Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Self-Sufficient...?
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Self-sufficient...?
A long time had passed since I reincarnated into this other world.
At first, when I recalled my previous life, it felt really awkward.
I had to come to terms with the fact that I'd died, after all.
I was confused. I hadn't even lived half my life yet.
If I'd known this was going to happen... I should've enjoyed life more, taken it easy.
But the past was the past. In the end, I'd been given a new chance, so I pulled myself together.
My new parents were good people.
Mom was affectionate. Dad was gruff, but he had a solid core.
The unusual thing was that Mom had white hair, and Dad had black hair. I took after Dad.
Why was that unusual? In this world, black hair doesn't get the best treatment.
You know how it is in typical fantasy settings. Black hair gets labeled as devil worshiper or witch material—shunned as ominous.
That superstition exists here too.
These days, the negative stigma has faded a lot, but people still find it a bit uncomfortable.
My parents didn't care about each other's hair colors. But when my hair turned out black too, they couldn't ignore it.
So they decided to move to a remote, quiet neighborhood.
This place. I'd grown up here, bathed in their love.
Still, adapting to this new world wasn't a walk in the park.
My old knowledge often clashed with this world's common sense.
And the hardest part? Living in a child's body with an adult's memories.
I wasn't even a kid when I regained my memories. I was a baby.
There were so many frustrating things I couldn't do anything about.
And being babied all the time was embarrassing sometimes.
On top of that, my parents got a little worried because I wasn't acting very baby-like(?).
Luckily, mumbling "mama" and "dada" and bringing them flowers fixed that right up.
More time passed. Now I was old enough to be called a boy.
By then, my complaints and my parents' worries had mostly sorted themselves out.
I could speak properly, move my body as I wanted!
That was enough. I could do whatever I pleased.
Plus, our family was pretty well-off. Nice.
My parents seemed to have decided I wasn't problematically different from other kids—just unusually mature.
But there was one lingering worry.
I still didn't have any friends.
From my perspective, it didn't matter. I preferred being alone.
Playing with kids using an adult mind? That takes effort...
Honestly, I figured I wouldn't make friends until I grew up.
But there's no such thing as "never," is there?
I ended up making a friend by pure chance.
I never expected my first—and only—friend to be a girl.
Let alone a Beastkin...
Ranyori.
My first friend—and only friend.
And I'm her first and only friend too.
That's why we're so close. Your first anything is always special.
Technically, it wasn't my real first, but who cares?
"Hey... Aren is my first friend..."
"What a coincidence. You're my first friend too, Ranyori."
"Really?!"
"Why would I lie about something like that?"
"Waaah! Wooow!"
You should've seen her bouncing around with excitement.
Our personalities clicked too. Conversations flowed easily.
...Or maybe it wasn't about compatibility? Maybe I just liked her personality?
Looking back, it felt like having a sweet, cute little sister from the neighborhood.
"Hmmm..."
"What's with the sudden hum?"
"Just now! You zoned out mid-conversation!"
Hmm. Beastkin instincts? She noticed right away.
"Wasn't thinking about anything."
"You were~?"
"Aigoo, sorry ma'am."
"Tell me! What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking how cute Ranyori is."
"...Hweh?"
I gave a half-baked answer—too lazy to make excuses or explain in detail.
But honestly, wasn't that the core truth?
My recent thought had been that she was just so cute, I wanted to hang out more.
"...!!!"
But yeah, the one hearing it would be flustered, right?
Her ears perked up, tail wagged wildly. It even created a little breeze—my legs felt cooler.
Then she silently patted my back with her paws.
It didn't hurt. She was controlling her strength.
Probably less emotional outburst, more playful scolding.
...Come to think of it, isn't this that?
"Nyang-nyang punch?"
"!!!"
I'd mastered controlling her emotions...! She was definitely excited this time.
Now it actually hurt a bit. Should've kept it in my head.
...Anyway, to wrap up my thoughts: Ranyori is a sweet, cute kid.
That's why my parents like her a lot too. Especially since she's my first friend.
Sometimes it feels like they like her more than me.
Can you blame them? After dealing with my usual self, along comes super-affectionate Ranyori.
Me? Me acting cute? Easier parenting aside, it wouldn't have been fun.
The fact that she's a Beastkin didn't faze my parents either.
With Dad and me having black hair already...
Beastkin face more discrimination than black hair, but my folks are open-minded about this stuff.
So Ranyori has free rein at our house—practically a VIP pass. She even sleepovers sometimes.
"...Wanna play?"
"Yeah!"
And here we are again. Ranyori showed up this morning.
Having calmed her excitement, her eyes sparkled once more.
"What should we play?"
"Anything!"
"That's the hardest part."
"Whatever it is, let's do it! You've been too busy to play with me lately!"
True. I go through phases where I obsess over something.
First it was the sword, then magic.
I even tried archery. Most recently, potion-making.
The era's different, but it's still a fantasy world.
So I figured I'd try some fantasy stuff.
That's how it started. Decent results too.
But reading about it in novels is different from doing it yourself.
It was tough. Not as fun as I'd imagined.
And I kept wondering, what's the point of learning this?
If I'd been born in the right era(!), I could've done something with it.
Gone adventuring... or at least interviewed for a hero party.
But this is the age of civilization, not barbarism.
Swordplay and archery? All sports now.
Think gladiators in mixed martial arts.
Magic and alchemy became practical studies.
If I'd stuck with it, I might've landed a job somehow...
But I didn't start for practical reasons, so I soured on it quick.
Parents don't say much. Like I said, we're comfortable.
They figure when I get desperate, I'll sort it out. For now, they let me be.
They take pride in my talents.
"But didn't you keep chatting with me the whole time, even when I was busy?"
"Yeah!"
"Someone might think I was avoiding you completely."
"You weren't!"
"Hmmm..."
"Anyway! You're not busy this time, right? We can play?"
"I'm free now."
"What about potion-making?"
"Dropped it."
"Knew it!"
"What's with that reaction?"
Ranyori said it with total conviction, like she'd called it.
Hurt that I had no comeback.
"Did you succeed at making anything?"
"Love potion. Looked ridiculous on paper, but intriguing, so I tried."
"...Where is it now?"
"No way to test it, so I tossed it."
"Why!"
"...Just told you."
"Give it to me if you were gonna throw it!!"
"Why?"
As if. Even if it worked, it'd be illegal. No way it's printed that blatantly.
My take: fancy name for pretty pink peach juice. Peaches in the ingredients? Sus.
"Anyway, let's just decide what to do."
"...Got any ideas, Aren?"
"...Wanna read a novel?"
"Again?"
"'Again'? It's been a while since I last read one."
"True, but... this isn't really playing together!"
"You like novels too. We're home anyway—let's read and chat."
"Hmmm...!"
Ranyori didn't read novels at first.
Not that she hated them... just no reason to.
But she saw me reading, grabbed a random book, snuck over, and dove in.
My old hobby was webnovels.
So our house is full of light genre fiction or reference books.
Since then, she enjoys the novels here—at least.
"I thought you'd lost interest since you hadn't read any in forever...!"
"...Kinda."
Various reasons piled up, but mainly? Too clichéd.
Put one down thinking I'd read it before—turns out it was brand new.
No change from years-old stuff to today.
I got sick of it. Took a break.
"But it's been so long—maybe fresh ideas are out now?!"
"Nope!"
"Tch..."
Yeah, figured. No change in years—why today?
Haa... Should I just hand ideas to random authors and tell 'em to write?
Or flood the bulletin board with prompts?
Someone might get fed up and write it themselves!
"...Hm?"
Even if I explained my ideas perfectly, they couldn't grasp them like I do.
Too alien to this world's people.
Meaning no one knows diverse tropes like me.
...So then.
"Hey. Think I should try writing?"
Why not write it myself?
"Huh?"
Her reaction? Total shock, as expected.