"Will I get to know exactly what world I'll be going to?"
"No. The one thing I can tell you is that it'll be familiar to one of the many series you've watched."
"Okay. Will I get a system?"
"Again, no. Those often turn the users into emotionless vessels, seeking power high after power high. You'll lose yourself far quicker than you expect."
"So systems are out of the question, then. What about boons?"
"Retaining your memories and skills is enough of a 'boon.' What do you expect to learn without a challenge? And not only that, I'd have to be punished, should I grant you any sort of excessive advantage."
...Makes sense. I've never been one to enjoy things handed to me on a silver platter, anyway.
Wait.
Excessive?
"Going by that logic, does that mean you can give me at least one advantage as long as it is not game-changing?"
"Yes, yes," she said, hiding a smile behind her sleeve in amusement. "I'm glad you figured it out."
I knew it.
"What will I get, then?"
"You'll receive two small gifts. First, my blessing. This will allow you a healthy body. Weak illnesses won't affect you, given that you take care of your body properly."
I see. This is good, so far.
"The second one?"
"That is for you to discover. I cannot say more than that."
"...Okay, that's fun."
What else could I ask? Being informed is important, but I don't see a point in asking questions aimlessly.
Actually, what makes me think I'm going to be the only one going there? This reincarnation stuff is apparently real, so there's no telling there won't be others.
It's a small possibility, but perhaps there's a chance.
"Will I... will I be going alone, or will there be others like me?"
"Hm."
She stood in silence for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words.
"Perhaps there are. Perhaps there are not. But on the chance that you do encounter another like you...
Do not involve yourself with them, nor engage them unless it becomes absolutely necessary. That is all I can say."
"Damn, scary."
And ominous, too. Why wouldn't I want to ally myself with another? That seems like common sense to me. If we have the same background and same circumstances, that should be a good thing.
Still, though... whatever this goddess says goes. I don't entirely trust her, but she is granting me a second chance. Least I can do is respect that wish.
"I have two more questions before I'm ready," I said, holding up two fingers. "That part about being born anew—were you being literal? Will I have to experience life as a baby? And this world's language, will I be able to speak it?"
"Oh, yes. I was quite serious about that," the goddess replied with a nod in amusement. "You'll be reborn from infancy, but you won't have to experience the first few stages of life. Both your conscience and memories will remain dormant until your vessel's brain is developed enough to handle them. You wouldn't expect a baby to hold what an adult can, right?"
I raised a finger and opened my mouth to argue, and—
...Shit. She's right. I've got nothing against that.
"When would that be?" I said, lowering my hand in complete and utter defeat.
"Around the ages of six or seven," she answered casually. "About your second question... the language is one that you know very well. You won't need to learn it from zero, and you won't have to struggle with reading or writing, either. Consider it a small stroke of luck on your part."
Well, that's one less problem I have to worry about.
Learning another language from zero wouldn't be fun.
"Are you finished asking your questions, Satou Claire?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty much done now. I've got nothing else."
"Then..."
Elyxia took a few steps into the light between us, the sound resounding into the vast space around us.
She then aimed her palm at me.
"Satou Claire... may you have a good journey, and flourish in this new world."
Magical runes surrounded me, and the light grew even brighter.
Holy crap.
I don't even know why I'm still surprised at this point.
Warmth spread through my entire body, and...
I vanished.
Elyxia let out a smile.
"Another one added to the pile."
She folded her hands behind her back, closing her eyes in wonder.
"Such few souls, and yet, only one will rise among the rest," Elyxia continued, her eyes snapping open once more. "And that one... will be the key to what I seek to create."
She licked her lips in anticipation.
"Claire Satou... do not disappoint me."
/////
The sun shone down brightly, piercing the entirety of Konohagakure like a deadly ray of light.
It has been two years since the rampage of the Nine Tails, a night that had torn through the village's infrastructure, reaped away lives and left scars that had yet to heal.
In these casualties, was included the Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze.
He sacrificed himself, along with his wife, to seal the beast within their newborn son, ensuring the safety of the village at the cost of their own lives. A heroic feat, indeed.
To some others... a reminder. That even the core symbol of their very village could fall.
However, the village had since then rebuilt. Streets, homes, markets—though the trauma remained, and the lives undone could not be restored.
That was Hiruzen Sarutobi's biggest regret. Had he come a little earlier, and held the beast off for a few moments longer, perhaps fewer lives may have been lost.
A wisp of smoke escaped from his pipe as he observed the village from the Hokage Tower.
"If only you were still here, Minato."
He glanced over at the stack of papers on his desk.
Stacks over stacks, and even more stacks of paper.
He let out a long sigh. Why was he the only one burdened with this endless amount of paperwork? The council, or hell, even Shikaku could assist him in this task. His job was to protect the village, for god's sake!
While Hiruzen could only helplessly seethe at the mountain of reports and documents, somewhere else, in a certain place...
Hinode Orphanage.
A girl was currently sitting down in a quiet corner of the courtyard, seemingly focused on writing something down.
Then, her brows furrowed in utter shock.
She clutched her forehead as hard as she could, shaking her head to lessen the sudden pain. Yet, despite the intensity, she did not scream.
After a little more than half a minute, she finally stopped, collapsing to her knees and sweating bullets.
'Holy crap!'
She glanced around, the pain still lingering in her forehead. Everything felt so... real.
'There hasn't been a single time where I've gotten a migraine this strong. I think breaking a leg would've been easier than whatever that was! If I screamed, I would've definitely caught someone's attention. I probably already have with my sudden outburst, though.'
To her surprise, the courtyard was empty. Alas, she was alone.
Then, the memories started to settle in. At least part of them—it felt as if most, if not a majority of them were still being suppressed.
'Okay. So, I apparently conserved my name here, same as my old life—Satou Claire. Pretty nice of that shady goddess,' she thought, pressing her temples. 'I am, unsurprisingly, an orphan. I reside in Hinode Orphanage, in... whatever place this is. I don't recall any sort of geography-related memories.
Just like Elyxia said, they speak Japanese here, which is a lifesaver. It would be really inconvenient to learn how to read and write from scratch, after all. And, I apparently have some friends here? Wait, that wouldn't be right. They were this kid's friends. Wonder how that reincarnation stuff even works, honestly.'
Claire shook her head.
'I should behave as this kid normally does. I'm not very good at acting like a child nor do I have a degree in acting, but I should at least try. It won't be pretty if the matron notices something off about me. Definitely would be inconvenient.'
The pain had still not gone away, but it was easing. The strain was lessening by the minute, that was for sure.
The double doors opened, and she turned to see who it was.
"Claire-chan?"
It was the matron of the orphanage, Lady Hoshino—a middle-aged woman with purplish, sharp eyes and graying hair neatly tied into a bun, yet maintaining a surprisingly smooth complexion for her age.
"We're already having lunch with the other kids, what are you doing out here on your own?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, slightly concerned. "Still practicin' your Kanji?"
"U-uh, yeah," Claire said with a forced smile, awkwardly holding up the notebook. "Just wanted to finish this page. I'm almost done."
The matron took a few steps closer, and leaned in, peering at the characters.
"Well, that's some nice work there. You've already learned quite a few, and not only that, you've got better handwriting than some Chuunins I know. Always been a fast learner, haven't you?"
Claire gave a small, sheepish laugh, but was shocked to feel herself being picked up like a sack of potatoes.
"However, young lady—you cannot skip out on lunch. Especially when you're still growing!"
"H-Huh?! I can walk, you know?! Put me down!"
"No way. You're coming with me!"
And just like that, every single speck of pride in Claire was gone. Reduced to nothing but ashes. Absolutely obliterated.
When she imagined reincarnating into a new, fantastical world, she pictured grand adventures, epic battles with dragons and powerful adventurers, and fights with her life on the line.
None of that came true. The only thing on the line here…
...was her dignity!
-------------------
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