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Vol 01 Chapter 01: Possession

Death comes suddenly, from an unexpected place at an unexpected time.

In front of me, there was a large truck.

The flow of time slowed to a crawl. In my mind, flashes of everything I left behind appeared, only to disappear the next moment. Friends, my part-time job supervisor, university professors…

Oh, right. I haven’t submitted that report yet…

My final thought lingered on the children at the orphanage, I never imagined myself repaying them with my life insurance.

If possible, I would have liked to live a more thrilling life.

As this thought crossed my mind, I heard a sound akin to a child’s laughter mixed with the noise of my bones shattering.

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When I came to, I was in the middle of a forest…

Looking around and then gazing up at the sky, I notice the moon—slightly larger than the one I remember—shining brightly.

Moonlight illuminates the incredibly large trees. I wonder, just how many times my height are they?

Could this be the afterlife?

According to the legend, on the other side of the Sanzu River there should be an endless field of flowers, but I see none of that. For this to be the afterlife, it seems rather plain.

What the heck is this…

Suddenly tasting something bitter, I spat it out and realized it was some kind of grass.

Why am I eating grass?

The next moment, strong hunger pains attacked me. Dizziness, fatigue, and a feeling of lethargy overwhelm my body.

I need to eat something, or I’ll die…

I have to find something edible. Acorns, mushrooms, anything would do. I need to find something edible.

Then, a large centipede caught my eye. Normally, I would scream and run away, but for some reason, I find myself staring at it. Upon closer inspection, it seems to have a lot of meat.

If I remember correctly, it only has poison in its mouth; if I can deal with that, centipedes are edible…

…

…

Should I eat it?

…

The first centipede I ate was disgusting.

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「Now that I think about it, I forgot about the parasites, will I be okay?」

After swallowing the centipede, I start to worry.

I lost my reason for a moment there… Does lack of nutrition really make you this foolish? Not that I knew how to start a fire, so I needed to eat it raw anyway. I chewed it well, so it should be fine. Probably.

Maybe it was a good thing. If my brain was working even a little, I would have hesitated, and I might have starved to death. As for parasites, all I can do is pray that there weren’t any nasty ones.

「I’m thirsty…」

Seeking water, I begin to walk. I want to get rid of the taste of centipede in my mouth as soon as possible.

After what felt like about ten minutes, I found a small stream. The thought that I shouldn’t drink raw water comes to mind, but I don’t know how to start a fire, so it can’t be helped.

「I feel alive again…」

Water is indeed essential. The water looked clear, so it should be free of parasites. Probably.

I look at the water of the stream. Reflected there, illuminated by the moonlight, is my face…

…

…

…

Who is this?

Reflected on the water’s surface, there’s a skinny child with gray hair.

???????

Wait, wait a moment, the water of the stream is probably failing to reflect the image properly. I’m sure the light’s reflection in the water sometimes plays tricks.

I tried to escape the reality before my eyes with some nonsensical reasoning in my head.

I tentatively touched my own cheek. I can feel the bones protruding. I wasn’t fat, but I certainly hadn’t been skinny enough for my bones to stick out.

Next, I pulled at my hair. It is gray. I’m a typical Japanese person with black hair, but…

It’s reality, after all. Which means, this is that. The famous that.

「A reincarnation…」

I look up at the night sky. There, a moon more than twice the size of Earth’s shines brightly.