When I was a teenager, if someone had asked me, "If you could reincarnate into another world after death, which one would you choose?"
My answer would have been simple and predictable: a world with magic and fantastic creatures, but also with enough technology to make life comfortable.
I wouldn't have wanted to end up in some place without toilets or basic entertainment.
But… what if there was no choice?
In that case, I'd have gone for a normal world, but one based on one of my favorite series—no monsters, no world-ending threats.
Because if you were just an ordinary person, the last thing you'd want was to get caught up in wars that flattened entire cities like it was just another Tuesday.
So why am I even bringing up these ridiculous scenarios that only exist in fantasy stories?
Simple. I had reincarnated into the world of a story I read years before I died. And from what I could deduce, I was the older brother of one of its side characters.
Why didn't I remember the whole plot in detail?
Because I was just a regular guy, not some genius with a photographic memory.
Now that I was more aware of my situation—and trying very hard to ignore the terrifying possibility that characters from other works might show up too—nothing had really changed for me.
What? Were you expecting me to be thrilled, already planning my future and grand adventures?
Maybe that's how some people would have reacted, but I preferred to save myself the headaches. Trouble came from people, and I wanted as little of it as possible.
As everyone knows, authors have to throw problems at their characters so they can "grow." But these weren't normal problems—sometimes they were so absurd you had to wonder how a story went from lighthearted school comedy to fighting the Yakuza or jumping onto a helicopter. I remembered reading something like that on an internet forum once.
Honestly, my memories were as vague as trying to recall what I'd eaten for lunch on a random Monday ten years ago.
So maybe I'd think, "Hey, good idea, I'll befriend that character," and before I knew it, I'd be helping them confront their sibling over the family inheritance.
Jumping headfirst into the unknown was always a bad idea. Improvisation sometimes worked, but planning ahead was safer. Still, friends had a way of dragging you into trouble whether you wanted it or not.
If only I could remember everything…
For now, I decided to try piecing together whatever I could from that series—which, to make matters worse, I couldn't even remember the title of. It had been in Japanese, and back then I didn't speak a word of it.
First, there was the main girl, Yukinoshita Yukino. Interacting with her had been a pain unless you were a masochist. Not much else came to mind.
Then there was the male protagonist, who was basically Yukinoshita's male counterpart. If memory served, he solved people's problems. Some kind of… consultant? A club? Maybe a psychologist?
And of course, no school romance was complete without another girl. She was… stupid?
No, gloomy?
Let's just say she was a girl—unless the story pulled a twist and revealed otherwise.
The rest of the side characters were… well, side characters.
Damn it! Where was my reincarnator's manual when I needed it?
Maybe once I remembered enough, a weird blue screen would pop up and give me some "skills." Honestly, I'd settle for a simple recap of the story instead.
Blaming some mysterious god for this mess seemed pointless.
"I can't remember on an empty stomach."
I got out of bed and opened my desk drawer, pulling out a box of cookies and a can of chocolate milk. Beer was out of the question—not that this body could have handled it anyway. But sweets? Always welcome.
"Milk and cookies… what a great time to be a kid."
I tore a page from one of my notebooks and, with my trusty pencil topped with a bear eraser, started brainstorming everything I could still recall. Maybe if I poked at those scattered memories, I'd piece something together.
Since when had I become an unpaid detective?
"Hey, I think my girlfriend's cheating on me. Could you follow her and gather some information?"
"Who the hell do you think I am?"
"I'll cover the next round of beers and the buffet."
"You can call me Sherlock Holmes!"
In the end, his girlfriend really was cheating—though with another girl. That day something inside him broke.
I got free food and drinks; he got depression and insecurities.
Last I'd heard, he was throwing all his money into NFTs—"the future of the financial market," according to him.
Putting that aside, I jotted down everything I could remember, along with a few clichés that seemed inevitable—like the classic scene where the guy accidentally saw his classmates' underwear. A staple.
"Well, I think this should be enough," I muttered, staring at the mess of half-baked notes, probably mixing in memories from other works.
If I ever came across five identical sisters, the smartest move would be to ignore them.
I grabbed another cookie and kept analyzing my scribbles.
As for the other side characters, I was lucky enough to recall a few standout traits—hair color, personality quirks, that sort of thing. Expecting me to remember their names is asking too much. I can barely remember the main girl's name, and that's only thanks to the internet.
Just like the protagonist, there was another blonde guy. Was he a delinquent? No… I think he was actually a nice guy, the kind who'd lend me a few hundred yen without a second thought. Maybe I should look for him. Would he be upset if I paid him back in interest-free installments? Someone willing to lend money definitely isn't a bad guy.
Then there was the teacher. I mean, there's always that adult who guides the protagonist… unless she was the one who got him into gambling debt? Either way, the protagonist should befriend the blonde guy. Could I get some money out of him if I played blackjack?
My gambling side flared up for a moment, but the memory of losing half my paycheck in just a few hours pulled me back. And if you're wondering what happened to the other half… I bet it all on red at the roulette table, and it landed on zero. Hahaha… someone up there hates me.
Back to the teacher—yeah, I doubted any adult would drag a student into gambling. Unless it was sports betting. Maybe… no, no, let's forget gambling for now. From what I remembered, that teacher was popular for being unlucky in love. Did she get involved with a student? Oi, oi… doesn't that cross into another category? Maybe I was mixing in traits from other works. Don't judge me.
Among the others, there was a blue-haired girl who… was a bully, right? I think she threatened the protagonist to make him look at her underwear. Did that really happen? The author was bold. What a guy!
Then there was the main girl's sister, the one in the Yukinoshita family photo. If I wasn't mistaken, she sold masks? That made no sense—unless the family business went bankrupt. But considering the financial market, the chances of that happening were about as low as this country's birth rate. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Maybe she was the typical older sister who tries to mess with her sibling's love interest… or was she the mother? Oyakodon? Seriously, the Yukinoshita family was shady as hell. Who would've thought they had those kinds of fetishes? Not that I envied the protagonist. Not at all…
Speaking of mothers, there was also the mom of that girl in the love triangle. She had some great doujins… I mean—she was a very important character who offered lots of help, and… ah, who was I kidding. She was the classic milf ruined by the fans. Raise your hand if you're in that circle. There, I knew almost all of you were.
After lowering my hand and brushing aside the thought that, as I got older, NTR involving a certain mature woman became oddly appealing, I decided to keep reading. But my next ideas didn't seem to fit anymore. I didn't think a sexy nurse who dragged the protagonist into street fights actually existed.
That reminded me—this country, this city, or wherever the story was supposed to take place, always focused, as expected, on the protagonists. We never really got much about how society was doing. If it was about portraying a school romance, they wouldn't show you the day-to-day lives of everyone else—because, well, that didn't matter.
That was the downside of being categorized as a background character. Or at least, that would be the case if the world truly revolved around just a few people. But if we treated it as reality, then these were simply events happening to others. For example, when a friend tells you how they got a girlfriend, that story doesn't have to involve you in any way.
Simply put, even if others had their own lives, I had mine. I could choose how I wanted things to unfold. Being labeled a background character didn't mean I couldn't enjoy my life. Unless there really was some higher entity out there, reincarnating me purely for its own amusement—to watch me struggle through my exhausting daily routine.
If that was the case, then at least give me some cheat skill. I mean, it's like starting at level one and facing the final boss in a game. But I supposed that was asking for too much…
So, what I really wanted to get across here was that I tended to overthink events that hadn't even happened yet. And there was no guarantee that—whether now or years later—I'd ever even meet any character from that story.
As a resident of Chiba, and someone with a previous life, it was obvious I'd choose the best high school for getting into a good university—so naturally, Sobu High became the expected choice.
It's not like I'm doing it on purpose… or maybe I am?
The truth is, I'd rather avoid trouble. I had enough of that before I died—and even back in elementary school, I wasn't exactly a stranger to it.
Is it really a crime if I hit a classmate who thinks intimidation is a hobby?
I usually let things slide because I have the mind of an adult. I don't fall for pointless provocations… though even I have my limits. I'll figure out what to do with that idiot later.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I leaned back and stared at the ceiling of my room.
For as long as I can remember, I had already mapped out most of my life's path—at least in theory. Graduate from high school, go to university, find a job similar to the one I had before I died. You could say I had "work experience" even before I was born. The kind of worker any boss would want.
After that, it would just be working, buying the things I needed, improving my lifestyle, and continuing like that until I died of old age. That was my idea of an "ordinary" life.
Unless, of course, another vehicle decided to run me over and send me to another world again.
So now, with this extra knowledge—does it change my future?
Not really.
But if this reality truly were a place where characters from different works coexisted…
Nah. With my luck, I might catch a glimpse of one from afar—if I even managed to remember who they were.
It's not like they'd suddenly walk up, introduce themselves, and say they came straight out of some story. That would be strange… and more than a little worrying.
"The best thing is to avoid trouble or anything that might spiral out of your control."
That's something I'll always keep in mind.
I'm not omnipotent. I don't have the help of some higher being. My memory only recalls vague scraps of the works I've read. And I definitely don't have some ridiculous ability that makes girls fall for me at first sight, as if they had no personality of their own.
So, being stupid enough to think I'm the "chosen one"? Yeah, that's not me.
Still… I wish I knew more about my situation—how I ended up here, and most of all, how reality itself works.
When you die, do you get to pick the book or series to reincarnate into?
Does some benevolent higher being exist who gives you that choice?
If so, why don't I remember choosing this place? Was my memory erased? Or did that so-called higher being just toss me into a random world without a second thought?
Well… whatever the case, it's still better than going to hell—if that even exists.
I slapped my cheeks lightly with both hands. There was no point worrying about things beyond my reach, nor could I control what would happen in the future. But it wouldn't hurt to be prepared if something truly unpredictable came my way.
I'm just an ordinary person. Which also means I'm vulnerable to accidents or things far outside my influence.
And honestly, even after six years in this world, I'd rather not die so young again.
With that last thought, I moved from my desk to my bed and lay down.
That's the annoying part of being a kid—sometimes I have way too much energy, and other times all I want is a nap…
Though, to be fair, that hasn't really changed much, heh.
Feeling my eyelids grow heavy, I let my mind drift as sleep pulled me under.
I just hope… for a life… quiet… and free of… problems…