Complete darkness before my eyes. No, it's because my eyes are shut tight.
And I've been hearing a baby crying for a while now.
Then I realized something amiss.
(Why am I, no, just what's going on here...!?)
My head is filled with a giant swirling vortex of confusion.
Because I recognized that crying was from me.
Adding to the confusion is a conversation in a language I've never heard before.
"＊＋?＞＝～'＆％＄＃""
The voice of a young woman. It kinda sounds like a mix between joy and sorrow.
"￥＊＋;'＄％％＃＃＄"
A powerful man's voice. This one sounds like it's full of tears of gratitude.
"＜?＃'％＆＄＝～'＊:＊＋＊＝）'＆％＄"
A hoarse voice of a frantic elderly lady. She seems to be trembling from shock.
My fuse has been completely blown by this point.
Straight to escapism. Let's not think about stuff beyond comprehension for now.
Resolve it later. A great man once said.
(What can be done tomorrow don't need to be done today!)
I can't move forward until I grasp the situation I'm in. What's important is right now, and me.
(First of all, I'm a baby... but I can't move my body at all.)
I can feel every part of my body. Yet it's as if they move automatically.
(Must be instincts, baby's reflexes... Response was it?)
As my thought went astray, I felt my mouth hitting something.
Then I desperately stick to it like it's the most natural thing to do.
(Ah... Could this be...)
"＃（｜＾－－０９（'＄％４"
A kind voice and the sensation of being held. Breastfeeding.
This was when I realized for real. That I've been turned into a baby.
(Wait, wait, I must remember who I am! From the beginning! The me way before the darkness before me!)
The man and elderly woman's voices sounded like they were having a dispute during the breastfeeding, but since I don't understand them anyway, I focus on the recollection.
=======================================================================
I'm Saitou Shunichi, your ordinary office worker. Sales dept.
28 year old, single. Live alone. Both my parents have passed away. No relatives.
The phrase tengaikodoku (someone with no relative) may sound cool, but I'm just a common man.
My hobby is fighting games. I love actions too. Shooting a bit. Not against puzzle games either. A game lover if you may.
I love watching martial arts of all kinds, karate, boxing, judo, pro wrestling, taekwondo, Chinese martial arts, kendo, iai, aikidou, pretty much anything that catches my fancy.
An aberrant grown up who can't let go of his chuunibyou over power fantasy.
The deviation started from elementary school. I pestered my parents to let me do karate, 3 years, judo, 2 years and kendo 2 years.
Then in high school that interest shifted to games. I would go to game centers every day with my friends and compete there. Working part time for money and buying consoles so I could do all nighters during holidays.
Everything so far is normal. Generally. But.
I started focusing my life into it once I found a job.
I started working out. In the end I even went to study kempo and iai.
"I'm aware of it. And I understand if people find that weird. I have no idea where'd this energy even come out from myself."
When I replied to a colleague asking about my hobby, they went, 'What's wrong with you? You oddball! No, you're crazy!'
Due to living in my parents' house and working a job, I had no issue with money and my lack of discreetness went overdrive.
Even when my parents passed away one after another two years ago, I never let up with working out.
By this point I had already stopped the training lessons, but I kept up with the form practice every single day.
It was pretty much a disease. Far apart from ordinary people.
"No, I do get it. That it would have been much more productive to direct this passion in another direction, but I just can't do it."
I spoke to myself. If only that was easily done.
Even if I could, I wouldn't. Because,
"I'm having fun. Now then, gotta go to bed early for holiday tomorrow."
How did I end up devoting myself into training anyway? I had completely forgotten the impetus by this point