Things I Want to Do

“……”

This time, I truly did not respond with a single word.

If we had met outside the cage… it would mean that I never fell from that cliff.

If I, having become the Hero, were to meet you, the ending…

“If we were both outside the cage, Renee-chin, what would you do?”

“Thinking about such things…”

Is there any point? I didn’t say the second half of the sentence out loud.

Looking at that sorrowful smile of hers, I wondered: how could someone who has endured so much still speak such words? Does she still have a heart?

“…Setting my thoughts aside for a moment, what about you? What do you plan to do?”

“Hmm? Renee-chin actually asked me a question, meow! I’m so happy.”

Don’t get so happy over such a small thing, okay? If my hands weren’t tied, I would have really liked to scratch my head to vent the doubt in my heart.

“As for me, I want to create a homeland where everyone can live happily together, meow.”

As she said this, for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw her eyes shimmering.

Just what exactly did you go through before becoming a s*ave?

Though I asked this question silently in my heart, I didn’t crave the answer.

I had a vague idea of what she meant by “everyone.”

For the Nako Tribe—a people whose homeland was stolen and who are despised by the world—where else could they find a place to belong?

Without realizing it, I lowered my head and sank into contemplation, accidentally projecting my own situation onto the Nako Tribe.

No, now is not the time for such thoughts…

“I’ve finished talking about me, what about Renee-chin, meow?!”

“Uh… yeah. Ah, that’s a very noble ideal.”

Pulled back to reality by her voice, I froze for a moment before offering a response.

“N-Noble? I-I didn’t think that far ahead, meow… Eh? Wait, meow! Renee-chin, don’t change the subject! Answer the question, what do you want to do, meow?!”

What do I… want to do?

The unexpected question caught me off guard. She leaned in closer, her dust-covered face framing eyes of pure, stainless innocence that stared straight into mine.

“The thing… I want to do.”

Ever since my wrongful imprisonment, I have been struggling solely for the sake of revenge.

Every step of my journey toward becoming a Hero was the same; as long as I could take revenge on the people who murdered my grandfather, I didn’t care what means I used.

What I want to do is take revenge. I want to make those who snatched everything from me pay a agonizing price… but I can’t exactly say that, can I? The atmosphere isn’t right for such words. At the very least…

I don’t want my ugly desire for revenge to pollute her purity.

“I… I suppose I want to become a hero.”

By the time I realized it, the words had already slipped naturally from my mouth.

“Eh! A hero, meow?!”

Even though it was just a convenient excuse—

“I thought Renee-chin would say something like ‘a knight,’ meow.”

Thump-thump!

My eyes widened unnaturally. The unexpected words struck me so suddenly that I was momentarily speechless.

“…W-Why would you say that?”

My tongue felt knotted, and my words came out in a stutter.

“Hmm… I just get the feeling that even though Renee-chin has a sharp tongue, you’re the type of ‘knight’ who cares deeply for others and would step forward in a moment of crisis. Ah, I guess that makes you a ‘hero’ too, meow!”

She tapped her chin, seemingly lost in thought, and before long, a smile once again bloomed on her face.

“Even though Renee-chin is a girl, being a hero feels surprisingly fitting for you, meow!”