Chapter Text
"That’ll be 363 yen, please."
"Right, here’s the payment."
The voice belonged to Natsuki Subaru, speaking to a cashier at a convenience store near his house. He was buying snacks and a cup of ramen, dressed in his beloved gray tracksuit.
Natsuki Subaru — the son of the famous athlete Natsuki Kenichi.
You might think being the son of someone so great would make life easy.
But Subaru didn’t think so.
He was crushed under the weight of expectations. Everyone assumed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps and achieve greatness.
But he couldn’t.
And instead of trying harder, he chose the easy way out — running away.
Subaru locked himself in his room. He stopped going to school, abandoned his studies, and shut himself off from the world.
His parents didn’t help much either. It had been months since Subaru last attended school, and neither Naoko nor Kenichi could find the right words to reach him.
Subaru knew it was his fault.
He knew.
“...A disappointment,”
he muttered to no one in particular, standing outside the store in the middle of the night.
But even so, his parents’ love never faded.
Why?
Why do they still love a disappointment like me...?
That question had haunted Subaru for months, and he still hadn’t found an answer.
I love you.
“Huh? What was that?”
Before he could react, his vision grew dim. The streetlights flickered, their glow vanishing into the darkness.
Am I... passing out?
No, it can’t be. I can still think straight—
He tried to speak, but no words left his mouth.
He was swallowed by an endless darkness — a void with no light, no sound, and no body.
Just a drifting consciousness in an ocean of black.
Then, out of nowhere, he saw someone.
Or... something.
It looked human, but its face was hidden beneath a black cloth. Only long strands of silver hair escaped the shroud, glimmering faintly in the void.
“I love you,”
the figure spoke — a silver, bell-like voice echoing in the emptiness.
“But I can’t send you there with that body... otherwise, you’d experience something no living being should ever endure.”
Her voice trembled with sorrow. Subaru thought he saw tears slip from beneath the cloth.
Send me? To where? Who are you?
And... why are you crying?
“I hope he’ll be able to protect you in that world, my beloved.”
He? Beloved? What the hell is going on?
“We don’t have much time, my beloved. I wish you good luck... and I hope you’ll never have to experience that again. And finally—”
Subaru waited eagerly for her next words as she removed the cloth hiding her face, revealing a beautiful — yet sorrowful — silver-haired elf.
“You can kill me.”
What? Kill you? Why would I—
Before he could finish his thought, a blinding light consumed everything.
“Huff... huff... finally, it’s over.”
“We did it, Louanna. You did it. I don’t even know what to say — thank you.”
Did what? Can somebody please answer my damn question?
Subaru’s vision returned slowly. He found himself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling illuminated by soft, golden light.
“There were no complications during labor. Lady Louanna is healthy, and the babies are fine — one male and one female, just as expected.”
Labor? Did I just... watch someone give birth?
“Lord Heinkel, Lady Louanna — congratulations,” said the attending physician.
“You hear that, Louanna? You did it... oh my God...”
The husband beamed, his voice trembling with emotion.
“Yes... we did it, my love,” the woman panted weakly, her face glowing with exhaustion and joy.
“Thank you.”
“No — I should thank you. You’re the one who did all the hard work, while I could only stand by.”
The scene was undeniably heartwarming — but Subaru had no idea why he was watching it.
The doctor packed his things. “My job here is done. I’ll take my leave. Once again, congratulations, Lord Heinkel and Lady Louanna.”
“Thank you, Wagner. Truly,” Louanna said softly, while Heinkel bowed in gratitude.
As the doctor left, Heinkel, a man with fiery red hair, picked Subaru up.
Wait... did he just pick me up?
Oh no. Don’t tell me—
Heinkel then picked up another baby lying beside Subaru and turned to Louanna.
“Just one more thing to do, right, Louanna?”
He handed Subaru to her while holding the other baby in his arms.
“You will be Reinhard Astrea,” Heinkel said proudly.
“You’re the older brother, so you must protect your little sister.”
Ah, so I’m reincarnated then? Judging from the names, I’m... in Germany?
“And you, young miss,” Louanna said lovingly, gazing at the baby in her arms, “will be Reina Astrea. Life may be hard for both of you, so always be there for your older brother.”
So my name’s Reina, huh? Cute name—
Wait. I’m a girl?
I thought reincarnation meant I’d come back the same way!
A little sister, too?
Guess this is karma... or maybe a reward for all that crossdressing I used to do.