This is a story about a cat.

...

"Meow~"

A lonely cat's cry echoed in the empty living room.

It was a black cat, poking its owner lying on the ground with its little paw, because whenever the owner slept like this, it would annoy him by doing so, trying to chase itself away.

But each time, it would playfully retaliate until the owner woke up.

But this time, no matter how it poked and prodded, the owner didn't wake up...

"Monica, be quiet and let him sleep properly."

Joy, with her empty gaze, stopped Monica from trying to wake Xia Yan and told her that Xia Yan was just "asleep".

Then she quietly accompanied Xia Yan's body, reminiscing about their happy moments together.

In fact, their encounter was not a coincidence, although he might not remember...

It was on a rainy day after school when Joy heard the meowing of a kitten coming from a small alley on her way home.

She opened her umbrella and walked into the alley. Under a billboard at the end, there was a cardboard box. Inside the box, the mother cat had died in childbirth, but luckily, one black kitten was still alive.

"Poor little thing, it's a shame I can't take you home. My parents would never agree to me keeping you. I'll leave my umbrella here to keep you dry."

Joy left the umbrella for the kitten and went home in the pouring rain.

The next day, when she passed by the alley again to check on the kitten, she saw someone inside doing something.

She didn't rush in, but stayed outside and secretly glanced inside.

It turned out to be a teenager holding a bottle, feeding the kitten. The umbrella she left behind had already been put aside.

"Take it slow, little one! Don't hurry, you might choke. Actually, we're quite similar, you and I. We both came into this world alone, so we have to live our lives well!"

...

"Excuse me, are you the one feeding it?"

The teenager was startled when he heard someone behind him, and turned around to see a very beautiful girl standing behind him.

"Oh... it's me, yes. Who are you?"

Joy pointed to the white umbrella next to him and said, "That umbrella... it's mine."

"Oh, I see... So it's your umbrella. Thank you. I was caught in the rain and heard the cat's meowing in the alley. I found the umbrella here, so I borrowed it temporarily and used it to shelter with this little guy until the rain stopped. Here, I'll give you back the umbrella. Don't worry about the kitten, it seems healthy! Well then, I have something to do, so I'll go now."

After saying that, he blushed and quickly ran away from there. It seemed that this teenager was more innocent than he appeared.

But his gentle actions deeply touched Joy. Although she never saw him again after that, she coincidentally met him again in college.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten about himself... and about the little cat he once saved.

Then, at a specific time and place, a black cat appeared and stole his lunch sandwich, causing him to chase around the campus in an attempt to retrieve his important meal, only to return empty-handed.

But luckily... he met a very beautiful girl and unexpectedly became friends with her.

...

"What's your name?"

"Joy, and you?"

"I'm Xia Yan."

...

[So his name is Xia Yan, and his silly and clueless demeanor is actually quite adorable.]

That was Joy's first impression of him.

Afterwards, they often met in the flower garden because of the black cat, which eventually led to their relationship.The black cat also had the name "Monica".

...

In the cold living room, Joy gently brushed away the tears on his face and murmured, "Xia Yan, I'm here with you now."

She took a capsule out of her pocket. This was the cyanide she had prepared a long time ago to commit suicide, because she had already guessed that everything would turn out like this, including the fact that she would kill Xia Yan.

But she didn't regret it, because only by doing so could she keep him forever by her side...

After saying that, she tightly embraced the lifeless body on the floor and then put the capsule into her mouth. Soon, her heartbeat also stopped...

At this moment, there was only a lonely black cat in the living room, circling around the two lifeless bodies and mewing in sorrow.

"Meow~" [Master, wake up, why aren't you responding to me? I used to wake you up no matter how deep your sleep was. Why can't you wake up now?]

"Meow~" [Master, are you going to abandon me? Why do humans always argue over trivial matters? Without you, who can accompany me?]

"Meow~" [Why don't you take me with you? Master, you are so biased... I would rather die like you than live in loneliness...]

...

But where could a cat be taken to?

As Monica kept pawing at the bodies of the two owners, she found another capsule in Joy's pocket.

This was originally intended for poisoning Xia Yan, but he never gave her a chance to feed him the medicine. So she changed her mind and chose to stab him to death with a kitchen knife.

"Meow~" [What's this? Is it cat food left for me by my owner?]

...

...

After her death, Joy found herself in an endless white world, where she encountered a girl who claimed to be a goddess.

"May I ask if you have any unfulfilled wishes before reincarnation?"

"Yes, I want him to reincarnate with me in that world."

...

And so it began.

After Xia Yan left first, the girl who claimed to be a goddess appeared in front of Joy, asking if her wishes had been fulfilled and whether she still had attachment to the mortal world.

After confirming that she had none, as she was about to start her reincarnation... suddenly, the soul of a black cat appeared out of nowhere in this world. The goddess, who noticed this, didn't immediately start the ritual for Joy's reincarnation. Instead, she brought the soul of the cat here.

When Joy saw Monica appear here, she showed an expression of great surprise. "Monica? How did you come here?"

"Meow~" [Master, I finally found you! I'm so happy!]

Monica ran towards Joy and nuzzled her affectionately.

"Well... since this cat can come here, it proves that it has a connection with me. I will transport both of you to a new world together. I hope your journey ahead will be smooth!"

Joy picked up the black cat from the ground, nodded slightly to the goddess, and showed a grateful expression.

Then a complex magic circle appeared under her feet, and a white light enveloped her and the black cat in her arms. When the light dissipated, both of them were gone.

...

Even in the new world.

We will always be together.

This obsessive love, deeply ingrained.

This excruciating pain, etched in our hearts.

I believe that the day we meet again will surely come.

...

Now in the living room... the cat is also dead...