Kenji awoke to the sound of gulls shrieking overhead and the salty tang of the sea drifting through the cracks in the wooden wall. The straw mat beneath him crinkled when he shifted. He groaned and rubbed his back.
Kenji: "Ugh… Feels like I slept on a pile of chopsticks."
Daigo, the old fisherman who had reluctantly taken him in, was already squatting by the doorway, tying up a fishing net with hands rougher than rope.
Daigo: "Quit whining. That mat's a luxury. Most lads here sleep on bare planks."
Kenji sat up and poked at the mat with a finger. The straw broke with a snap.
Kenji: "Luxury? If this is luxury, I don't want to see poverty."
Daigo snorted without looking at him.
Daigo: "Then start earning. The sea don't give comfort for free."
Kenji sighed. This was his new life: Minato Village, a half-forgotten coastal settlement in the far eastern edge of Avelora. Thirty huts leaning toward the sea, smoke rising from fish fires, gulls circling for scraps. To think, in his old world he'd had a real bed, ramen shops on every corner, and enough cash for a hot meal whenever he wanted. Now, he was broke in two worlds.
Sora's footsteps pattered across the hut. The boy carried his clay pot of crabs like it was a treasure chest, smiling up at Kenji.
Sora: "Papa Kenji, good morning! Did you sleep well?"
Kenji ruffled the kid's messy hair, hiding his wince.
Kenji: "Like a king… if kings slept on straw and woke up with a sore back."
Sora laughed and sat beside him, setting the crab pot carefully on the floor. One of the crabs waved a claw at Kenji.
Kenji (leaning back): "Don't look at me like that. You're richer than me right now."
Later, Kenji followed Daigo outside. The sun had just climbed over the horizon, painting the sea in shades of gold. Villagers were already busy: women cleaning fish, children running barefoot with sticks, old men mending nets.
Kenji looked around, unimpressed.
Kenji: "So this is Minato Village, huh? Looks like the whole place could blow away in one storm."
Daigo: "Aye. But it hasn't. Not yet."
The old man thrust a fishing rod into Kenji's hands. It was little more than a carved stick with a fraying line attached.
Daigo: "If you're serious about fishing, prove it. No food today unless you catch it yourself."
Kenji (grumbling): "Trial by hunger, huh? Great parenting style."
Sora piped up from behind, hugging his crab pot.
Sora: "Don't worry, Papa Kenji! I believe in you!"
Kenji smiled weakly. "Kid, believing doesn't put fish in the bucket."
They trudged down to the pier, which looked like it had been nailed together by drunk carpenters. Boards creaked dangerously under Kenji's weight.
He dangled the line into the sea and waited. Five minutes passed. Ten. The gulls grew louder, swooping overhead as if mocking him.
Kenji: "Come on, fish… bite already. I'm practically inviting you to dinner."
Daigo barked a laugh.
Daigo: "Fish don't bite out of pity. You need bait."
Kenji blinked at him.
Kenji: "…Bait?"
Daigo: "What else did you think would lure them? Fish don't leap into buckets."
Kenji's face paled.
Kenji: "Wait. You mean… bait costs money?"
Daigo: "Course it does. Worms, shrimp, scraps—ain't free. You got coin?"
Kenji lowered his head.
Kenji: "…I have exactly zero coppers, two splinters, and a crab that hates me."
Sora tilted his head.
Sora: "So… we're poor?"
Kenji forced a laugh, though it came out bitter.
Kenji: "Poorer than a crab with one claw, buddy."
The rest of the morning was a comedy of errors. Kenji tried dangling his finger in the water ("maybe fish like human bait?"), which earned him a sharp nip from a crab that had somehow escaped Sora's pot. He attempted to carve hooks out of nails scavenged from the hut, but the line snapped each time he pulled.
Villagers walking past stopped to watch, chuckling.
Villager 1: "Look at the newcomer. Thinks the sea's a toy."
Villager 2: "He'll starve before he catches anything like that."
Kenji scowled but kept at it. Pride was all he had left.
Finally, Sora sat beside him and tugged his sleeve.
Sora: "Papa Kenji, maybe… we should ask for help?"
Kenji ruffled his hair again.
Kenji: "Nah. Your old man may be broke, but he's stubborn. If I can't outsmart a fish, then what good am I?"
By midday, his stomach growled so loudly Sora giggled.
Kenji (groaning): "If my stomach makes one more sound, people will start thinking I'm calling whales."
Sora dug into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of dried sweet potato.
Sora: "Here. I saved half from yesterday. You can eat it."
Kenji stared at the pitiful scrap. "…Kid, that's all you've got. Why are you giving it to me?"
Sora smiled.
Sora: "Because you share your bucket with me. So I share my potato with you."
Kenji's throat tightened. He quickly shoved the potato in his mouth, pretending not to choke on emotion.
Kenji (roughly): "You're gonna bankrupt me with kindness, brat."
That evening, empty-handed and exhausted, Kenji slumped by the fire outside the hut. The sky bled orange and purple over the sea.
Daigo sat beside him, chewing on dried fish.
Daigo: "So? Catch anything?"
Kenji: "Nothing but humiliation. If fishing were an Olympic sport, I'd have set a world record for losing."
Daigo chuckled. "The sea humbles everyone at first. Tomorrow, try again. Use worms. I'll loan you some."
Kenji raised a brow.
Kenji: "…Worms. My grand savior."
Sora curled up beside him, yawning. The boy leaned against Kenji's arm, clutching his crab pot like a pillow.
Sora (sleepily): "It's okay, Papa Kenji. You'll get better. I know it."
Kenji looked down at him, heart squeezing.
Maybe… maybe this reincarnation wasn't about me living for myself again. Maybe it's about living for this kid.
He exhaled, gazing out at the endless sea.
Kenji (softly, to the waves): "Fine. Laugh all you want, ocean. Tomorrow, I'll feed this kid. Even if it kills me."