Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ (Volume 1)

Chapter 2: Awakening

Year 991 of the Holy Calendar.

Yufilia Continent, Beltram Kingdom.
In one corner of the Capital's slums, with his chest full of agony, a boy was lying on the ground.

"Ha~, ha~..."

Even after opening his eyes, the anguish he was feeling could not be extinguished nor could he distract himself from it. Knowing so, the boy still strongly gripped his chest.
Before he noticed, his body was already drenched in sweat.
His whole body felt hot.
It felt as if his flesh was on fire.
Suddenly, like a miracle, the torment subsided and slowly, warmth spread throughout his body.

(What was that...?)

The boy did not understand what just happened, only that the unpleasant feelings were slowly dissipating.
When he regained his composure, he took a look at his surroundings.
It was a gloomy and dirty alley lined by crude wooden houses.
Unpleasant odours drifted into his nose. He frowned at the foul air but thanks to the stench, his head cleared up a bit.
As for what happened during his sleep, he had no memory of.

At that moment, the boy realised he had slept on the ground.
Dirty clothes hung on his body. He felt the need to do something about his clothes but thought they could last a bit longer.
Lifting up his face, a vast clear blue sky was reflected in his eyes.

(What was that uncomfortable feeling and why am I lying down on a road?)

Having just awoken, he still could not think clearly despite having no memory of drinking sake.
He noticed the surrounding houses seemed unusual before realising their architecture differed greatly from the Japanese wooden style houses he was accustomed to.
Feeling uncomfortable, the boy lost himself in thought.
Moreover his body was not in the best condition. Maybe it was due to being exposed to the cold weather from sleeping on the road. His joints also ached.

(!?)

Trying to raise his body again, he noticed the greatest disaster. Screams were rising in the boy's head.
What entered his view was the body of a young child.
I'm supposed to be a college student.
No, I'm supposed to be an orphan.

(What's the meaning of this?)

The boy was confused at his overlapping memory.
Thinking slowly about the problem, the boy directed his gaze towards his own hands and feet.
It was not the healthy skin of a person living in a wealthy country like Japan.
On top of that, his skin was dry and body was frail as a result of malnutrition as well as being covered in dirt.
The boy tried rearranging his thoughts; there were no memories of him taking a bath there.

(Seriously...)

He unintentionally performed a tsukkomi on himself after witnessing his dirty self.
The clothes he wore were made from worn down rags.
Of course, he did not own a pair of shoes either.
However, he still felt grateful that he at least had something to wear.
He was unsure what his facial features were like but from his long bangs, he discovered the slightly dirty hair was black in colour.

His limbs were in a similar state to his worn out clothes but his mind was not in chaos.
Cooling down his thoughts, he tried to assess his situation.
The boy's name was Rio, it was also Amakawa Haruto.
Looking at his memories, he determined that he was 7 years old in the current world, as well as a 20 year old Japanese man.

A wave of dizziness hit him due to excessive hunger. After confirming his situation, he sat on the ground and began to think.
He, as Amakawa Haruto still had recollections of his memories before he died.
He also had memories of Rio's everyday life until now.
He did not know the reason why he was unconscious on roadside just a while ago but for the time being, it was not important.