Soul Society
In one of the noble districts, a young boy lay sprawled beneath a cherry blossom tree in his family's backyard. Beside him stood a small wooden table, upon which a pot of sake steamed gently. The boy held a white jade bowl in both hands, lifted it to his lips, and sipped.
As petals drifted from the branches above, he hummed a nameless little tune, looking for all the world like a miniature old man.
"Ah~ life really is as lonely as snow… so damn boring…"
The boy muttered words that would have made no sense to anyone else.
"Master! Bad news, the lord has returned!" A young maid in a kimono came rushing in, shattering the fragile peace of the moment.
"What?!" The boy immediately shot up from the ground.
"Quick, quick, quick!" He shouted orders at the girl to hide the alcohol while he snatched a wooden practice sword from beneath the tree and began swinging it with exaggerated seriousness.
"Hurry up! You're so clumsy—what's the point of having you around if you can't even manage this?" he shouted, though he himself made no move to help.
"Yes, young master! Almost done!" The girl scrambled to clear everything away. The more flustered she got, the messier she became, until tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.
At that moment, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
"Damn! Too late!"
The boy darted to the maid's side.
"Young master, what are you—ah?!"
Without hesitation, the boy snatched up the pot of sake, tipped his head back, and gulped it straight from the bottle. Draining it in one go, he stuffed the empty container into the maid's kimono, slipping it down from the collar.
"No, young master!" Her face flushed crimson.
The boy shot her a sharp glare—an unspoken order to keep quiet—and strode back under the tree, where he resumed his "training," swinging the wooden blade in careful rhythm.
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
With his face flushed from the alcohol, his solemn performance might almost have convinced someone he was actually practicing hard.
A middle-aged man appeared from the corridor.
"Good day, my lord!" The maid hurried forward and bowed, clutching at her kimono as though her life depended on it, terrified the hidden bottle might slip free.
The man barely glanced at her. His eyes fixed immediately on the boy, never wavering.
"No slacking today?" he asked.
"N-no, my lord," the maid stammered. She had long since grown used to such answers; in her heart, she no longer even considered them lies. After all, this was the boy's daily routine. Strictly speaking, today wasn't slacking at all—thanks to the master's early return, the young master had actually trained longer than usual.
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
"Hah!"
"…Oh?"
The boy lowered his stance, feigning surprise at noticing the man. "Father! You're back already? Time really flies today!"
"Keep going. Training time isn't over yet. I only came back early." The man's expression softened with satisfaction.
"Oh!"
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
The boy swung tirelessly, but before long, the world began to tilt. Damn—here came the sake. He clenched his teeth, praying silently that his father would leave soon.
The maid's heart hammered. If their lie was exposed, she too would suffer.
"Keep your upper body steady! Plant your stance!" the man barked as he spotted flaws in the boy's form.
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
But the boy could no longer hear him.
He swayed side to side like a boat in the wind.
"Uurp—" A hiccup burst free, and he propped himself up with the wooden sword to keep from collapsing.
"Life is short, so seize your joy! Don't raise your glass to the night sky for nothing!" he declaimed, reciting poetry with wild, drunken bravado.
"You brat! You've been drinking again?!" the man roared, finally realizing.
The drunken boy ignored him entirely. Fueled by liquor, he poured out every ounce of pent-up resentment, pointing straight at the man's nose.
"I've had enough of this! You're abusing a minor! Do you have any idea what era this is? Still playing with cold weapons? I'll tell you, I come from the age of firearms! With just a little gunpowder I could blow this house sky-high! I'm not bluffing—back in my day…"
The more he ranted, the darker his father's face grew. Had the boy looked up just then, he might have blurted, When did our family hire an African guest?!
"You little punk! If I don't knock some sense into you today, you'll think you're untouchable. What's next, blowing up the house we live in?!"
The father stormed forward, but the maid, panicked, clung to his sleeve.
"My lord, calm yourself! You know the young master's always spouting nonsense, none of it should be taken seriously!"
But with a slip of her hand, the hidden bottle tumbled free, shattering on the ground.
The fuse had been lit.
"Enough!"
Smack!
"Ahh!"
Smack!
"You dare hit me?!"
Smack!
"Try hitting me again!"
Smack!
"Bastard!"
Smack!
"You'll regret this!"
Smack!
"You're finished, I swear!"
Smack!
"Help meee!"
Forgive me, young master… the maid wept silently in her heart.
Soon, the boy was bawling in the arms of a beautiful woman.
"Why are you hitting the child again?!" she scolded angrily.
"This brat was drinking again! He'll never amount to anything if I don't discipline him!" the man snapped back.
"He's just a child! It's natural to be playful at his age!" the woman defended.
"He's not that young. I've heard the lady of the clan can already knock down four or five servants bare-handed," the man countered.
"Our son isn't her, is he?!" she shot back, rolling her eyes.
"And what about that Soi Fon girl? My son can't lose to her!"
"That's a long way off yet!"
"Fine, fine. You take charge then. But remember, overindulgent mothers raise useless sons!" the man sighed.
"What did you say?! Say it again if you dare?!" the woman's voice rose like thunder.
"I—I mean, of course the child will grow splendidly under your care, bringing honor to our family!" the man hastily amended.
Nestled against the woman's chest, the boy's eyes sparkled. Heh, looks like my happy days have finally arrived…
The next day, he lounged under the cherry blossom tree again, sipping sake like nothing had happened.
"Life really is as lonely as snow…"
"Young master, are you truly alright?" the maid asked softly.
"Alright? Can't you see I can't even lie on my back? I have to rest on my side!" the boy snapped.
"Heehee! You look exactly the same as yesterday to me," the girl teased.
The boy's eyes lit with mischief.
"Hey… how about we sneak out for a little walk?"
Her face drained of color. She shook her head frantically.
"No! Absolutely not! There are man-eating monsters outside!"
"Pfft, don't treat me like a kid. Everyone says that, but who would believe such nonsense?" the boy scoffed, certain it was just a scare tactic. He had no idea that the one thing he dismissed as a lie… was the only truth.
That's right—the boy was a transmigrator. Unfortunately, he had no clue where exactly he had landed, only assuming it was some ancient era of Japan. Still, blessed with good looks and noble status, he proudly rejected the life of swords and spears.
His goal in life? To live like a pampered prince of the gutter.
Sadly, he had yet to step beyond the estate gates. The excuse was always the same: "There are monsters outside that eat people."
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter