Sometimes I Dream of My Previous Life, Too

Blink, I open my eyes.

What leaps into view is a room in the baron's mansion, where I've been staying lately...... no, this isn't it.

Dirty walls, with black mold growing on them.

Silverfish are playing around here and there.

A plank floor full of gaps.

A room without windows.

But light comes in through the gaps in the walls and ceiling, so it's a room dimly lit by accidental daylight.

Ah, this is my room from my previous life.

It's the storeroom of the house where Aihara Runa was last placed.

Which means, it's that, then.

This is a dream.

A lucid dream, as they call it.

I, or rather Aihara Runa, give a long stretch to loosen up a body gone rigid from sleeping on the hard floor.

I take a deep breath, inhaling the dusty air.

I fold up the thin towel blanket, push it aside, and shuffle into my school uniform.

And then, I head straight for school.

I don't show my face at the main house.

Because it's obvious I'd just get treated horribly.

Toko toko, toko toko.

My legs move on their own.

It's kind of a strange feeling.

This dream plays out through Aihara Runa's eyes.

I can't move my body.

I'm reliving old memories, that's what it feels like.

Is it the end of summer in this dream world too, right now, that sort of season?

Maybe the kind of season where summer vacation ends and school starts up again.

A clear blue sky. Over there, billowing cumulus clouds.

The occasional breeze is cool and pleasant.

It seems it rained last night, as there are puddles here and there.

Since Runa can't use a mirror at home, she uses a puddle to tidy her hair with her fingers.

It's a futile effort.

No matter how much she fusses with it, her stubborn bedhead immediately snaps back.

Messy hair, rough skin, thin limbs, and a wrinkled uniform.

She's so shabby it's hard to believe she's supposed to be a high school girl in the flower of her youth.

Well, it can't be helped!

Smiling, she gives up.

That's right, that was it.

When I was Aihara Runa, I was able to smile.

Something about how if you smile, you can become happy.

After hearing some vague rumor like that somewhere, I made a conscious effort to always be smiling.

In the end, I feel like that's why the people around me found me creepy.

I wash my face at a park faucet on the way to school.

Mmm, so refreshing!

Kotsun.

Hmm?

“Ah, crap! She noticed!”

“Run! Ruuun!”

Apparently, some cheeky grade-schoolers with school backpacks had been throwing stones at me.

Good grief, can't be helped!

Since Aihara Runa was a generous girl, she'd just smile and forgive that kind of mischief.

Because protesting would be useless anyway.

I arrive at school.

My indoor shoes are gone.

Since it can't be helped, I use the guest slippers.

The custodian spots me and glares, but I pretend not to notice.

I go to the classroom.

On my desk, a vase.

TL Note: In Japan, putting a vase of flowers on a classmate's desk is a cruel bullying prank: it's how the desk of a student who has died is marked.

Wow, I don't know who, but someone put some flowers in a vase for me!

How pretty! Those weeds from around here!

Smile, smile.

I wonder who put them there?

I have to be careful how I handle them.

I want to clear them away, but if I'm not careful about touching them,

“We went through the trouble of decorating for you, so why are you clearing them away?”

they might say something like that and blame me?

What should I do?

“Morning!”

“Good morning, Misaki-chan!”

My classmates trade morning greetings, all smiles.

Me too, smile, smile.

Because Runa-chan is a girl who knows how to read the room.

I can't be the only one with a gloomy face, ruining the atmosphere of the classroom.

No one talks to me, but for now, smile, smile!

“Alriiight, homeroom's starting.”

The homeroom teacher arrives.

The teacher's name, what was it? I forget.

“......Hey, Aiharaa. What's that stuff on your desk?”

Oh dear? The teacher's got his eye on me.

“They're flowers.”

“Anyone can see that by looking! Why're ya putting flowers on your desk, huh? You screwing with me! You son of a bitch!!”

I'm not anyone's son, though.

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't give me ‘I'm sorry’!?”

“My sincerest apologies.”

“Not that!!”

Shoulders squared, the teacher stomps from the podium to Runa's seat, grabs her messy hair, and hauls her up out of her chair.

“This is how you apologize! You piece of shit! You think you can get away with playing around like this!? Huh!?”

Then, by brute force, he shoves her head down and forces Runa into a dogeza, forehead to the floor.

“First period is Japanese history. My class. Perfect, so you, stay in dogeza the whole time. Don't you move.”

Then the teacher goes back to the podium and takes attendance as if nothing happened.

And my classmates, whoever does whatever to me, couldn't care less.

This was Aihara Runa's daily life.

From the time she could remember, until her soul was harvested for another world, every day was like this.

Runa's father is a criminal.

Apparently, he killed a lot of people.

I've heard stories about how the daughter of a criminal is shunned.

But even so, Aihara Runa's daily life was far too harsh.

Everyone, from every direction, was an enemy.

Tormented in body and mind every day, I desperately kept on smiling, smile, smile.

What were those days, anyway?

In modern Japan, where awareness of human rights should have been reasonably developed, I alone had no one to protect me.

Looking back now, I think it was a bit of an abnormal situation.

In the end, Runa wasn't allowed to stop the dogeza, and Japanese history class ended just like that.

Break time.

For once, a boy comes over to talk to Runa.

The class leader, Suzudou Shota-kun.

“Aihara-san, I have something to talk to you about.”

“What?”

Smile, smile.

“Sasaki-san's Japanese textbook has been missing since yesterday. ......You stole it, didn't you?”

“Huh?”

Behind Suzudou-kun, glaring at me as she trembles, a small, quiet girl: Sasaki-san.

“Aihara-san, please give it back quickly. Otherwise, she won't make it in time for the next class.”

“He's right, Aihara! Give it back!”

“Poor Sasaki-san......”

Even if you say that?

Runa-chan has never stolen anything?

It's a total frame-up.

Why they've decided Runa is the culprit is anyone's guess.

Usually, whenever something inconvenient happens, it gets blamed on Runa.

That was just how the world around Runa was built.

She hasn't the faintest idea and knows nothing about Sasaki-san's Japanese textbook, so, bewildered, Runa just goes smile, smile, for now.

Ah, I remember now.

Come to think of it, this happened too, didn't it?

After this, I was called to the guidance office and beaten to a pulp by the guidance teacher.

But when I returned to the classroom, Sasaki-san's textbook was safely in her locker; she had simply forgotten about it.

Ah, well, that's good, happily ever after, and that's how the story ended.

Of course, there was no apology to me or anything like that.

Well, nothing to be done, so I just went smile, smile, for now.

After that, I was picked on by upperclassmen in the hallway and subjected to violence again.

On the way home, a police officer found me in tatters, and it became a story about me having fought with someone.

And so, I was picked up by the police.

And then, I was beaten to a pulp again by my “family.”

That's how a typical day went.

As far as Aihara Runa's days went, it was one of the more bearable ones.

Anyway, my previous life was always like this.

With no one on my side, I worked hard at smiling, smile, smile, trying to live even a little more positively.

Allies......

Ah, come to think of it, there was one child who helped me.

They went missing soon after, and I couldn't see them anymore.

What was that child's name again......?

◇ ◇ ◇

Blink, I open my eyes.

What leaps into view is a room in the baron's mansion, where I've been staying lately...... yep, this is it.

Well-cleaned walls, with no mold growing on them.

As for creatures called silverfish, at least I've never seen any in this world.

A plank floor that's a bit old-fashioned, but with no gaps at all.

A room with a window, though it's small.

Light comes in through the window, so it's a properly bright room.

I'm awake.

“Fuwaah......”

I push myself up from the bed and stretch.

An involuntary yawn escapes me.

Man, that was a nasty dream.

The worst way to wake up.

Reborn into this life, I'm still persecuted, and I do think I'm living a pretty hard life.

But I've realized it's far better compared to my previous life.

Because in this life, even if there are few, I have allies.

I have Omake-sama.

I had Master.

And there's Sara-chan......

“!!?”

That's right! Sara-chan!

What happened to Sara-chan!?

The baron!? Everyone else!? The mansion!?

<......Mm, fuwaah...... hah!? Ah, Emi! You're awake!?>

O, Omake-sama!

Hey, I defeated the Queen, got poisoned and collapsed, what happened after that!? Is Sara-chan safe!?

<C, calm down, Emi. I share your senses. I don't know what happened after you collapsed either!>

I scramble out of bed.

It looks like I'd been changed into clean pajamas.

I do a few squats and clench and unclench my fists.

Yep, moving without a problem.

Actually, am I in top form? I feel somehow far better than before?

<Well, you did experience a battle of that scale. Your body must have transformed again. You're getting stronger and stronger. Congratulations, Emi.>

Thanks, Omake-sama!

But that doesn't matter right now!

Sara-chan was collapsed the last time I saw her, what happened to her!?

A, a, and, also!!

Gugyururururururu......

What!? What is this overwhelming hunger!?

<It's the side effect accompanying the body's transformation that I explained before. This time, you experienced a life-or-death struggle, absorbed the Queen's flesh and blood, and used up almost all your magic power. There's no way your body wouldn't grow, and along with that comes an intense side effect......>

Aaah, geez, who cares about the explanatiooon! I'm hungry, I'm so hungryyy!

For now, I ravenously eat the flowers arranged in a vase that catches my eye. I drink the vase water dry, too.

Yep, tastes bad! And it's not nearly enough!!

......Wait, no!

Being hungry doesn't matter! I'll get a ton of food later!

Where is Sara-chan!?

I listen closely.

It seems people are gathered on the second floor, in Sara-chan's room.

For now, I'll head there.

Still in my pajamas, I dash out of the room.