[P.O.V – Third Person]
A life so ordinary that there's not much of interest to say about it.
After finishing college, Satoru joined a major construction company and, now at 37 years old, lives alone with zero girlfriends and zero romantic experiences with the opposite sex. Quite pitiful, to be honest.
In his words, he left the duty of filial piety to his older brother. For him, dying a virgin might not be out of the question.
Mind you, it's not that he's unattractive. He's above average, yet still unpopular…
In fact, he confessed his feelings three times in his life but was rejected each time. After that, with his heart broken, he never dared to confess to anyone again.
"Senpai!" With a cheerful smile, a young man approached him. And beside him stood a beauty. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Tamura is a junior at the same company where Satoru works; standing next to him is the company's renowned "Madonna," the receptionist Sawatari.
Quite shameless of this guy to come and ask Satoru for advice about their marriage. And that was the trigger that made Satoru question his own unpopularity.
"So, what kind of advice are you looking for?" Satoru asked while greeting Sawatari.
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Sawatari Miho. Although we've seen each other before, this is the first time we're actually talking, right? It makes me a bit nervous."
She said that, but the one truly nervous was Satoru. After all, he wasn't very good at talking to girls.
And with no romantic experience, what kind of advice could he possibly give?
"Hi, I'm Mikami Satoru," he said. "No need to be nervous or anything. Sawatari-san is famous among us, so I know who you are even without the introduction. About Tamura – we went to the same university, you know, so we had a lot to talk about. After that, we naturally started hanging out a bit."
"What's this about being famous? Are there strange rumors going around?"
"Yes. Like having an affair with Manager X or going on dates with Y-kun – things like that."
Clearly, it was all teasing from Satoru.
Even so, Sawatari's face turned bright red, and she looked at Satoru with teary eyes.
Feeling he'd messed up, Satoru wanted to apologize.
"Senpai, please let it go," Tamura said, laughing. "And Miho, you're just being teased!"
"My bad," Satoru said. "I'm just not very good with women. And, well, the setting doesn't help much, does it? Let's grab something to eat and talk over there."
"Kyahhhh!"
Suddenly, screams echoed, causing confusion.
This made Satoru immediately frown.
"Move! I'll kill you!!" a man yelled.
It was a man running, holding a large knife in one hand and a bag in the other.
However, the direction he was running toward was the real problem... He was running toward…
"Tamuraaa!" Satoru shouted, pushing him out of the way, only to become the target himself.
"Shnk!"
Satoru felt a burning pain in his back.
"Tch, damn obstacle!" said the man who stabbed him.
Satoru began to collapse, but before hitting the ground, he seemed to see something strange. At the moment of his fall, he saw what appeared to be a relatively tall man wearing a Sailor Moon mask attacking and subduing the assailant.
As he fell, strange things started to happen. Even a feminine voice began buzzing in his mind.
"Senpai! Senpai!!"
"Ta... Tamura... You're so noisy. It's not... such a big deal, right? Stop worrying..."
"Senpai..." Tamura said. "The blood... You're losing too much..."
"I might be able to help."
Suddenly, a voice caught Satoru's attention… or, more precisely, the mask the man was wearing as he approached.
"Are you... a doctor?" Tamura asked, though he seemed skeptical upon seeing the goofy mask the man was wearing.
"Something like that," the man replied without elaborating.
Then, he simply extended his hand, and something unbelievable happened.
As if giving a blessing, this strange guy wearing the Sailor Moon mask did something miraculous: he produced a kind of green light that surrounded Satoru's body, even stopping the bleeding that wouldn't cease.
He repeated the same gesture twice, in 30-second intervals, and by the third time, Satoru's condition seemed to stabilize. Moments later, the sound of an ambulance's siren could be heard, but the strange guy fled before anyone could thank him.
"Senpai, senpai, you're going to be fine, you're going to make it!" Tamura exclaimed, overjoyed.
"I'm going to live?" Satoru found it unbelievable, but it was undeniable that most of the pain he had felt – and even the weakness that had overcome him earlier – vanished as if by magic.
In the end, was it magic that the guy in the Sailor Moon mask used? That must be the only explanation, nothing scientific!
"Move aside, move aside!" Two men in hospital uniforms approached, but then, before Satoru could even be taken away, his body began to glow.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[Reincarnating... Error!]
[Reincarnating... Error!]
[Reincarnating... Error!]
[WARNING! Plan adjustment required!!]
[Reincarnation will now be: Transmigration!]
[Transmigration... Error!]
[Forced Transmigration...]
[Analyzing....]
[Successful!]
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
[P.O.V – Reiji]
I was only two steps away from home. My heart was beating a little faster. I had never done something like this before. Although I had helped catch a thief in the past, that didn't compare to the experience of using healing on someone who was about to die from blood loss.
'By the way, he survived, right?' Though curious and worried, I couldn't go back there. Even though I had worn a mask, I was still in my school uniform. Who knows if anyone would be able to recognize me without the mask, with such vivid images in their minds?
Opening the door, I stopped thinking about those things for now.
"I'm back," I said as I entered. "Mom?"
There was no answer.
Slipping on some slippers, I walked to the living room and then to the kitchen, even upstairs to the bedrooms—nothing.
'She's not back yet?' I was getting worried. 'Should I try calling?'
Since I had been a bit late, I thought she would have already arrived.
'I just hope nothing bad happened...'
Just thinking about it, my heart beat faster. I grabbed my smartphone, preparing to call her.
"I'm back."
Hearing her voice from downstairs, I sighed as I went down the stairs, and all the lingering fear disappeared as if by magic.
'That's good,' I thought. 'More than that, I must be affected because I saw a man almost die right in front of me...'
In the hallway, I saw Mom helping a cute little girl with long, messy blue-purple hair put on a pair of slippers that she had apparently just bought.
I noticed that the girl's clothes were a bit worn, even with some visible holes.
"Welcome," I said, breaking the silence.
Mom looked at me, her expression wasn't exactly pleasant.
I wanted to ask what had happened, but I didn't think it would be appropriate with the little girl around.
"This must be my little cousin, right?" I asked.
"Yes," Mom replied. "Her name is Ai Hoshino. From today on, she'll be staying with us. Take care of her like I gave birth to her myself, understood?"
The last part she said sounded more like a warning.
'So the situation with this girl is worse than I imagined...' I thought.
Mom's reaction said that. At least, that's what it seemed like to me. And the way she spoke, between the lines, basically suggested that instead of just "taking care" of her while Ai's mother was in prison, Mom seemed determined to adopt the girl. I know Mom well enough to realize that.
"I will," I said, knocking my fist against the middle of my chest. "I promise I'll treat her well, like the little sister I never had."
"Good." Mom finished helping Ai Hoshino put on the slippers and finally gave a small smile.
Crouching down in front of Ai, Mom said to her: "Ai-chan, I'm going out for a bit, but I'll be back soon. Stay under my son's care. His name is Reiji Hoshino. Until I return, he'll take care of you, okay?"
"Yes," Ai answered in a soft voice, looking excessively shy.
Holding a bag, Mom handed it to me and, tapping it against the middle of my chest, said, "Here are some clothes for her to change into. Show her where the bathroom is and let her take a shower."
"Mm." I nodded.
"Okay, I'm leaving now," Mom added. "I shouldn't be gone for too long."
When Mom left, Ai seemed even shyer, almost intimidated. Her eyes, with a fascinating gradient from purple to pink, were on the verge of tears. I was surprised to notice something unusual in them: in each eye, there was a glowing six-pointed star.
'Am I seeing things?' I thought.
Shaking my head, I didn't have time to think about that now; taking care of her was more important for the moment.
"Ai-chan, come with me. I'll show you where the bathroom is," I said. "Ah, yes, I'll prepare the bathtub. Just wait a moment in the living room."
She didn't respond, but followed me to the living room.
"You can wait on the couch," I added, and she nodded, pouting, looking incredibly pitiful.
Scratching my face, I didn't know how to handle this situation. But, well, one step at a time. First, I need to prepare her bath as Mom instructed.
Ah, yes, the clothes...
I went to the table and opened the bag. 'Indeed, these are new clothes. Mom must have bought them on her way here.'
If I'm not mistaken, Mom must have gone to buy more clothes and daily essentials for Ai-chan, something like a toothbrush and toothpaste.
In the bathroom, I prepared everything, from the clothes to the towel. While the bathtub was filling, I took out my smartphone and searched the internet.
I wanted to know what the best option would be for a child's bath. At home, we have some bath essences, but I believe some of them might not be ideal for someone so young...
After searching for a bit, I saw that one of the bath essences we have at home could be used: marigold, Mom's preference.
With everything ready, I left the bathroom and went to the living room.
"Ai-chan?" I called for her.
When I returned, I saw that she had her head down, lightly stirring her slightly dirty fingers.
"Did you call?" She lifted her head, looking at me with a bit of fear.
'Am I that scary?' I thought.
I gave my best smile and said, "The bath is ready. You can do the rest on your own, right?"
"Mm." She nodded like a little chick pecking at corn.
"Follow me. I'll show you where it is," I said, keeping a little distance since she didn't seem very comfortable with me being too close.
On the way, I added, "The water's already warm, and I've prepared a towel and clothes for you to change into. Let me know if you need anything. In the meantime, I'll prepare something for us to eat."
She didn't respond.
I asked, "By the way, is there anything you can't eat or something you really hate eating?"
"No," she answered softly.
A short and direct response, huh... Well, it doesn't matter.
"Here it is." I stopped at the opposite side of the door, signaling toward it. "Make yourself comfortable. Take all the time you need, and if you need anything, just call."
She nodded, her head lowered.
Even with her lack of reaction, I sensed there must be a reason. Maybe it's the same reason Mom had been acting so strangely.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
"Itadakimasu."
I'm no great cook, but when Mom is busy at the beauty salon, I have to make my own meals. Simple things, like onigiri (rice balls), are easy to make.
Since I had leftover salmon from yesterday, I used it as the filling.
"Is it good?" I asked.
Nibbling, she nodded gently.
Now that she had taken a bath and changed into new clothes, she looked like a beautiful little princess. She could even be mistaken for a different person.
It was just a simple white dress with pink details and a black belt, but it made all the difference. Before that, she had been wearing old pants and a t-shirt that looked like it was made from dishcloth fabric.
When she noticed I was looking at her, Ai-chan seemed terrified and lowered her gaze.
I was startled by her reaction, not knowing what to do. I feared that trying to comfort her might make things worse.
Sighing, I left the table.
"Make yourself at home, I'm going to the bathroom," I announced.
As I walked away, I noticed she resumed eating, but a bead of sweat was dripping down her face.
My expression wasn't the best. I went to the bathroom and grabbed my smartphone.
[Mom, what exactly happened to this girl?] I sent.
Ten seconds later, the response arrived.
[Many things... Anyway, take good care of her! I'll explain everything later, I'm on my way. Oh, and don't try to impose anything on her. If Ai-chan seems uncomfortable with you, avoid getting too close for now.]
[I'll do that] I replied.
I put the smartphone back in my pocket. After flushing the toilet, I washed my hands and left the bathroom.
In the hallway, I paced back and forth, unsure whether I should go back to the living room.
Damn, I hate feeling like this. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know how. I didn't want to think about the worst, but Ai-chan's reactions were strange: 'Did she suffer domestic abuse from her mother?'
Even if that were the case, I don't think it's that simple. Otherwise, Ai-chan's reactions wouldn't be so intense.
But what do I really know or what can I do? For now, the best thing is to wait for Mom to come back. I'm sure she'll handle it better than I can. After all, she even managed to make Ai-chan feel comfortable in her presence.