Chapter Text
Normally, there’d be some melodramatic poetry about flowing tides and rivers, or something equally theatrical nonsense, that fills the first few lines of a reincarnation story. Or a transmigration one.
Unfortunately, because he is but a humble high schooler who honestly is too tired to wax prose, it’s going to have to be an honest to god recount. He can try if needed, but he doesn’t really want to.
When he first woke up, it was surreal.
For one, he was in a weird and unfamiliar house.
A very pretty house, but not his nonetheless.
Surrounded on all four sides by wood walls, spaced with windows made of paper which is metal (well, paper). It’s also the first hint that he wasn’t anywhere familiar, because he doesn’t think he’s ever been in a house with walls made of wood. Kotetsu lived in the modern times! Everywhere he’s ever been all uses concrete with reinforced steel bars.
The floor was funny too, but the texture was wonderful. He rubbed his hands against it some more…
Wait.
Tiny little grubby hands stared at him. He stared back. Because what the actual duck. Yes, a new house could be explained. Perhaps his parents decided to move houses suddenly, taking his sleeping-log body with them. Then again, unlikely, because he went to bed at a little past two in the morning.
Tiny hands though? Not even Botox could do that, and damn did his Ma try. This is the strangest dream he’s had in a while, and he dreams of stupid stuff daily.
He looks out the window, and is met with bright blue skies and lush green forestry. Distantly, he can even hear bird songs as well as screaming people. Not angry or scared screaming, just really passionate. He decides to ignore the screaming for now, as surely it does not relate to him in the slightest.
Clashes and clangs make the place sound like a construction site.
The air was very crisp here, enough that it would have that as a description on TripAdvisor. He could smell grass as well, which was not pleasant. His dad loves the smell. To him, it brought to mind spinach, which was disgusting.
Looking around, there’s a whetstone along with other funky looking stuff that he’s seen on WeChat Shorts before. On one hand, he really wants to play around with that stuff. On the other, what kind of hag or Jii would leave a kiddo unsupervised near a ton of machinery?
Didi would never.
The plus side, though… He really wanted to try and make Damascus stuff…
“Kotetsu!” Someone yelled.
The yelling was extremely loud, marked in its noise with spittle. Even merely hearing the sound brings to mind the thought of a middle aged man, face red while bulging with veins. Rest in Peace Kotetsu, whoever they were, they clearly need some luck at that tone.
A man with a strange pink mask barges into his little room. They’re screaming and spitting. Despite the mask, it was clear how flushed his face was. Ew. Did all the sweat and spit and water pile up into the really long nose of the mask? The mold build up on the thing must be crazy.
The man spits and stomps his way over, grabbing him by a sleeve. He’s looming over, the extra height from being an adult giving a lot of advantage. The suddenness almost makes him flinch.
“Kotetsu!” He seethes.
Shit.
Is he Kotetsu?
Oooh, man, that didn’t pose well.
He stares blankly at the man, and points with a single index finger at his own chest, saying “moi?!” But only in his head.
“Why on earth have you skipped your lessons once more? Do the slayers risking their lives daily mean nothing to you? Ungrateful child. Do not let your shoddy workmanship be the reason for another loss of a Mizunoto!”
Kotetsu just seethes back in response. He hadn’t paid a lick of attention to the old man’s words, considering it was an old, unfamiliar, man barging into his room and grabbing at him! Who on earth was this man to try to order him around?
While, yes, he should and could be polite to this strangely dressed hobo, mama didn’t raise no pushover. He twists his arm sharply to the side to dislodge the man's hand, and sneers. “Fine, fine old man. I’ll be there soon, whatever!”
Something about his harsh tone must have shocked the man, because he takes an entire step back. He didn’t mean to be so loud, but at least the yelling worked. It appears that in this dream, Kotetsu is characterized as a meek, or at least polite, child.
Hasta luego, pleasantries! Kotetsu’s mama isn’t here to yell at him anymore.
The man huffs, storming off while grumbling about how Kotetsu was a “stupid brat” who wasted the good genetics his parents passed down. Short as the encounter was, Kotetsu knew he didn't want to interact with the man at all.
But… the man did mention smithing lessons… which meant Kotetsu could learn to make really cool weapons. If he went, he’d be able to learn to make whatever he wanted. The downsides included that Kotetsu probably wouldn’t be allowed to make cool looking weapons. It would probably be all basic katanas.
While Kotetsu was sitting there pondering, there was a little nagging feeling in his intestines telling him he was forgetting something. Yes, he knew the phrase was usually a queasy feeling in his stomach, but his stomach was full already from confusion. The nagging feeling could only settle in the next best location.
He should try to determine what the nagging feeling is. Kotetsu was in a new, strange place. He was alone, without a parental figure in sight. He also appeared to be a decade or so younger. Something was clearly wrong, but what?
Oh!
Yes, obviously!
How on earth did Kotetsu not realize this before?
The nagging feeling was clearly that he didn’t know where his phone was!
Kotetsu smacks his fist onto his open palm, doing the Eureka pose, a stupid little grin settling on his face. He shuffles around, getting used to the cool clothing he was wearing before deciding to walk around.
He’s wearing socks, which is great, but he doesn’t know where to find shoes.
It was already gross enough that the strange man from earlier walked into His house and His room while wearing shoes. Kotetsu wasn’t about to mess it up even further by just walking on dirt or grass while wearing socks.
It takes ages, searching constantly and everywhere around the house, before Kotetsu finds his shoes outside of the door leading out of the house. Smart. That way the shoes would dry and not smell rank.
The satisfaction of finding his shoes quickly dies down, as Kotetsu notices how the shoes are just sandals. He looks at the sandals, then looks at his sock feet. These socks weren’t even socks meant for sandals, with the cut sleeve section between the big toe and index toe (or whatever else it was called). He grimaces, and sits down on the little wooden ledge about a foot off the floor.
Slowly but surely, he wiggles the sandal onto his foot, pressing the toe holder thing between his toes. It makes the sock crease a little, which isn’t too bad.
At least he had experience from a lot of rugby training, where he always was too lazy to take his socks off before putting sandals on. It was also for the betterment of society, because no one should be subjected to the smell of sweaty teenagers after practice full blast.
Another thing that catches Kotetsu’s attention is where his footwear originates from.
Socks on straw sandals… seems familiar. It’s a Japanese thing. Not that he was racist or anything! It was just strange that he, a decidedly not-Japanese person(?) was having a dream regarding Japanese shoes. And feet.
This dream is going way off the rails.
Kotetsu seems to be a Japanese name as well. What it also is, is familiar.
It’s not his original name, by any means, but he can’t remember his original name. This phenomenon happens in dreams often, meaning Kotetsu would remember his real name when he wakes up.
Already off track, Kotetsu sits on the ledge and swings his feet back and forth. Ooh, a yellow butterfly. No, stupid brain! Always running off.
Brain, please focus for at least one second?
Kotetsu’s brain, the meaty flesh sack run by electrical signals, does not respond, partially due to how it has no organ capable of producing longitudinal vibrations. Perhaps if it vibrated in place, in Kotetsu’s skull, at a supersonic speed, but doing so would likely harm Kotetsu.
Kotetsu had forgotten what he had set out to do.
There was somewhere he was meant to be, but if he’d forgotten it, it clearly wasn’t that important in the first place! Since he had his sandals on, there was no point in taking them off to go back inside, as that would be a waste of effort and time.
The best thing to do would be to explore the village, which is what Kotetsu settles on doing. The most interesting place to go?
The noisiest place, of course!