My name is Leonardo. Just Leonardo. I don't have a last name.
The reason, of course, is that I'm an orphan. My parents died before I was even aware of them, so I can't really say I'm sad about it.
My childhood was fairly… normal… or at least I think so. I have nothing to compare it to.
Life at the orphanage was easy as long as you followed the rules. Most of the kids were surprisingly mature for their age because of their circumstances, or at least that's what the director said. And according to him, I was no exception.
In short, I knew how to behave. I knew how to follow the rules. They weren't that hard: don't cause trouble, don't stay up past a certain hour, eat whatever you were served… simple things.
Though there was one more rule. One the director repeated with special emphasis:
Don't get involved in other people's business.
And he didn't mean just the bad stuff. It applied to the good as well. You could see someone getting bullied and want to help, but… were you willing to deal with everything that came after? If you stepped in, the bullies might resent you, might come after you. Was it worth losing your own peace for someone else?
And if you weren't scared, if you really wanted to help, would you take responsibility for protecting that person afterward? Or would you help once and then look away? If it was the latter, then, according to the director, you weren't really doing the right thing.
It was just an example, but every action you take brings consequences, good or bad. So if you aren't ready to face them, simply don't get involved in other people's business.
That was his philosophy. And even though I didn't understand it as a child, I learned it the hard way.
It was an ordinary day. I was on my way to school, crossing the same alley as always, when I heard a meow.
Curiosity got the better of me. When I went closer, I found a little black kitten inside a box. I was just a kid, so I ended up playing with him the whole afternoon.
That night, it was hard to leave him behind to go back to the orphanage. Pets weren't allowed, so I couldn't take him with me.
From that day on, I visited him every day. I brought him food, played with him… I called him Negrito[1]. Yeah, a simple name, but to me it was special.
However, one week I couldn't go. I got sick. High fever. The director made me stay in bed.
When I finally got better and went back to the alley, Negrito was gone. I waited days, weeks… but he never came back.
One afternoon, I ran into a woman from an animal shelter. She was looking for a black kitten. She told me she ran a shelter where she fed stray cats, and that one of them, a small black one, had stopped showing up about a month ago.
That month was exactly when I'd met him. According to her, someone else had probably been feeding him… and stopped going.
Me.
And right after that, I'd been sick for a week.
That night, I cried a lot. Negrito had been thin and sick, yet he'd stopped going to the shelter to wait for me, to eat the little I gave him.
And I hadn't been there.
Maybe he died waiting for me. Or maybe someone rescued him, I don't know. But from that day on, I decided never to get involved in things without thinking first. If I'd done it properly, if I'd been more responsible, maybe Negrito would still be alive.
Over time, I understood it wasn't my fault. It was just bad luck. But the mark remained.
I guess we all have something like that — a childhood moment that seems small later, but leaves an invisible scar.
And I suppose you're wondering why I'm telling you all this.
The reason is simple: today was my first day of high school… and I met someone completely opposite to me.
As soon as I walked in, a few guys tried to block my way. Not new to me; being an orphan had made me an easy target. But honestly, I thought by fifteen people would've matured. I was wrong.
Luckily, I knew how to handle it: ignore them, play along. If you don't react, they get bored.
Or at least that's how it should've gone… if it weren't for a voice.
"Hey, you guys."
When I turned, I saw a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail and intense green eyes.
Just by looking at her, I knew trouble was coming. And I was right. She started arguing with the bullies, talking about how wrong it was to pick on others, giving a little moral speech.
The argument only ended when the teacher arrived and made us go inside the classroom.
Aside from that, the day was normal. Introductions, lessons, exercises… though by the atmosphere you'd think we were halfway through the year, not on the first day.
The annoying part was getting a message from those same guys, saying they'd "wait for me after school."
Of course, I decided to ignore it. But when the day ended, I heard a voice behind me.
"I'm going with you."
I didn't need to turn around. I recognized the girl's voice: Lucy, as she'd introduced herself earlier.
"I don't need it," I said.
My refusal caught her off guard for a second before she spoke again. "Even so, I'll go. After all, I'm partly responsible."
"You don't get it. I don't need it because I'm not going."
"Huh?"
"This school has several exits. I'll just use another one."
"B-but… they called you," she said, like her world was falling apart.
"Correction: they called me to beat me up. And I don't plan on obeying."
And just like that, I left.
From that day on, my life changed a little. I started avoiding the bullies whenever I could… and had an annoying friend following me everywhere.
For some reason, she found it interesting. She found me interesting.
Unfortunately, she found a lot of things interesting. And what drew her most was pretending to be some kind of heroine — always talking about "doing what's right," about stepping in, about helping everyone.
Over time, I learned why: her father was a police officer. She'd grown up watching him fight for justice, and it stuck with her.
Our friendship was strange. She talked nonstop; I mostly listened and nodded. That's how the years passed until we finished high school.
College was even stranger. Her "justice-driven personality" started annoying the wrong people, and eventually, the bullies turned their attention to her.
Even then, Lucy didn't change. She kept confronting them, speaking with the same confidence as always.
At least on the surface. After so many years of friendship, I could tell how much it really hurt her.
And that was when, for the first time in years, I decided to intervene.
I thought about it carefully. Those guys were popular, but not for good reasons. And that worked to my advantage. You don't need to fight when you have information. A few reports, photos, and anonymous calls were enough for the police to arrest them.
Of course, they'd only be in jail for a few days. But universities care too much about their reputation. So when the photos reached the papers and the whole city learned what happened, they were expelled immediately.
And all that without showing myself, without breaking my rule.
Though, of course, Lucy figured it out.
"Hehe… didn't you say you don't like getting involved in other people's business?"
If I let her continue, she'd tease me about it for years. So I said the first thing that came to mind.
"Your business is my business."
I expected it to shut her up, but for some reason I didn't understand at the time, she just blushed and ran off.
Years went by, and I got a job.
To no one's surprise who knew us, I started dating Lucy.
I joined a regular mid-level company. Honestly, that place was a mess. Corruption everywhere. Some people did nothing, others did too much, many worked overtime without pay, there was harassment, and countless other problems.
That was when I made one of the worst decisions of my life.
Maybe I'd spent too much time with Lucy and caught a bit of her personality, but I decided to intervene. Of course, in my own way, without doing it directly, thinking through every step before acting.
But in the end, I was discovered. I got fired. Not just me, but also the people I'd tried to help. Instead of being grateful, they all looked at me with hate.
Of course. It's what I deserved for meddling in other people's business.
I think I fell into a kind of depression. I don't remember much from that time, only Lucy, who was always there to support me. And I also remember how I kept pushing her away.
The last straw was when she tried to cheer me up by inviting me to the movies.
Damn it, I thought. These are real problems, not something a kids' movie can fix.
From that day on, Lucy stopped talking to me. We didn't see each other for days. But I didn't really care. With nothing to do, I wandered aimlessly, and by pure coincidence, I ended up in front of a movie theater. I went in without even checking what was showing.
It turned out to be the one Lucy had recommended. It was about a hero with spider powers.
When it ended, I understood why she wanted me to see it. The main character suffered because of his life as a hero. Many times he wanted to give up, especially when his loved ones were in danger or hurt, when everything seemed meaningless. But in the end, he didn't. The smiles of the people he helped were enough.
Another thing that surprised me was how much Lucy resembled the female lead, Gwen Stacy. And how she died at the end.
Looking back now, it might sound silly, but I ran out of the theater straight to Lucy's house. I didn't want to lose her. Even now, I'm surprised by how much Gwen's death affected me, and how I connected it to Lucy for no logical reason.
When I arrived, no one answered. I called her parents and, after insisting a little, they told me she had gone to the countryside to visit her grandmother. After begging a bit more, they gave me the address. I took the first bus I could find.
When I arrived, I saw her outside. I ran and hugged her. Lucy was startled, but once she recognized me, she relaxed.
I apologized.
I think I talked more in those few minutes than in my entire life, just to ask for forgiveness.
When she stayed silent, I got nervous, but when she burst out laughing, I knew she was teasing me. In that moment, without thinking, I proposed to her. And she said yes.
One of the happiest days of my life.
I spent a few days with her at her grandmother's house. I was surprised to find a black cat that, as soon as it saw me, jumped on me.
I thought it was attacking me, but it just clung to me. It didn't let go until her grandmother picked it up.
"Incredible, he's usually not friendly with guests," said Mary, Lucy's grandmother. I would've believed her if it wasn't the typical thing every pet owner says.
But after a few days, when the cat kept coming to me, I had no choice but to believe her.
"It's amazing how much he likes you," said Lucy, petting the little cat on my lap.
"Yeah."
"You know, he's usually super grumpy," she added.
"Of course he is," I replied, not really believing her.
"I'm serious. I found him when I was little, on the road. He seemed to be looking for someone. We tried to make him leave, but he wouldn't. We asked around and everyone said he was a stray, so we adopted him."
"And why don't you keep him now?"
"Because our house was too small for a cat. So we left him with Grandma."
"And you never found out who he was looking for?" I asked.
"No. But he got lost while looking. We always took the same route with my family, but I'd never seen him before. I guess one day he strayed off, we found him starving and adopted him. If he hadn't, maybe Lil Black wouldn't still be alive."
"Right," I said, "Lil Black?"
"Doesn't it sound cool? I named him myself."
"Lil Black…"
"Negrito" I murmured.
The moment I said the name, the cat straightened up and licked my hand affectionately. I understood instantly and hugged him.
"In the end, getting involved can lead to good things too," I whispered.
Days later, one of the girls I'd tried to help called me. She thanked me. After being fired, she'd found a job at another company, and now they were looking for someone to fill my old position.
Of course, I accepted.
I think my personality changed a little.
Getting involved in other people's business can go wrong… but it can also go right. The only certain thing is that you won't know unless you try.
I kept living like that, helping wherever I could, though without drawing too much attention. After that movie, I kept watching all the Marvel ones.
It might sound childish, but I think they all slowly changed me. Or maybe I was always like that, and they just helped me remember.
I thought my life would stay that way forever, with that routine I loved. But one day, everything changed.
We were leaving the theater. I stopped to buy something from a street cart. A car swerved off the road and headed straight for Lucy.
I didn't think. I pushed her out of the way.
The car hit me head-on. Between her voice and the sirens, everything went black.
"I really did see my whole life flash before my eyes," I murmured in that dark space. "I knew that happened, but I didn't think it was that real."
As I spoke, someone appeared in front of me. Or maybe I appeared in front of him.
A man with long black hair, wearing a horned helmet and a green outfit. He asked if I wanted to be reborn. Of course, I said yes.
When he asked what I wished for, my first reaction was to say I wanted to be with Lucy again.
He smiled and said there was no need, that was already destined to happen.
Then I thought. What could I even ask for? I didn't need anything. I'd been happy in my previous life.
So I left it to fate. My only wish was to remember all the Marvel movies I'd seen.
As presumptuous as it sounds, I think, no matter what my next life is, they'll remind me of the kind of person I want to be.
And with that, he disappeared. I think he said something about a cost, or that the memories would come later, or maybe both. I don't know. I just hope my next life is as good as this one.
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#TEAMCAT
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)
[1] I had forgotten about it because I'm not from the U.S., but I know that over there that word and similar ones are usually used in a racist way, I obviously didn't mean it like that. Where I'm from it's normal to name pets based on how they look, things like little white one, little black one, spots, grumpy, princess, things like that. If it bothered anyone, I apologize.