"Satou Kazuma-san, welcome to the afterlife. Unfortunately, you've passed away. It might have been brief, but your life is now over."
Someone suddenly said to me in a pure white room.
The sudden turn of events left me bewildered.
In the room, there was an office desk and a chair, and the one who had announced that my life was over was seated in that chair.
If there were a goddess, she had to be it.
Her beauty surpassed even the idols shown on television; she possessed a glamour beyond that of humans.
She had long, silky-smooth blue hair.
She appeared to be around my age.
Her figure was neither too buxom nor too slight, and she wore a light-purple hagoromo draped over her clothing.
The beauty blinked her aqua-blue eyes, the same color as her hair, and stared at me as I tried to comprehend what was happening.
I pondered the events that had transpired just moments ago.
I usually confined myself to my home, so it was a rare occurrence for me to venture outside.
I had risen early to stand in line and purchase a limited first-release version of a popular online game.
Society referred to people like me as 'hikikomori'.
After purchasing the game, it was time to head home and play to my heart's content. I was in a great mood as I looked forward to it while walking home. But at that moment...
There was a girl ahead of me, engrossed in her cell phone and walking.
Judging by her uniform, she must have been a student at the same school as me.
Once the traffic light turned green, the girl didn't bother to check for oncoming traffic and crossed the road without hesitation.
A massive shadow suddenly approached her.
It appeared to be a large truck, hurtling toward her at high speed.
When I snapped back to reality, I had already pushed the girl out of harm's way.
After that...
In a strangely calm manner, I turned to the beauty before me and asked:
"May I ask one thing?"
The beauty nodded in response to my question.
"Please, go ahead."
"... Is the girl I saved still alive?"
That was the most crucial question.
It was the first and last time I had ever done something meaningful.
If I hadn't managed to save her in time, despite risking my own life, it would have been profoundly frustrating.
"She's alive! But she did fracture her leg."
Thank goodness.
At least I didn't die in vain; I did something good at the very end.
Seeing my relieved expression, the beauty tilted her head and remarked,
"But she wouldn't have been hurt if you hadn't pushed her away."
"Huh?"
I responded, confused. What was she saying?
"The tractor would've stopped before reaching the girl. I mean, it was just a slow tractor, after all. Your unnecessary heroics made things worse... Puhehe!"
I couldn't believe it. This was the first time I had met this girl, and while it might have been rude, I felt like dropkicking her, even if she couldn't feel any pain in this heavenly realm!
But then I remembered something more important that she had mentioned.
"What did you say? A tractor? Not a truck?"
It definitely was a truck! A huge one since it made a loud engine noise!
"That's right, a tractor. If it had been a speeding truck, the girl would have noticed it and gotten out of the way."
"Huh?"
"Actually, you didn't die from being hit by the tractor. You died from shock. You thought you were run over by a truck and went into shock. I've been doing this for a long time, but you're the first to die in such a hilarious way!"
I was speechless.
"Because of your close call with the tractor, you lost consciousness and control of your bowels. You were sent to a nearby hospital. As the doctors and nurses were laughing and saying, 'What's with this guy, how useless,' you didn't regain consciousness, and your heart failed."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear something so humiliating!"
The girl walked over to my side as I covered my ears and smiled deviously, leaning in close to my ear.
"Your family reached the hospital, but before they could feel the sadness of their loss, they couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing your cause of death."
I want to do more than just give her a simple dropkick! I want to suplex her until she begged for mercy.
"Shut up, shut up! This can't be real! How can there be such a useless way to die? This is unbelievable!"
Looking down at me as I squatted with my head in my arms, the girl covered her mouth and laughed.
"Well, that ends my de-stressing session. This is our first meeting, Satou Kazuma-san. My name's Aqua. I'm a goddess that guides young people who die in Japan. Now, putting aside how funny your demise was, you now have two options."
I gritted my teeth. This girl!
But getting worked up would only prolong this strange conversation. I needed to bear with it.
"The first option is to be reincarnated and start a new life. The other option is to stay in a place sort of like heaven and live the life of a retirement home."
What a lazy way to describe the options.
"Well, how is the place that's sort of like heaven? More importantly, what do you mean by 'retirement home'?"
"Heaven isn't as great as you humans might imagine. You don't need to eat after dying, and you won't be able to make any food naturally. There are no ingredients or necessities for you to use anyway. I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but there's nothing in heaven. No television, no manga, and no games. Only other people who have died before you. Moreover, since you're dead, you can't do anything kinky. You can't do anything because you don't even have a body. The only thing you can do is bask in the sun with your predecessors and chat. Forever."
No computer games and no entertainment? Instead of heaven, that sounded more like hell.
However, the only option was to become a baby and restart my life.
Seeing my disappointed expression, the goddess smiled and said,
"Hey... You don't want to go to a boring place like heaven, right? But asking you to let go of all your memories and start again as a baby is essentially erasing your existence, as your memories will be gone. So, I have great news for you!"
For some reason, I was skeptical.
With a smile, Aqua addressed my wariness. "Do you like games?"
She confidently explained her so-called good news:
"In a world different from my own, there was another world with a Demon King. Moreover, that world had fallen into crisis due to the attack of the Demon King's army. Magic and monsters were commonplace in that world. In essence, it was a fantasy world similar to famous games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy."
What on earth was she talking about? Nobody would choose to live in a world with such dangerous creatures.
Humans on planet Earth already have to deal with Polar and Grizzly Bears, Lions, Tigers from Asia and etc.
Who would choose to live in a world where a powerful Demon King exist?
"The people who died in that world were killed by the Demon King's army and were very afraid, saying that they didn't want to die like that again. Therefore, almost all of the people who died rejected reincarnating in that world again. More specifically, that world will cease to exist if this continues, as babies will stop being born there. Hence, we'll solve that problem by sending the deceased from other worlds over. That's the plan."
Exactly what I just said...
"And since we're sending people over, we should find those who died young and still yearn to live, sending them with their original bodies and memories intact. It would be meaningless if they were to die immediately after going over, so we'll grant a privilege to all those going to that world, allowing them to take one thing they like. It could be a powerful ability, an exceptional talent, or a god-level weapon. What do you think? It might be another world, but you can live once more. Someone will appear in that world who can fight right away. How about it? Isn't this fantastic news?"
You've peaked my curiosity, but now you've reached my attention.
To be honest, I was getting excited. I knew I liked games, but I never would've imagined that I'd be able to enter a world that was just like my favorite computer games.
However, I had a question before making a decision.
"Um, what about the language? Will I be able to speak the language of the other world?"
"That's not a problem. With the gentle aid of the gods, knowledge of the language will be beamed directly into your brain the moment you arrive in the other world. You'll even be able to read! As a side effect, your brain might be wiped blank if you're unlucky... Anyway, all that's left is to choose a powerful ability or weapon."
"Hold on, I heard something important just now. Did you say my brain might be wiped blank if I'm unlucky?"
"I didn't say that."
"You just did..."
The tension from earlier was gone. I was speaking to a goddess, but my attitude was akin to speaking to an equal.
Nevertheless, it was an attractive proposition. It was scary to think my brain might be wiped blank, but I'd always been confident in my luck since I was young.
At this moment, Aqua showed me something like a catalog. "Please choose. I may grant you one and only one power. It could be a powerful unique ability or a legendary weapon. Come on, it can be anything. You have the privilege of bringing this one thing to the other world."
After hearing Aqua's explanation, I took the catalog and started browsing it.
On it were options like 'Unnatural Strength,' 'Super Magic,' 'Holy Sword Arondight,' 'Demon Sword Murasame,' and all sorts of names.
I understood; I had to choose an ability or weapon to bring along. However, the abundance of choices was making me indecisive.
Or rather, my gamer instincts told me these were cheat-like abilities and equipment.
It was troubling, really troubling. Since I'd be going to a world with magic, I really wanted to try using magic.
So, I should choose an ability based on magic...
"Hey, hurry up. It doesn't matter which one you choose; nobody's expecting much from a hikikomori gaming otaku like you. Can you just pick one and be on your way? Anything will do. Hurry up, hurry up..."
"I-I'm not an otaku...! And I died outside, so I'm not a hikikomori..."
I stammered in response, but Aqua simply played with the ends of her hair and told me disinterestedly.
"It doesn't matter; just hurry up and choose. There are still many dead souls waiting in line!"
Aqua remained seated in her chair, munching on her snacks without even glancing in my direction.
This girl, mocking my cause of death even though it was our first meeting. Acting so self-important just because she was pretty...
Aqua's indifferent and careless attitude infuriated me.
It got me thinking...
If people like her treated me this way as a hikikomori/otaku... the rest in that other world would do the same right?
Possible even worse, maybe put my decapitated head on a pike like the old times...
All these thoughts swirled within me, and I grew anxious and afraid of what was to come if I went into the world in my current state.
Would a cheat item really help me anyway? I couldn't even think of one that would benefit me in getting beautiful ladies or a rich life...
Maybe I should just reincarnate as a baby again.
"I've decided... I want to be reborn as a baby. I want to go back to good-for-nothing Japan with a brand new start," I declared to Aqua, with a serious and determined expression.
"Huh, what's with you suddenly acting all noble-like? Alright, it's strange how you want your cheat item to be reborn as a baby once more... I'll grant that for you."
I wondered if I would grow taller and more handsome—
Wait a minute, what did she just say?
"Hold on what—"
Aqua snapped her fingers, and a blue magic circle appeared underneath my feet.
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
This girl...
She messed up my wish! She was even worse than a scummy genie who tries to act clever and asks you to be more precise about your wish.
"You useless goddess! I literally just said that I wanted to go back to Japan as a newborn baby! Not get sent to that dangerous new world as a newborn baby! I'll have no cheat item as well! How am I supposed to defend myself?!"
"O-Oh! My deepest apologies! I got too carried away with what bath bomb I should use tonight and my snacks! H-How do I stop the magic circle?! Anyone!"
She turned to look behind her as if there was anyone else besides the two of us.
She also wasn't useless, but an idiot as well.
"What's going to happen to me?! Am I just going to spend my entire life in an orphanage?! Or possibly be eaten alive by a giant orc if I appear in the middle of their camp as a newborn baby?!"
"Y-You'll still retain your memories of Japan and of this place! T-Thankfully, a mother with green eyes and a father with brown hair are just about to witness your birth, so you'll still look the same! U-Um, I'm not so sure about your rich living conditions, though..."
So I won't be born into a rich noble family at all?
This day keeps getting worse and worse.
My body begins to levitate upward.
And my teeth seethe with anger.
"Curse you, you useless goddess! I swear if I ever meet you in that world, I am going to rip your precious hair out of that dumb skull of yours and dropkick you as many times as I see fit!"
"Is that a threat?! You dare threaten harm against a beautiful goddess like me?! Fine then, I won't care about whatever happens to you! I'll just make it seem like a punishment since you threatened to physically harm me!"
The panicked and anxious goddess that I saw earlier was gone.
This was her true personality.
"I promise that I'll see you again in that world! Count on it!"
And then everything went black.
...
I opened my eyes and saw an ordinary-looking mother with eyes the same color as mine. Right next to me was an ordinary father with brown hair, just as the goddess had said.
The mother seemed out of breath, panting heavily, granted she had just given birth to me.
"Our first child, dear... What should we name him?"
She asked, her voice filled with both excitement and exhaustion.
Were we in our own house? It looked extremely small, almost like a horse stable.
Did this world not have a hospital, or could they not afford one? Were they struggling that hard to afford a farmhouse?
Judging by their outfits, they seemed to be commoners or peasants in this world.
The father's clothes were covered in dirt and looked worn from heavy daily work.
And the mother had a similar appearance.
I guessed I was born as a commoner in this world, just as she had said.
But what were they going to name me? I didn't want any other name than Satou Kazuma; it would be weird.
How could I communicate with them?
"Dear, our son... he has something written above his... thingy!"
"Where?"
I also looked below, where there was a black word imprint written below my stomach but above my "thingy."
Satou Kazuma.
It was written.
Had Aqua cast a spell to write that name on me? And why specifically there?! I'll give her a piece of my mind if I see her again!
"C-Could this be a gift from Eris-sama? Was our son chosen to be the hero of this world, a descendant of the great Satou Kazuma who disappeared from centuries ago?! Reborn in our own home?! Thank you, Eris-sama!"
With an air of excitement, he gently scooped me up from the mother's arms and raised me high towards the ceiling, as if I were the son of the Lion King.
He even began playfully tossing me upward, although my face came dangerously close to meeting the ceiling.
"D-Dear, don't do that! We just gave birth to him!"
What a great start to this alternate world...
...
I retained consciousness throughout my early years, even as a newborn and toddler.
I began helping my father with the farm the moment I could walk. Whether it was fetching tools for him to repair his equipment or lending a hand around the house.
Meanwhile, my mother took charge of indoor chores, managing cleaning, feeding, and occasionally pitching in with farm tasks whenever my father required assistance.
There was one memorable incident when my mother was absolutely livid at my father for a whole week. At the age of two, she discovered me holding a sword in my hands. To clarify, my father had instructed me to fetch the sword so he could put down a horse with a broken leg.
Later, when they finally made up, they found it strange that I could walk like any regular person from the moment I learned to walk at all. But they assumed that it was a divine gift from Eris-sama, believing they were raising the reincarnation of the world's hero, Satou Kazuma, as written in the children's books.
Also, when I was first carried outside the shelter the moment I was born. I was indeed right that I was born in a horse stable rather than a farmhouse.
Our family, in essence, was much like any other ordinary household living in a farmhouse.
However, unlike the struggling families depicted in history books, we seemed to thrive rather than merely survive. In fact, we appeared to be doing exceptionally well, turning a profit rather than barely meeting the means of subsistence.
My father's crops were selling incredibly due to high demand and also because he jacked up the price by fifty percent. I heard from the conversation between him and my mother that it was because of something called, "The Destroyer", and that it destroyed other crops that were high in demand.
Everything was going well.
The only two people who I've only really interacted to were just my parents.
Occasionally, they took me to the local flea market to purchase additional crops or seeds for our next planting season, introducing me to other children from the neighborhood.
But I wasn't one to socialize just like my previous life.
They would also continuously show off that I was the descendant of the great hero of this world, Satou Kazuma. However, the neighboring farmers remained unconvinced, likely because the imprint Aqua had bestowed upon me completely vanished after my first bath.
One memorable moment was when they even attempted to go so far as to convince a noble family visiting the flea market to have their sole daughter marry me when I was around three years old.
I was about three years old at the time.
"Sir Dustiness-sama, I assure you that our son will be the hero of this world and defeat the Demon King!"
"Sir Dustiness-sama, our son will grow up and outmatch the hero from centuries ago, he was gifted to us by Eris-sama herself as the great reincarnation Satou Kazuma!"
Reincarnation or descendant, make up your mind.
Both my parents carried me up by the armpits and shoved me in front of a man's face.
Cut it out, you two. You both sound like crazy lunatics in front of everyone in the flea market...
The man that my parents sadly pitted me against, had his own daughter beside him, a girl who appeared to be a year older than me, her blonde hair and blue eyes marking her as a typical noble.
An aspect I found that seemed to be common in nobles.
I gazed at her from below and she looked at me from above, both of us were clueless as to what was going on.
"S-Settle down, the two of you. My daughter is still quite young. Whoever she chooses to marry in the future will be entirely her decision, not mine and certainly not yours. That's final."
The man was surrounded by a cadre of knights who shielded him from my parents.
"Well, it was worth a try. Let's go find another noble family."
"I've got one in mind. Wait, before we do that, there's a Crimson Demon family asking for free bread crusts right there. Let's try to persuade them first."
Oh dear... I have a bad feeling about this.
...
Besides having my stomach and croch shoved in front of every noble's face, everything was going well.
By the age of seven, I was genuinely eager to assist my father with the farm and help my mother with her indoor chores.
This world seemed to offer a sense of fulfillment and purpose that I hadn't experienced in my previous life. In that previous world, I had simply carried out chores occasionally and attended school like a mindless drone.
My parent's also gave me a little brother who was now about two years old. Though this time, his stomach wasn't imprinted with any legendary hero names so they raised him normally fortunately.
Another factor that worked in my favor was my lack of interaction with other children at schools. In fact, I had never even set foot in a school, spending my entire childhood on the farm.
It wasn't because my parents couldn't afford my education; they simply assumed that I possessed all the knowledge in the world already, given their belief that I was the descendant or reincarnation of the great hero, Satou Kazuma.
On one occasion, my father entrusted me with the task of plowing the fields with the horses, convinced that I possessed both the knowledge and strength to handle them.
You'd think my mother would be against it like the last time... but she was ultimately persuaded by my father, who firmly believed that Eris-sama would protect me no matter what, as I was the future hero of this world.
They were really hypnotized by Aqua's actions...
As I grabbed onto the plow's bar, the horses went berserk, racing at breakneck speed and plowing the fields at an astonishing pace.
They seemed astonished by my expertise with the plow and the horses.
It was going great until they finally realized the horses were only charging in one direction...
The rope that held the horses and plower broke off as they ran into the forest, and I, who was still holding onto the bar, crashed into a tree with the plower and suffered a week long coma and a four week concussion.
And that was with the best medical aid from the best mages and best doctors that they could afford.
My mother didn't cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner for my father for the entire time until I was fully healed and back to normal.
Looking back, it all seemed almost too perfect.
I was living a normal, happy family life, free from the burdens of debt, and eager to tend to the farm and our animals every day.
And I just had to set up a flag...
...
The month following my complete recovery from my injuries, I was finally shown in full display of what my parents had spoken about behind my back for years.
The Destroyer.
Word spread like wildfire that the Destroyer was approaching in the direction of my family's land and farm.
Our entire family, including myself, hastily evacuated, using the very same horses that had landed me in a coma.
We sought refuge in a crowded camp that had been established to house all the victims of the Destroyer.
My father lost everything he had worked so hard for—his land, his home, his crops—everything was taken away from him.
He put on a brave face and said,
"What happens, happens. Just gotta deal with it. It's life."
Although we had enough money to keep ourselves fed for the time being, life in the camp was challenging. The four of us shared an exceedingly cramped tent where we slept together every night. And it wasn't exactly peaceful to sleep when your next tent neighbors were still outside, drinking to their fullest, talking and laughing very loudly.
Each day, we anxiously awaited news of compensation from the government of Axel for our losses.
However, it never came.
As each day passed, everyone begun getting more agitated and riled up as there were no answers.
And what happens when you have a bunch of starving families that can't do anything about it? They start a riot, an almost revolution of some sort...
Knights were getting tossed in the crowd, people even stealing and wearing their helmets and armor to disguise as one to try to get in. Those same people who disguised themselves as knights, were also getting tossed up at the sky by the same farmers, some even by their own families.
My parents, who had remained relatively calm and neutral until this point, joined the fray when news spread that an influential noble family and members of the royal hierarchy were planning a visit to the camp to investigate the compensation issue.
This time, it wasn't because they were trying to convince that I was the future hero of the world, they were just also fed up with it but kept silent until a group of people with higher status than the government of Axel would appear.
Unfortunately, the group of people with higher status were also threatened by the mob of starving farmers and they had to barricade themselves with the government until everything died down.
"Hey, I heard that the Dustiness family's sole daughter got separated from her father. Maybe we should find her and threaten to harm her if they don't meet our demands!"
"Good idea! We can also kidnap her and hide her if they think we're bluffing!"
Apparently, a little girl that was part of the noble group was separated from the rest because of what she saw the moment she got out of her carriage.
I would also flee if I saw a group of crazy farmers, driven to become absolute primitives from starvation, charging at me with brooms and ropes.
My little brother was sound asleep in the tent, there was no harm coming to him since all eyes were on the nobles of this land.
Perhaps I should take a stroll while the camp was mostly devoid of adults but still populated by children.
As I went on a walk, I overheard a conversation among a group of children about ten meters in front of me.
"Look at this goody-two-shoes noble girl, all innocent and clueless about the struggles of commoner life beyond her grand mansion..."
"Kids like her annoy me, thinking they're superior just because they were born lucky..."
"I can't believe my hardworking parents have less wealth than a child who can't even speak up for herself, let alone defend herself!"
All looked completely justified, but not enough to justify bullying a little girl.
The girl they were about to target matched the description of the lost noble girl—blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and clutching a stuffed teddy bear.
"U-Um... I-I don't know what's happening! I didn't do anything wrong! Please, don't hurt me! I'm scared..."
Holy smokes!
In her moment of vulnerability, she looked incredibly cute. Had I seen her somewhere before?
Today was my lucky day.
Either way, there was no way I was going to cast aside this once-in-a-lifetime attempt to become a hero in this young girl's image.
This was my chance! A chance has arrived in the worse situation possible! Fate has given me this chance in compensation for my unluckiness of being reincarnated to this world to what I currently am right now.
I've seen this cliché scenario everywhere in those romance mangas.
The main protagonist protects the main heroine in their childhood years and would either become childhood friends and love each other or meet each other as teenagers or adults in the future and love each other.
Both options ultimately led to a married life with beautiful children.
And I dead set on making that happen.
I charged straight at the three boys with a determination to stop it at all cost. I wasn't going to fight them but I'll do my best to stop them from hurting my future lover in the future!
"Hey, why is that kid charging right at us—"
I slipped on a banana, inadvertently slide-tackling one of the three delinquents with my head plowing through his legs, causing him to fall on top of me and losing consciousness.
"What the hell?! A bodyguard?!"
I'm just a kid.
This was a bad start, I never intended to hurt anyone.
I positioned myself in front of the little girl, my body shielding her, with my arms spread protectively.
"What's your deal?! Why are you defending a noble girl? She hasn't compensated our parents, and we demand retribution!"
"A-Ah, w-well, you see..."
Crap, why am I feeling scared from a pair of boys the same age as me, physically.
Mentally, I'm seventeen and yet I was almost pissing my pants at the scene of this.
"U-Um, th-thank you for saving me!"
The little girl interjected, her voice quivering.
As I turned my head around, I saw her closing her eyes, hugging her teddy bear even tighter, her cheeks flushed with a hint of blush.
Finally, it was happening—
"Get him!"
It was rather short-lived.
I had let my guard down, and one of the boys punched me squarely in the face, sending me tumbling to the ground.
"No!"
The little girl cried out, rushing to my side and sitting down next to me.
She gently wrapped her arms around my shoulders, lifting the upper portion of my body closer to her.
I had just recovered from a concussion, and that punch, followed by my head hitting the hard ground, sent my thoughts dazing.
Her eyes met mine, and I couldn't help but think that this wasn't quite the romantic scenario I had in mind.
It looked as if I was her dying prince of some sort.
What was my next move? Shield her from the incoming kicks and punches from the pair of boys?
"Look at her, as if she's genuinely worried about a commoner's well-being, when everyone in this camp has been starving for days."
"Get her!"
The two boys were about to connect both of their fists towards the little girl when they were abruptly halted by a pair of knights and a young boy who appeared to be about a year older than me.
"Young lady, we arrived just in the nick of time!"
"Get away from the young lady, you little brats!"
The knights pushed the boys aside, prompting them to flee, and they also dragged their unconscious comrade away.
"Lalatina, are you okay? Let's go before they report your whereabouts to the adults!"
"W-Wait, can we take this person with us? He tried his best to protect me from them!"
She pleaded with the knights to take me along.
"That boy holds no significance, young lady. Let's leave while we still can!"
"Young lady, your safety takes precedence over his. He can receive medical aid once this is all over!"
"But social status shouldn't matter when a human life is at stake!"
"Lalatina, your life is in danger right now. Think about your father's reaction if he were to receive news that you were harmed..."
The handsome young boy's words seemed to strike a chord with her, leaving her momentarily speechless.
Ultimately, she relented.
"You're right...Prince Jatice."
I couldn't help but wish she had put up more of a fight.
The little girl gently placed my head back on the ground and left, holding the hand of the handsome young boy as they made their escape.
Suddenly, memories from my life in Japan came flooding back.
During my elementary years, I had a childhood friend whom I had fallen in love with. In my eyes, she was incredibly beautiful. We had even promised to marry each other once we reached the legal age.
However, in the following years, during the third year of my middle school, I saw the same girl riding a bike with an older, taller, stronger, and handsome guy. He was the same person who had intimidated me into giving up my lunch money.
Heartbroken, I had locked myself in my room for what felt like an eternity, cutting back on sleep and isolating myself from the outside world.
Now, it seemed like history was repeating itself in this new world.
I know I just met the girl but the same concept still occurred.
Was I destined to be alone for the rest of my life, no matter where I found myself?
I picked up my wounds and went back to watch over my little brother for the remainder of the time.
...
The morning after the government finally compensated us, we all instinctively realized we weren't compensated a sufficient amount according to the laws.
The land we received was three times smaller than our original, making it nearly impossible to sustain our livelihood. To make matters worse, the soil quality was far from ideal, causing our crops to grow agonizingly slowly.
On top of that, the demand for crops was at an all-time low. My father had no choice but to lower prices significantly just to secure a single buyer. By the time we realized we should have planted more profitable crops, it was already too late.
The house we were given was as small as the horse stable we previously had.
My father, ever the stoic patriarch, initially put on a brave face and took on the burden without complaint. But as the years passed, he couldn't help but recognize that this compensation was far from enough, and he had slowly realized he had been conned by the government.
My mother, on the other hand, held onto hope for a while longer. She believed that the government or even the local nobles would eventually intervene to help us recover. However, as time wore on, even her optimism began to wane, and the smile of hope that once graced her face disappeared.
We were now living on the brink, struggling to put food on the table twice a day. But what hurt the most was witnessing my parents' dream of me becoming the future hero of this world slowly fading away.
For an entire decade of enduring this pitiful and impoverished life, they had stopped telling anyone about my supposed lineage as the descendant of the hero Satou Kazuma.
They had given up on that belief of Eris-sama's divine gift and focused more about surviving than introducing me to other families.
Not that they were to blame, but I felt as if the relationship between us begun to spread apart.
Eventually, they stopped asking me to assist them in their farming and indoor chores, suggesting that my younger brother would do most of the work.
And he willingly accepted, not skipping a beat.
He was twelve years old at that time.
The more he helped my parents as I laid down on my bed mindlessly, the more he took on the role of the older brother in the family.
One time, he even scolded me for lazing around when father was sick and he had to do all the farming by himself. We had a heated argument before our mother intervened, preventing it from escalating further.
It's been seventeen years since I arrived in this world, and I hadn't taken a single step toward fulfilling my supposed destiny of defeating the Demon King.
Not that I intended to, how could I defeat it if I can't even bring myself the effort to help my family with the farm? I was just simply reminded my sole purpose of this world since I was reincarnated here, even though it was all because of that useless goddess's fault.
I've reached the appropriate age of seventeen, an age most people would already be preparing to leave the home of their parent's.
But I wasn't prepared at all. I had locked myself in my room most of the time, coming outside to eat, use the bathroom, or help my parents occasionally when they truly needed it.
Yet, I knew I couldn't continue like this.
As I watched my parents' expressions darken day by day, my hatred toward the government and the indifferent nobles of this land grew stronger. It was time to take action.
With all my thoughts collected, I've decided without any preparation.
...
The next morning, we all sat together at our small table eating our breakfast that consisted only bread and rice porridge.
The feast was silent, as usual with only a few sentences blurted out about the farm or the outside world.
"Summer is about to arrive. The wheats should almost be ready to sell and store."
My father finally spoke.
"That's good. How much do you think we'll get?"
My mother inquired.
"Barely enough, once again."
He lets out a huge sigh of stress, as if he wanted to say more.
It went silent once more.
Perhaps it was time I talk to them about it.
"Hey—"
"Kazuma—"
Both my father and I began speaking simultaneously.
"Go ahead, father."
"Kazuma... your mother and I have been discussing this for an entire month. We believe it's time for you to venture into the outside world. At the current rate, we'll only have enough food to feed the three of us, and even that is a struggle. We had to make a difficult decision. We think it's best for you to leave our home, support yourself, perhaps start your own farm or business, and even find a lovely wife to build a family."
If it weren't for the decision I had made the previous night, I might have reacted with anger.
But after seventeen years in this world, working alongside my father and learning from his wisdom, I couldn't disregard his wishes and disrespect his judgment.
"I understand, father. I was actually planning on doing just that."
My parents and younger brother were taken aback by my response.
"You've already prepared to leave? When did you decide this?"
My mother asked, her voice tinged with concern.
"Last night, mother."
"My baby boy is growing up so fast... Starting a new life and, hopefully, giving me beautiful grandchildren!"
"Calm down, mother. I don't plan on doing that yet. I just decided that it was time for me to go adventure and see what I can do. In fact, I'll do my very best to become as rich as I can and give you guys enough money to not even worry about feeding yourselves, and worry even about farming."
My father smiled at me.
"That's my boy. I am proud of you."
After finishing breakfast, I packed my belongings and bid farewell to my family.
"Sweetheart, I'm going to miss you so much. Promise me you'll find a beautiful woman and introduce me to her."
My mother held me tightly, her voice trembling.
"I promise, mother. Thank you for everything."
Sometimes people lie to protect the ones they love.
"Son, you're going to face many challenges, perhaps more than I ever did. When you find yourself in difficult situations, remember to stay in that moment. Giving up hurts more than the pain of pushing through."
I've done enough farm work to know that years ago.
"How do you manage to do everything, father? What motivates you to push yourself so hard, even to the point of having a terrible back and terrible knees?"
"Discipline."
"Sorry what?"
"You need discipline. Act like you love doing something, even when you hate it. That's what it takes to be a man, to be successful. Without discipline, we would have starved to death long ago."
Perhaps, experiencing what he had gone through would help me truly understand the depth of his words.
"I'll keep that in mind."
I turned to my younger brother next.
"I'm going to miss you."
We clasped hands, our handshake resembling an arm-wrestling competition.
"I'll miss you too. I promise not to let you down, or our parents."
With my belongings packed into a bag and secured to a stick, I hoisted it onto my shoulder and embarked on my journey.
This world shouldn't be that bad...
...
Man this world was really dangerous and terrible!
After approximately three hours of relentless walking, I stumbled upon a grassy plain with slightly elevated hills.
During those three hours, I had encountered harmless insects and animals. However, my first encounter with a dangerous creature hell-bent on devouring me was about to unfold.
I thought traveling through the forest was the dangerous part since it held more dangerous monsters in those games I used to play.
But I was totally wrong!
The open plain fields were more dangerous somehow.
Right now, I was currently being chased by giant frog that was going to eat me by any second by sticking it's elongated tongue out to grab me.
Actually it already tried to. Thankfully it ate my bag and stick instead of me.
No wait, that's still terrible!
Now I don't have any clothes to wear besides this white shirt and black pants that my mother sewed for me, as well as these brown boots and a brown belt to keep my pants from falling off.
It looked like the belt was about to unbuckle any moment from all this running.
I would rather much be eaten right now than be seen by other people with my underwear, getting chased by a giant frog.
What should I do to fight this dangerous foe?
Desperation filled me, but then I remembered the sword my father had entrusted to me before I ventured to a new journey. The one that I once held as a two year old and mother was furious at him for entrusting me with it.
I don't know if this will be enough, maybe I should strike the abdomen where it's most vulnerable and open.
"Die! Die! Die!"
I successfully killed the giant frog with just a single stab with the sword.
It wasn't a really massive sword, nor was it that sharp. But it seemed to have done the job.
The frog disappeared and turned into frog meat.
Guess that's lunch and dinner for today.
"Help me, someone!"
A feminine voice cried out desperately.
"I'll do anything, anything! Please, someone, just save me from this slimy creature!"
My protective male instincts kicked in at last after a decade of slumber.
I turned to my left to see a blue-haired woman getting chased by another giant frog.
Hey, she looked strangely familiar...
That being said, I wasted no time and rushed to save the woman.
With another single stab, the frog was dispatched and turned into frog meat.
The lady and I exchanged glances.
"Thank you so much!"
All of a sudden, her mood and expressions turned into a godly delight.
Also she still looks familiar... Way too familiar...
"You must've heard my cries of help! Of course, a lonely boy like you would rush to my aid in hopes of getting together with a beautiful girl like me..."
Great, now I want to punch her.
She reminds me of someone far too familiar...
"Also, your pants dropped. Please pull it back up before I call the police..."
"Ah! Dammit!"
Embarrassingly, my pants had fallen during my high sprint to save her.
While I hurriedly pulled them up and tightened my belt, I couldn't help but cringe at the thought of being seen in my underwear in front of a woman, especially in broad daylight.
Anyone would take this situation out of context.
"Puksuksuksu! I am afraid that you can't have your way with me. For I am the goddess of water-"
"Anti-Goddess Drop Kick!"
My feet collides against her bouncy chest, pushing her to the ground.
My feet collided with her chest, yelping in the process, sending her tumbling to the ground. Though she appeared uninjured, and simply got back up.
"Hey, what's your deal. What kind of man dropkicks a beautiful lady?! Answer me and I'll give you the second worst divine punishment from a goddess!"
"It's you! I finally found you! I've waited seventeen years for this moment, and I'm going to have my revenge!"
It was her!
It was Aqua in the flesh!
Her unmistakable blue hair, her snarky attitude, and her unexpectedly attractive figure... I had to resist getting hypnotized by it.
"Huh? What are you saying? Do I look familiar to you? Wait..."
She squinted at me and my attire, then her eyes widened in shock as she took a step back.
"N-Now I remember! You were that hikikomori otaku that I accidentally sent to this world as a baby with no cheat item!"
"Damn right! Are you ready to face the consequences?"
"W-Wait, I can explain why I'm here now!"
"Explain what?! That you made fun of my cause of death and threaten to act like the victim when it was your fault you sent me to this world?! How the hell am I supposed to go back to Japan now?! The most annoying part of this argument is that I'm tired of women falsely accusing innocent men of heinous crimes. And with my first action, I'll cut your clothes down and humiliate you!"
"Ya know, you can't just say something about protecting men's right and equality when you're literally about to strip me of my innocence? That being said, bring it on!"
Aqua and I squared off, exchanging menacing poses, prepared to brace for the worse.
Before I was about to make a move, the two of us heard increasingly loud and repetitive small earthquakes coming towards us.
Turning to our right, we were shown about six giant frogs heading towards our way, ready to devour us individually...
"Hey... how about we postpone our fight until we've reached the closest town?"
"Agreed."
Aqua and I frantically ran away as fast as we could, trying to outpace one another as to not be eaten first as the giant frogs began to inch closer and closer.
What a great start to my adventure to this alternate world.