That day began like any other. However, upon opening my eyes, a heavy sensation overcame me: a sore throat, a foggy head, and my entire body filled with an annoying discomfort that left no doubt. I had a cold.
I allowed myself the luxury of staying in bed for a few more minutes, wrapped in the blankets and staring at the white ceiling of my room. There was no need to hurry; I didn't have the energy to even try. I simply lay there, motionless, letting the silence fill the space while my mind wandered.
But, like everything, that moment had to come to an end. The need to go to the bathroom forced me to move, even though my body protested with every small gesture.
Dragging my feet with sluggish movements, I made my way down the hall, still wrapped in my blanket. I wasn't willing to give up the warmth it provided, even if it made me look like a stumbling ghost.
After doing what was necessary in the bathroom, I went straight back to bed. I didn't have the energy for anything else, not even to make breakfast. I collapsed onto the mattress, and before I knew it, exhaustion overtook me again. I fell into a light sleep, seeking relief that seemed elusive.
***
After what must have been a couple of hours, I felt a little better. I wasn't completely well, but at least I had enough strength to move. With that little bit of energy, I decided to get up and prepare some breakfast. I slowly walked to the kitchen, still wrapped in my trusty blanket, which seemed to be my only ally against the discomfort.
When I got there, I discovered that my mom had already prepared something for me. I silently appreciated the gesture as I heated up the food, and with the plate ready, I headed to the living room. I turned on the TV, looking for something to accompany the calm of that moment.
As I flipped through the channels without much interest, something came to mind.
"Wait... didn't the latest episode of that anime come out today?"
I looked at the clock on the wall. It read 12:30. It should already be available. That's when my internal dilemma began.
"Hmm... what should I do? Kai and Samu are probably still in class. We agreed to watch it together, but I can't go out with this cold..."
After a moment of indecision, I ended up playing the episode. After all, they could watch it later, right? As I ate breakfast, I let it run on the screen.
It turned out to be pretty mediocre. Everything pointed to the author not knowing how to close the story satisfactorily.
After taking some medicine and finishing breakfast, I sat still in the chair for a few minutes, letting my mind wander aimlessly. Then, the sound of the front door opening broke the silence. It was probably my mom, back from work. It was still too early for my brother to be out of school.
In a hoarse voice, I greeted her:
"Hi, Mom. How was work? Everything okay?"
I spoke between dry coughs.
My mom entered the living room, placing her bag on the table. Her face showed signs of exhaustion, but she still managed a faint smile.
"Hi, sweetheart. Yes, everything's fine, though I'm pretty tired. And you? How's that cold treating you?"
I tried to return her smile, though it wasn't easy with the general discomfort.
I coughed again before replying:
"Well, I'm hanging in there."
I approached her to give her a hug, feeling the warm comfort she always seemed to offer, even when she was exhausted. Then, I headed back to my room to rest. The discomfort was becoming more intense, heavier than before. The problem was the heat. If I stayed under the blankets, I'd end up sweating even more, but wasn't sweating supposed to help fight off a cold?
From the kitchen, I heard my mom say in her usual reassuring tone:
"Rest, honey. I'll start making lunch and maybe watch something on TV."
I tried to respond, but a harsh, dry cough interrupted me, leaving my throat burning and my voice even raspier.
"Thanks, Mom. But don't overdo it."
With those words, I closed the door to my room and returned to bed. Before lying down, I made sure to blow my nose carefully; I didn't want to wake up with a completely stuffed nose later. I wrapped myself up as best as I could, trying to find a balance between warmth and relief.
***
A couple of hours later, I woke up again, and, as before, I stared at the ceiling. This time, I didn't need to go to the bathroom, so I just stayed there for what felt like an eternity, though it was probably just a few minutes. Then, I heard the doorbell. How strange, I wasn't expecting anyone today.
I heard my mom talking to someone, and then the sound of footsteps approaching my room. At that moment, I was surprised to hear a soft knock on the door followed by a familiar voice.
"It's me, can I come in?"
Kai, at my house? What could he want? It wasn't very likely he came to bring me my homework, since he always left those things for "later," or just didn't do them at all. I sat up in bed, looking for a face mask, but couldn't find one in my room. Finally, I sighed and simply responded:
"Come in."
Then I saw him walk in. Surprising, incredible, inconceivable. Yes, Kai had brought me my homework, and I hadn't even asked him to. For a moment, I thought I was seeing someone else, someone more responsible and organized. But as soon as I heard what he said next, I realized it was, indeed, the same Kai as always.
"Hey, how's it going? Feeling better? It's a shame you can't hit the gym with this cold, huh? Bet you're dying to do some curls. Anyway, I brought your homework. Seriously, getting sick just before the long weekend? Who does that? Although I guess you didn't have a choice."
His words made me smile despite how awful I felt. After that, we had a varied conversation about how I was feeling, with occasional spoiler threats about today's episode, and some comments about when I'd go to the gym again.
Finally, when Kai realized what time it was, we said our goodbyes. I heard him walking away, and before leaving, he said goodbye to my mom, who mentioned something about the recent robberies in the neighborhood.
***
A few minutes later, I decided to head to the living room to keep my mom company. I saw her eating some delicious-looking pastries and watching a comedy show on TV. I sat next to her, letting the relaxed atmosphere help distract me a little.
We talked for a while, enjoying a pleasant conversation, and then settled down to watch a movie. It wasn't anything special, but just being together in silence in front of the television made me feel better.
When the movie ended, it was already a bit late. My brother was about to finish his extracurricular activities, so my mom got up, put on a long coat, and got ready to pick him up. She kissed my forehead before leaving, leaving me alone in the house.
***
After a while, the boredom began to consume me. There was nothing interesting on TV, my mind wasn't clear enough to do anything productive, and the lack of energy prevented me from even attempting to get up. So, I just stayed there, sitting, staring at the screen, or at least that's what it looked like. In reality, I was lost in my thoughts, not moving a muscle, absorbed in my own mental emptiness.
Then, something broke the silence, interrupting my disconnection.
It was the unmistakable sound of glass breaking, a window, to be exact. Though I couldn't determine the exact direction of the noise, it was clear it came from inside the house, and from the intensity of the sound, it was probably from one of the two rooms. Most likely, my parents' room.
Luckily, after that brief 'meditation,' my mind was a bit clearer. I could now think with some clarity, although the discomfort was starting to settle in.
So, with my body tense and nervous movements, I slid toward my room and grabbed the baseball bat, looking for something with which to defend myself if burglars had indeed entered. Upon reaching my parents' room, with the bat in hand, I kicked the door open and rushed toward the supposed intruder. Before I could react, I struck him with all my strength in the head, and he immediately collapsed.
The speed with which everything ended was surprising, considering I wasn't in the best state. Now, I just needed to call the police and let them deal with the scum. I turned to grab the phone, but that was the moment I made the mistake of letting my guard down. There, right in front of me, pressed against the wall, was the thief's accomplice.
Despite shaking, I tried to hide my fear and gripped the bat harder. But it was all useless. Before I could get any closer, several loud, forceful sounds filled the air. Suddenly, my bat fell from my hands, and I froze in place.
Terrified, I looked down and saw three holes in my torso, from which a crimson liquid poured out. I coughed again, but this time blood came out, only worsening the feeling of horror. The pain was indescribable, and the fear I felt surpassed anything I had ever experienced before.
As the seconds passed, I noticed my strength fading quickly. My vision blurred, and the world around me started to crumble. But before I could rest, I heard one last sound, and at that very instant, before it finished, I felt a sharp pain in my head, a moment of agony that pierced through me like lightning.
Then, everything faded, and the world plunged into a deep, dark black.
In the middle of the infinite void, I regained consciousness, although something was different. I couldn't feel my body, nor was I sure if I still had one. It was a hard sensation to describe, as if I had become something intangible, maybe just a drop of water floating in a space where time and weight held no meaning.
There was no up or down, no light or darkness, just that strange calm that enveloped my existence. Was this what it meant to be dead? A state where one was nothing but a vague perception suspended in nothingness?
That... is pretty sad. Am I going to stay like this forever? My thoughts floated in that endless void when suddenly, a shrill, irregular sound broke the calm. Snoring? I would have jolted if I had a body.
"Hey, wake up, lazy. We're working here, you can't just fall asleep."
"What's the point? No one ever shows up here anyway."
"Oh, really? Then what's this?"
"Yeahhhh... That's not going to work. I didn't realize... Oh, crap! It's true!"
What's going on here? Where's the Sanzu River? Or the tunnel of light? Wasn't death supposed to have more... order? Why does it feel like I've fallen into some kind of cheap comedy episode?
"I bet all my food that you forgot how to prepare souls for the sending process. So, as your good partner, I'll remind you how to do it."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
At that moment, something strange happened. I felt like my incorporeal form was suddenly... kneaded. Like dough, but in this case, I was the dough.
"First, we need to find a body compatible with the soul's form, then shape it a bit, like this. Are you listening?"
"Eh? Ahh... yeah, yeah."
That didn't sound very convincing, not gonna lie.
"Well, the thing is, after that, we need to-"
Suddenly, my consciousness was violently shaken, as if someone was shaking me back and forth with no care at all.
"Yeah, yeah, leave it to me. I'm sure I've got it."
What happened next was... indescribable. If I had a body, I don't know how many times I would have thrown up from the dizziness. It felt like they had thrown me into a blender and then tossed me onto a rollercoaster at full speed. If this was what they called "preparing souls," then someone urgently needed a manual.
"What do you think you're doing!? Give it to me."
"No, you'll see my skills."
Suddenly, I was violently shaken and crushed between two bodies. What is this, a kids' fight? Well, it's not like I could do anything. I'll just wait for them to finish.
***
After a while, the one who seemed more responsible of the two finally grabbed me, kneaded me, and I guess prepared me for whatever it was they were doing.
"If you did things right and weren't such an idiot, this would be much easier and faster."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Mr. Perfect. But now that it's too late to grab his soul again and it's already starting the process, I'd like to tell you one thing."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"You forgot to introduce a minimum of knowledge about the world, and that part is poorly shaped."
"Tch... nonsense. I'm sure yo-"
The voice was cut off abruptly, as if they realized the other was right. But it was already too late. Whatever this sending process was, it had already begun. I could feel it.
At that moment, I was dazzled by an incandescent white light, and my formless body began to burn. The sensation was so intense that I thought it would consume me completely, but everything stopped momentarily when I heard a sweet voice, angelic, beautiful, and captivating.
"I can't believe it, the first soul to come here in such a long time and those two manage to mess it all up, those fools..."
I guess she was talking about the other voices, but I couldn't think clearly at that moment. The only thing that occupied my mind was the beauty of her voice. Could it be... an angel?
"I'm sorry, dear soul. I can't do much for you, but at least I'll give you some knowledge of the world's languages and pray for you. I'll watch over your journey when I can. I pray for your safety."
That sounded like a blessing. Could it be an angel? What were the others? Wait... am I now multilingual?
After an instantaneous eternity, suddenly, I could feel my body again, but something was wrong... I couldn't see anything. And where am I supposed to be? It's warm. Just when I was trying to understand my situation, I heard many voices outside of wherever I was.
A few moments passed before everything changed: screams filled the air, and my surroundings started to shake violently. What's going on out there?
***
After a few intense minutes, a cold breeze brushed my head, like the typical chill you feel when you leave the pool. Then, I could see again... but what I saw left me confused. There were a bunch of people with animal ears around me.
Wait... does this mean I've reincarnated? If I'm being reborn... then the place I'm coming out of is…
While my mother was giving birth to me, the people around her began to whisper to each other, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. At that moment, the oldest one, who seemed to be the leader of the tribe, stepped forward and raised his voice.
"Unbelievable! Our matriarch has given birth to a human girl! This is simply unprecedented!"
Wait, wait... what? I'm born in a demihuman village and I'm just a regular human? One second... Did he say "girl"? What do you mean, girl? This has to be a mistake!
Those guys... How badly did they shape my soul? If I ever see them, we're having a very serious talk...
***
After all the birth process, and since I wasn't crying, they slapped me. Well, several times. In the end, they placed me next to my mother. She was beautiful. She was completely exhausted and had fallen asleep, but even so, her beauty stood out. She had soft features, big eyes (though now closed), and beautiful reddish hair.
Does this mean I'll be just as handsome? Well... beautiful. God, this is going to be weird.
If Kai found out I've reincarnated, he'd probably die of envy.
---
Hey, what's up! It's Kai again. Surprised by the perspective change? I'm not surprised, I didn't know exactly when to insert it. If you're wondering how I'm putting Kazuya's story into the novel... You'll just have to wait to see what happens from his side, or from mine. We'll see in the next chapter, dear reader! Will it be mine or Kazuya's? We'll find out...