Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

Unlike physical training for close combat, practicing magic is something Nina-chan and I do regularly after school.

So, the rainy Sunday afternoon passed by quietly. At some point, Hina came to watch us practice magic, and we ended up practicing together. After that, we had dinner and went to sleep.

That night, Nina-chan didn't sleep in the same room with me. She must have felt confident she wouldn't have any nightmares.

However, I ended up having another nightmare.

It was one of those dreams that leaves you feeling overheated, full of false bravado, and burdened with a sense of helplessness that weighs heavily on your chest.

"Itsuki, you look a bit pale."

"...Really?"

It was Monday morning. As I stopped at the intersection, carrying my heavy schoolbag, Nina-chan spoke to me with concern.

"Maybe it's because I had a weird dream last night."

"A weird dream? What was it about?"

"Well, I can't really remember it clearly..."

All I could recall was that the dream left me with an unpleasant feeling, and my vague answer caused Nina-chan to look worried.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, why don't you try sleeping with a stuffed animal?"

"Borrow one from Hina?"

"Yeah."

Well, that's easier said than done. Sure, if I asked Hina, she'd probably lend me one.

But, honestly, isn't it a bit weird for a third-grader to still be sleeping with stuffed animals?

"Or... do you want to sleep together?"

"...No, I'm fine."

With Nina-chan playfully suggesting such a thing, trying to act like a big sister, I quietly shook my head.

"Alright, if you're sure."

To be honest, I was still too nervous to sleep properly if we shared a room again, so I was relieved she dropped the idea. Nina-chan didn't seem to mind my refusal, and she calmly stepped out onto the crosswalk once the signal changed.

"Oh, by the way, do you think it's true that the number of monsters is decreasing?"

"Huh? You mean what we talked about yesterday?"

"Yeah."

She was referring to the phone call I'd had with my dad the day before, where he mentioned that the number of monsters had been going down, and that he might be able to return home soon. Of course, I had already shared that news with Nina-chan and my family, since it wasn't something that only concerned me.

If my dad could come home, that probably meant Ireena-san would be able to come back too.

"I find it hard to believe. After all, I didn't even feel like there were more monsters in the first place."

"Yeah, that's true."

Nina-chan's doubts were completely reasonable.

It's difficult to perceive the increase or decrease of monsters on our own. For someone like my dad, whose job involves exorcising them, it's probably more noticeable. But for people like us, who only encounter naturally occurring monsters, it's hard to tell if there's been a change.

It's a bit like hearing about the economy being good or bad on the news—it doesn't always feel real.

As I mulled over these thoughts, Nina-chan continued.

"Are we sure it's just that the number of monsters is decreasing? Couldn't they be hiding instead?"

"Hmm. Only monsters ranked Fifth Tier or above can use 'Concealment,' so I don't think they're hiding," I replied as I crossed the road, trailing behind Nina-chan.

After hearing my dad's words yesterday, I had wondered the same thing as Nina-chan.

The recent surge in monsters was orchestrated by the Theater Troupe Actor. So, the idea that the decrease in monsters was due to the Actor simply ordering them to hide somewhere seemed plausible.

But I quickly dismissed that theory.

After all, there's a spell called "Detection Magic," which is used to locate monsters.

The monsters created by the Theater Troupe Actor would have been tracked using that magic. That means, unless the monsters are capable of using "Concealment," they should be detected by the spell.

Although Nina-chan still seemed dissatisfied, she seemed to accept my explanation for now.

With a slightly disgruntled expression, Nina-chan and I continued our walk to school. Neither of us brought up the fact that the Theater Troupe Actor had yet to be found.

Lunchtime at school arrived, and after a series of boring classes, my classmates—those who had finished eating quickly—rushed out to the playground, while the girls who had formed their own groups left the classroom in pairs or trios.

And, as always, Nina-chan and I, who didn't have many friends, were left behind. But something unusual happened—we were called over by the teacher.

And it wasn't just me. Nina-chan was called too.

It's rare to be summoned by the teacher for anything other than getting scolded, so I was a bit nervous as we approached the teacher's desk. The teacher spoke in a hushed tone.

"Itsuki-kun, there's someone here who wants to thank you and Nina-chan."

"Thank us?"

"Yes. It's an elderly man named Hosoi-san. Do you know him?"

"Hosoi-san...?"

Who was that?

The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. After a few moments of thought, it finally clicked.

Oh, right. He's the president of that health food company.

I remembered seeing his name on the business card he gave me a while ago.

He was the same president whose company had unknowingly distributed the rejuvenation pills that were being manufactured by monsters. Now I recalled the name.

I tugged lightly on Nina-chan's sleeve and whispered, "He's the guy from the health food company."

"Health food company...?" Nina-chan tilted her head in confusion but then seemed to remember. Her eyes widened in realization, and she nodded vigorously.

"I remember now. That guy."

Nina-chan nodded emphatically. It seemed she hadn't completely forgotten after all.

"I'm glad to hear that. He's waiting in the reception room right now. If you have time during lunch, why don't you go say hello?"

Since we didn't really see any harm in it, Nina-chan and I exchanged glances and nodded.

It's just a greeting, after all—nothing too serious.

So, we followed the teacher to the reception room. As the teacher opened the door and stepped inside, the elderly man in the room immediately stood up.

Sure enough, it was the same president I had met after school once before.

"It's been a while, Itsuki-kun, Nina-chan."

"O-Oh, it's been a while..." I stammered, suddenly slipping into my past life's social etiquette as I faced the ever-commanding presence of the elderly president. Even though my time as a working adult in my previous life wasn't very long, the habits lingered.

"Thanks to you, I've been saved. I'm truly grateful."

Hosoi-san bowed his head deeply in gratitude.

Nina-chan and I each muttered a "you're welcome" at different moments, but after that, we found ourselves at a loss for words. There was an awkward silence.

What should we talk about now?

I had expected this to be a quick greeting and nothing more. Since I wasn't prepared for an extended conversation, I was at a loss.

I glanced over at the teacher, hoping for some help, but the teacher noticed the empty cup in front of Hosoi-san and excused herself to go fetch more tea, leaving the room. No, don't leave me!

And so, we were left with just the three of us—me, Nina-chan, and Hosoi-san.

Another uncomfortable silence settled over the room. From outside, we could hear the sounds of kids playing dodgeball or soccer on the playground.

"So, what brings you to the school?" I asked, unable to endure the awkward silence any longer.

Hosoi-san sat down on the sofa and continued speaking.

"Actually, I believe we made a certain promise."

"A promise?"

"Yes, a very important promise. Don't you remember?"

His question made me tilt my head in confusion. I didn't recall making any promises, except for accepting the request to exorcise the monster at his company, which had later been passed on to the Kamizuki family.

So, I didn't remember making any personal promises.

"I see... So, you've forgotten," he said with a soft smile, before adding, "No matter. You'll just have to remember."

With that, Hosoi-san let out a wide grin and...

peeled off his skin

.

What appeared beneath was a small, wire-and-tin-can puppet, something that looked like a kid's summer vacation craft project.

The puppet landed on the table, and at that moment, it unleashed a spell—

"Silveit"

.

"Does this help you remember now?" the high-pitched, grating voice rang in my ears.

Before I even had time to process what was happening, I instinctively pushed Nina-chan to the ground.

A split second later, a deafening

buzz

rang out above us, followed by the sound of magic exploding in the air.

If I had reacted just a second later, we would've been dead.

That terrifying realization gripped my heart with fear. But even so, I had to face the monster standing in front of me.

Because this thing should not have been here.

Because there was a possibility it wasn't even supposed to be in Japan.

"...Why are you here?"

Why is the

Theater Troupe Actor

here?!

"Hey, remember? I told you at the amusement park!" it laughed, completely ignoring my question.

"I said I'd kill you, didn't I, Itsuki-kun? Hahaha!"