AWDC Chapter 1

Translator here: This is my first japanese novel, there are bound to be mistake but if mistakes are alot I will take this novel down. Please comment and show support.

Chapter 1: Reincarnation?

Prologue

I was running around aimlessly in a white fog. No, to be precise, I was being chased by something.

Without knowing what the thing behind me was, I was terrified of it and just kept running away.

In fact, I don’t even remember how long I had been running around like this.

‘This is no good. Running around without knowing the way will only drain my strength.’ I felt in my heart that it would be better not to move anymore.

But, an obsession was gnawing at me.

My body moved on its own, my hands and feet struggled relentlessly.

I moved my left and right limbs as if parting the fog.

My legs felt heavy, as if walking through water, but I just kept moving forward.

I had no strength left in my body to run or even walk.

Even so, I was terrified of something, and I could only think of moving forward.

“Haa, haa, haa…” My breathing was already ragged.

‘This is the limit. I can’t move anymore.’ My consciousness was fading.

And finally, my feet tangled, and I dropped to one knee on the ground, unable to get up.

I collapsed face down.

‘Ah, now I can rest.’ With a somewhat relieved feeling, I fell face down on the ground.

That was the last memory of my previous world.

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When I woke up, I was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar room.

All I could see was a bare wooden ceiling.

I sat up abruptly and looked around. The floor was the same as the ceiling, bare, with no carpet or even signs of wax.

Only clothes and cloth like towels were hanging on the wooden walls.

There was hardly any furniture such as a chest of drawers. It was obviously different from the world I was in.

It looked like an old, poor house in every way.

I had no memory of coming here at all.

The room was obviously different from anything in Japan.

The window was small, with a single-leaf frame, but there was no glass, and it was covered with wood.

If it were closed, the room would probably be completely dark.

The structure of the room was reminiscent of an old European farmhouse.

‘Why am I here?’

Also, I felt something strange about my body.

I thought I was an adult, but my current body looked like a child of 12 or 13 years old.

My hands were smooth and without a single knot, like those of a boy.

‘What on earth is going on?’

As I was getting up and wondering, an old woman came in from the next room.

“Oh, you’ve finally woken up. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

The old woman asked with concern.

“No, I don’t have any pain anywhere.” I replied, but I realized that it was bad manners to remain sitting on the bed.

“Thank you very much.” I hurriedly got out of bed and bowed my head.

“Oh my, what a polite child. But you’ll catch a cold if you’re naked.”

Come to think of it, I was only wearing baggy underwear.

The old woman bent down, took a bag from under the bed, and pulled out some clothes from inside.

“These are my son’s clothes. They’re quite old, but I think they’ll be just the right size for you.”

I certainly felt chilly, and I put on the clothes as if I were being urged to.

“Oh, they fit just like they did on Jimmy.” The old woman seemed pleased that the clothes I was wearing fit perfectly.

Jimmy must be her son.

“Are you hungry? I’m preparing dinner now, so come to the dining room.”

The old woman spoke kindly to me, a stranger.

“Kyuu.” At those words, my stomach suddenly cried out.

“Hahaha, it seems your stomach is honest.”

The meal that the old woman gave me was something that a modern Japanese person would not call a feast.

It consisted mostly of stewed potatoes, carrots, and onions, with only small pieces of meat mixed in.

But, I thought it was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten.

I hadn’t eaten for days, just wandering around, and my stomach was completely empty.

Anything that could replenish it would have been good.

And the food was imbued with the old woman’s warmth.

The old woman’s kindness alone made it the best feast for me.

The food disappeared from my plate in an instant and went into my stomach.

“Come now, don’t hesitate to have seconds.”

Enticed by the old woman’s words, I held out my empty plate.

“Thank you for the meal. And thank you very much.”

It was at this point that I realized that I hadn’t said my name or anything. And when I tried to recall my memories, my head hurt so much I thought it would split open.

“I am…” I could feel my face contorting in pain.

“I am, T-Toma. I can’t remember anything else.” I finally managed to say.

“Toma? Hmm. That’s not a very common name. Where did you come from?”

“Um, I can’t remember that. Could you tell me how you found me?”

“This morning, when I went to the field, I found you collapsed there. I called out to you, but you didn’t regain consciousness, so I carried you into the house on my back. You didn’t seem to have any injuries anywhere, and I thought you’d wake up if you got some rest, so I didn’t call a doctor. Well, there isn’t a doctor in this village anyway.”

Where did I come from?

“I see. Um, was I naked when I collapsed?”

“You were wearing unfamiliar clothes. I dragged you from the field, so your clothes got all muddy, and I just washed them. They’re not dry yet. You should take a look at them later.”

I had lost my memory, but I thought I was an adult. In fact, the clothes I was said to be wearing were big and definitely not for children.

The shoes were too big too. Did I come here wearing these?

I felt like I had collapsed after running out of strength at the end.

And vaguely, I had a memory of working as a member of society.

But, no further memories returned.

“It’s a strange story. A child like you couldn’t possibly walk all the way to this village.”

The village was挟(hasama) between mountains and a large river, and the normal way to come from the outside was to cross the river by boat.

“At that time in the morning, the ferry doesn’t start running until later. I can’t imagine a child crossing the dangerous mountains.”

As we were talking, I started to get sleepy again. I must still be tired. Once my hunger was satisfied, sleepiness attacked me again.

Without being able to think about it any further, the day ended.