Hajime sat on the metal railing letting his legs dangle down swaying with the wind. He looked down at the cold water that reflected the beauty of the moon which illuminated the night sky, and muttered,
"I'm in debt, have no kids, no wife, no girlfriend, and all I can do is work to hopefully one day get out of debt and retire. I know I will never achieve my dreams, and I will never make it out of debt. Goodbye shitty world."
Hajime grabbed a hold of the cold railing he sat upon, closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Feeling the cold metal rest in his hands Hajime leaned forward and let go. Plummeting down Hajime felt the cold wind pass across his body. After a few seconds Hajime, still with his eyes closed, felt a sharp pain spread throughout his body like he was hitting a wall, but this pain disappeared as fast as it came.
"What's happening? Why is everything silent? Is it all over?"
Hajime in state of nothingness, didn't feel pain, sadness, guilt, or fear, but nothing as if he was a spirit wandering but with no final destination. Hajime, though in a daze, saw a faint white spec of light but thought nothing of it. At first this faint light was barely noticeable, but quickly got brighter until the light engulfed all the darkness. Hajime not knowing the origins of the light and scared of what was happening began panicking,
"What's happening? What's this light? Didn't I just kill myself? What should I do? Shit, I can't move, I can't do anything!"
Once the light completely engulfed his eyes it instantly disappeared and everything went dark again.
"Where did that light go? Where did it come from?"
Hajime, overwhelmed by panic, felt a sudden cool breeze sweep over his body. The rhythmic croaking of crickets began to filter into his ears. Still dazed, he slowly pried open his tightly shut eyes. He had expected to see hell. Instead, above him stretched a breathtaking night sky.
"Where... am I? Am I still alive? What happened? I should be dead. So why can I see the sky?"
Lying flat on the ground, Hajime stared upward, stunned. Countless stars glittered above, each one glowing with a gentle, radiant light. As his eyes traced the heavens, he suddenly froze.
There were two moons.
"What the... Why are there two moons?! There should only be one! Am I hallucinating? Is this some kind of drug trip? No… could it be? Did I get isekai'd? Am I in another world?"
In a rush of adrenaline, Hajime lifted his hands toward the moonlight. Squinting, he could just barely make them out—small, delicate, unfamiliar. He twisted his wrists, examining them more closely. That's when it hit him.
"These... aren't my hands. They're tiny... soft… wrinkled?!"
Panic surged through him as he struggled to sit up. He looked down at his body—and what he saw confirmed his worst fear.
"No way. This... this is a baby's body! What the hell is going on?! I've actually been reincarnated?!"
Lying there in stunned silence, Hajime scanned his surroundings. Though the night was dark, he could faintly make out the silhouettes of tall pine trees encircling him. He was in a forest—alone, vulnerable, and utterly helpless.
Fear gave way to desperation.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
He cried for help, his newborn lungs straining. His voice grew hoarse, his throat raw, until each cry came out with effort, followed by ragged coughing. But he couldn't stop. If he stopped now, he'd die. The cold was already biting at his tiny body.
Time crawled by.
After what felt like an hour, just as he was on the verge of giving in, he heard it—footsteps.
No way... Is someone actually there? I might be saved.
Mustering the last of his strength, Hajime let out one final, desperate wail. The footsteps grew louder. Closer. Then, two dark figures emerged from the trees.
One held a torch, its flame casting flickering shadows across the forest floor. A man's voice rang out.
"Kazuma, where's that crying coming from? Is it a monster?"
The second figure responded with hesitation. "No… I've never heard of a monster that mimics a baby's cry. And if it's not a monster… then who would leave a child out here to die?"
As they stepped into the torchlight, Hajime could finally make out their faces: a young man and woman, both appearing no older than eighteen.
The man was tall, with short blond hair and piercing black eyes. A sword hung at his side, and he wore leather armor, though his breastplate was made of metal engraved with strange runes Hajime didn't recognize.
The woman was slightly shorter, with long black hair and equally dark eyes. She wore similar armor, but instead of a sword, she held a wooden staff topped with a swirling blue crystal.
She approached slowly, kneeling beside Hajime and scooping him gently into her arms. He was pressed against her chest, warm and soft. His survival instincts kicked in—he pretended to fall asleep, letting exhaustion wash over him.
The woman cradled him, her voice filled with concern.
"You poor thing… Who would abandon you like this?"
Turning to the man, she asked softly, "Kazuma, who would do this to an infant?"
Kazuma frowned, his voice heavy with uncertainty.
"I don't know, Rin. No tribes live near here. No travelers come through this forest, especially not at night."
Rin looked down at the tiny baby in her arms—at Hajime—and then back up at Kazuma.
"Kazuma... can we adopt him? Take him back with us to the capital?"
Kazuma blinked, clearly surprised by the request. He paused, resting a hand on his chin, lost in thought.
"Well, there's no reason to say no," Kazuma finally sighed, looking down at the infant in Rin's arms. "Otherwise, he'll freeze or starve to death... so I guess I have no choice but to say yes."
Rin smiled softly, her gaze tender as she looked down at the baby. She gently cradled him, her voice filled with warmth.
"Now that your part of our family, we need to give you a name. How about... Hajime?"
Hajime froze, his heart sinking as he heard the name. His body slumped slightly in her arms.
"Wait... Hajime? Why do I get the same name as my previous life? I was hoping for something completely new. This is supposed to be a second chance! How does this even happen? Well... I guess it's better than being named something stupid. So... it's not the worst."
As Hajime processed the situation, a long silence hung in the air. It was Kazuma who broke it, his voice steady.
"I like the name Hajime. It suits him." Kazuma gave the baby a thoughtful glance. "But Rin, we need to move if we're going to make it to the capital before sunrise."
Rin nodded in agreement, adjusting her hold on Hajime as Kazuma lifted his torch. The flickering light cast long shadows, illuminating the path ahead. Together, they made their way through the dark forest, stepping carefully around the towering pine trees.
As they neared a clearing, Kazuma pushed some branches aside, his boots crunching on the forest floor. The distant sound of a dirt road greeted them as they emerged into the open. The path stretched endlessly before them, a long ribbon of earth leading toward the horizon.
Hajime, nestled securely in Rin's arms, began to feel the weight of his exhaustion. His eyelids grew heavy, and his body, so foreign in its infantile state, seemed to demand rest.
Now that I'm safe... these people saved me... I can finally relax, I think. I don't need to stay awake anymore.
His thoughts blurred, and despite the overwhelming confusion swirling in his mind, Hajime's tiny body couldn't fight it anymore. The rhythmic motion of Rin's steps, the warmth of her embrace, and the safety of the moment lulled him into a deep, peaceful sleep.