Reincarnation

"Leon! Are you all right!?"

"Leon! You're awake!?"

Ugh... Why is it so noisy? More importantly, my head hurts. The noise is pounding in my head, too, so be quiet.

As I thought this, I somehow forced my heavy eyelids open and saw a stranger right in front of me. Who is this? For that matter, where am I?

As I tried to make sense of things, a wooden ceiling came into view. My house had a white ceiling, though...

"Leon, are you all right? You fell down the stairs and hit your head. It seems you were unconscious for a little while, but do you feel unwell at all?"

I fell down the stairs... And who is Leon? I'm Ichigaya Ryosuke. I don't know anyone named Leon, much less anyone with such a foreign-sounding name...

Ugh, my head hurts like it's splitting open. Thinking about this confusing situation is such a pain.

I'll go back to sleep. This is probably a dream. Once I sleep and wake up, I should be back to my ordinary life.

With that thought, I closed my eyes.

"Ahh, I slept well... Wait, where am I!?"

Come to think of it, I dreamed that I woke up in an unfamiliar place... Could that not have been a dream after all!?

Why am I in a place like this? I definitely went to university for a lecture, but it was canceled just before it started. So I headed home, and then what happened?

Huh? I don't remember. No, I kind of remember something exploding... or maybe I don't. I can't recall. This is no good.

Wait, don't my hands look kind of small? I nervously looked down at myself, and... I was obviously much smaller. What? What is going on? I'm a child!?

"Ah, ah."

My voice is different, too! It's gotten really high. Seriously, what is going on?

Come to think of it, I was surrounded by strangers in that dream. And they called me Leon. Could it be that I've become Leon? No, that's ridiculous...

Just as I got that far in my thoughts, memories of Leon's life suddenly came flooding into my head. What are these memories? Have I become Leon?

How did this happen...? And according to these memories, this isn't just somewhere other than Japan—it isn't even Earth. Could this be reincarnation into another world? Isn't that something that only happens in stories!? Then did I die on Earth?

Just as I was reaching the height of my confusion, the only door in the room where I had been sleeping suddenly opened.

"Leon, you're awake? Are you feeling better now?"

I know from Leon's memories that this is his mother. To Leon, she was a beloved mother, but to me, she's a complete stranger.

I absolutely can't let anyone find out that Leon is now Ichigaya Ryosuke. No one would believe me anyway, and I don't want them treating me like a freak because they think I'm possessed by a demon...

I have no choice but to act like Leon.

"Good morning, Mom. Nothing hurts, so I'm fine. I fell down the stairs, right?"

"That's right! You need to be more careful. You gave your mother such a fright."

"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful from now on."

"See that you do. More importantly, Leon, your father and I have already eaten breakfast, but do you think you can eat?"

Mom peered worriedly into my face. I probably shouldn't make her worry... but I was too confused to feel hungry, and I wanted to be alone a little longer to sort out my thoughts.

"I'm not hungry yet, so I think I'll pass. I'll eat lunch."

"Really? Then make sure you get some rest until lunch, okay?"

After patting me on the head a few times, Mom left the room.

Phew... I'm kind of tired. But I need to sort out everything in my head.

For starters, did I die on Earth? I don't remember very well, but in any case, this isn't a dream, and it means returning to Earth is probably impossible, right?

I worked so hard to get into university, and I had finally made it to the one I wanted to attend. And now I'll never see my mother, father, or friends again...

Whenever I thought about my life on Earth, tears welled up in my eyes.

I quietly cried like that for some time. But crying wouldn't solve anything, so I decided to accept reality, at least for now.

"All right! It's sad, but first I need to understand my situation."

I slapped both cheeks to psych myself up. First, I needed to think about Leon's memories. This was strange, but although my body was Leon's, my personality had become completely that of Ichigaya Ryosuke.

I could recall Leon's memories if I tried, but unless I deliberately tried to remember them, they didn't come to mind.

According to those memories, Leon had only recently turned eight. I remembered celebrating his eighth birthday.

There are seasons, at least, but summers don't get too hot and winters don't get too cold, so the climate seems comfortable.

It seems Leon lives in Raslia, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Larslasia. His family runs a diner there. There are four people in the family: his father, Jean; his mother, Roana; his younger sister, Marie; and Leon.

When the diner is open, Leon helps out at the family business; when it's closed, he goes to the nearby forest with the neighborhood children to gather fruit, wild greens, firewood, and the like. He also apparently buys snacks with his small allowance.

Leon doesn't know the exact number of days in a year or hours in a day, but there are churches in each region, and people apparently tell the time by the sound of their bells.

The bells ring at four times: in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and at bedtime. Apparently, the number of times the morning bell rings indicates the day of the week.

1 ring — Day of Fire

2 rings — Day of Water

3 rings — Day of Wind

4 rings — Day of Earth

5 rings — Day of Recovery

Apparently, these five days repeat, so a week must be five days long.

I wondered if Recovery Day was like Sunday, but Leon's memories say the diner is open all year round unless there's some compelling reason, so perhaps this world has no concept of days off.

In terms of Japanese yen, an iron coin seems to be worth about ten yen, a small copper coin about one hundred yen, and a copper coin about one thousand yen. More valuable coins probably exist, but Leon has never seen them.

And this is the most important thing: this world seems to have magic. According to Leon's memories, most people can use magic, at least in principle.

Each person can use magic of one attribute: fire, water, wind, earth, physical enhancement, or recovery. The amount of magic power determines how much magic a person can use.

Apparently, around the age of eight, children have their magic power measured at a church and learn what their attribute is and how to use magic. Leon just turned eight, so it seems he'll be going soon. I'm looking forward to it.

I'd forgotten one other important thing: the level of development in this world.

At least where Leon lives, this world is far less developed than Earth. To start with, there is no running water; they use well water. Consequently, there are no baths or flush toilets either.

For bathing, they draw water into a bucket and wipe themselves down with a towel; the toilet is essentially a pit latrine that has to be emptied.

I can tell how developed this place is just by looking at this room. There aren't even glass windows; instead, there's a wooden window that can be raised. The bed has a wooden frame, at least, but all it has on top is straw covered with a sheet.

There isn't any electricity, either. There's a candle here, so that's probably what they use at night. Right now, the window is open, and the room is lit only by natural light. Other than that, there's the door Mom just went through. That's all.

I don't think I can stand living like this unless I somehow raise the standard of living. I really need to gather information.

That's about all the important things I can glean from Leon's memories. Since he's still a child, much of what he knows is vague, and there are probably many things he doesn't know. I'll have to learn the rest from here on out.

For now, I need to adapt to this world and make sure no one finds out that I've become Leon.