Paws. But only because I'm generous."

"Sure, Paws." I rolled my eyes, but deep down, a small part of me was starting to appreciate the company. "Now, can we get to the food already?"

Paws floated ahead of me, leading the way, humming a little tune. "In search of food and water, our hero marches on, led by a cat so clever, he'll help him till the dawn…"

I groaned again but couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips. Ridiculous as it was, maybe having a floating cat with a superiority complex wasn't the worst thing in the world.