Volume 1 — Chapter 1: Reincarnation — Part 1

Before everything changed, she was an ordinary twelve-year-old girl.

Her name was Hikari Amane.

She had recently celebrated her twelfth birthday and lived an ordinary life in her original world.

She went to school, spent time with her parents, talked with her best friend Mio Takahashi, and enjoyed reading manga, light novels, and novels.

Her classmate Sora Fujimoto often teased her about how much time she spent reading.

"You really like those stories about reincarnation, don't you, Hikari?"

"Of course. They're interesting."

Hikari smiled.

She never imagined that one day she would experience reincarnation herself.

That afternoon, after school, Hikari said goodbye to Mio and decided to take a walk before going home.

The streets were peaceful.

The weather was pleasant.

Everything felt completely normal.

Until she heard someone shouting behind her.

"Move!"

Hikari turned around.

A man was running toward her.

His name was Renji Kurokawa.

He was a thief who had just escaped from a nearby shop after stealing a valuable treasure.

He looked frightened and desperate.

Hikari stepped aside.

But Renji suddenly tried to change direction.

His foot caught on the edge of the pavement.

"Whoa!"

He lost his balance.

The knife in his hand flew into the air.

Everything happened in an instant.

The knife flew straight toward Hikari.

She barely had time to react.

Thud.

The blade struck her.

Hikari froze.

She looked down.

A knife was buried in her body.

"Ah..."

A moment later, the pain hit her.

It was sharp.

Terrifying.

Overwhelming.

Her legs became weak, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Renji stared at her in horror.

"No...!"

He immediately realized what had happened.

"I didn't mean to!"

He hadn't intended to kill her.

It had been a complete accident.

He had simply tripped, and the knife had flown out of his hand.

Renji rushed toward Hikari.

"Don't die! Please!"

He tried to grab the knife.

His hand closed around the handle.

But the blade was already stuck inside her.

His face became pale.

"I... I'm sorry."

Hikari could barely hear him.

Her entire body was filled with pain.

She was terrified.

She didn't want to die.

I'm only twelve...

I don't want to die.

Tears appeared in her eyes.

She tried to breathe.

But each breath became weaker.

The sounds around her slowly faded.

Renji's voice became distant.

"I'm sorry..."

Hikari's vision became darker.

She knew that she was dying.

She was afraid of death.

She was afraid of the pain.

And yet, there was nothing she could do.

Her consciousness slowly disappeared.

Then, just before everything became completely silent, she heard a woman's voice.

"My dear daughter... Please be born healthy."

Hikari froze.

A daughter...?

Then she heard a man's voice.

"My little daughter... It hurts too, but please be born healthy and strong."

The voices sounded warm.

Gentle.

Loving.

She didn't understand them.

Who are they?

Why are they calling someone their daughter?

Before she could think any further, everything went black.

When Hikari opened her eyes again, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

Where am I?

Her vision was blurry.

She tried to move.

But something was wrong.

Her body felt incredibly small.

Her arms were tiny.

Her hands were tiny.

She couldn't even control her movements properly.

What happened to me?

She heard voices nearby.

"She's beautiful."

"Yes. She's our little daughter."

Hikari turned her eyes toward the voices.

A man and a woman were standing beside her.

The woman had a gentle smile.

The man looked at her with tears of happiness in his eyes.

They were strangers.

At first, Hikari couldn't understand what they were saying.

Their language sounded unfamiliar.

Who are these people?

Where am I?

Then she remembered the voices she had heard before she died.

"My dear daughter... Please be born healthy."

"My little daughter... Please be born healthy and strong."

Her eyes widened.

Wait...

They were talking about me.

Hikari looked at her tiny hands.

The realization slowly came to her.

I'm a baby.

She remembered the stories she had read in her previous life.

Manga.

Light novels.

Novels.

Stories about people who died and were reborn in another world.

She had always thought they were fictional.

But now...

She was experiencing it herself.

I died.

And now I've been reincarnated.

She looked at the unfamiliar man and woman again.

The woman gently picked her up.

"My little Hikari..."

Hikari's eyes widened.

Hikari...?

The name sounded familiar.

Perhaps this was the name her new parents had given her.

The woman was Yuna Amane.

The man was Haruto Amane.

They were her new parents.

Hikari couldn't speak.

She couldn't even properly move her body.

But inside her mind, she was thinking clearly.

So this is my second life.

She looked at Yuna and Haruto.

They smiled warmly at her.

For the first time since her death, Hikari felt safe.

She didn't know what this world was.

She didn't know where she had been reborn.

She didn't know what kind of future awaited her.

But she had been given another chance to live.

A completely new life.

In another world.

And this time...

She would discover who she really was.

To be continued...

end of chapter 1 , Part 1