The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

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Author Notes:

  The "Numerology 7: Self-Adjustment" has been activated.

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The world is filled with countless old tales.

From renowned myths to fables, folktales, and fairy tales that have been passed down since ancient times.

[TL note: "Fable" refers to a short story with a moral lesson, often featuring animals as characters, or broadly, a myth or legend.]

While their contents may be a mix of truth and fiction, as long as there's human history, legends and stories exist in every country. Even if the content goes in and out of fashion, the act of people passing down stories itself is universal.

Worlds that were once isolated are now connected through the internet. Thanks to this, such stories have spread to distant lands that couldn't have been imagined when they were first created.

Stories can transcend culture and language.

I wanted to know the background of how each story was born.

How were they passed down? What was their relationship with politics and religion? How much economic value did they have? Where did they originate? Not just within one cultural sphere, but how are the complexly intertwined myths connected?

My curiosity knew no bounds.

So I thought I could research to my heart's content after entering university.

That's what I had been thinking, but...

An outlandish ending - being crushed to death by a helicopter - had painted over that future... or so it should have.

"...Am I alive?"

When I woke up, I was first surprised by the fact that I was conscious.

I remember it clearly because it had just happened. What fell, overlapping with the sun, was a military helicopter like something I'd seen in a game. I don't know where it fell from or why it fell, of course.

But it's amazing that I managed to survive being crushed by such a thing...

As I was carelessly impressed, I finally noticed where I was lying.

Where is this?

It was a dim, narrow room.

In a room about the size of four and a half tatami mats, there was a bed, a desk, and one closet. A small window that seemed to cling to the wall had wooden shutters closed, and only the light leaking through the gaps was the room's light source. Even so, there was almost nothing in this room.

It's not a hospital... that's for sure.

For now, I got up from the bed to check if I was in one piece, and then--

"Huh?"

Feeling a strong sense of discomfort, I looked down at my body.

It's small.

My palms were small.

No, that's not all. Setting aside the overly simple plain shirt and pants for now, my own body was clearly small... child-sized.

Pudgy palms, elastic young skin.

Could this be that famous phrase, "When I woke up, my body had shrunk"...?

If so, then!

"Could this be!?"

I hurriedly tried to lift my pants, but the string tied around the waist was firmly knotted.

Even a single knot is a formidable enemy for these small fingers...!

At a time like this, a forgotten memory resurfaces.

Yes, it was before I entered elementary school. When my parents, who worked overseas, came back after a long time, I selfishly asked to be taken to an amusement park. After playing and eating a lot, I felt the need to use the bathroom, but to show how grown up I was, I declared "I can go to the toilet by myself!" I lined up with the adults for the toilet, successfully secured a stall, and just as I was about to pull down my pants, on that day of all days, I was wearing stylish pants with a string instead of elastic. Unable to undo the butterfly knot my mother had tied, young me panicked and after a fierce battle with the urge--...

"Ah, it came off."

While immersed in such memories, it unexpectedly came undone easily.

The pants were quite loose around the waist, and as soon as I untied the string, they fell down with a thud.

For some reason, I wasn't wearing underwear.

And there, lo and behold.

"Woah! It's... it's smooth...!"

The Amazon has become a savanna!

On my barren land, there was only a lone baby elephant. H-How cute!

The pride and joy that had grown up with me since I became self-aware was nowhere to be seen. Ah, where have you gone, my partner...

I feel a bit dizzy.

Come to think of it, my voice is soprano too.

[TL notes: Soprano - an easy way to understand it is a boy's voice that can speak in a very high pitch before it deepens during puberty. ]

It's what you'd call a shota voice.

Hmm, could it be that my body has really returned to childhood...?

With my lower half exposed, I observed my body closely.

But even if I've returned to childhood, something feels off. Was my body like this? I'd like to check in a mirror to confirm, but it doesn't seem like there's one in this room.

I really don't understand what's happening at all... but for now, it's fortunate that nothing on my body hurts.

For the time being, I need to escape from this room and grasp the situation I'm in.

It's certain that my body has become that of a child, after all.

"Well then, was it a booze-loving black organization that made me like this, or perhaps a ghost ship that kidnaps people and turns them into cyborgs, or maybe the secret activities of a broken cat-shaped machine..."

[TL notes:

Booze-loving black organization: This refers to the "Black Organization" from the anime and manga series "Detective Conan" (also known as "Case Closed"). This organization is known for using a drug that turns the main character, Shinichi Kudo, into a child.

Ghost ship that kidnaps people and turns them into cyborgs: This refers to the story of "One Piece," specifically the Thriller Bark arc, where the antagonist Gecko Moriah kidnaps people and turns them into zombies and cyborgs.

Secret activities of a broken cat-shaped machine: This likely refers to "Doraemon," a robotic cat from the future who helps a boy named Nobita with various gadgets.]

Oops, before that, I should put on my pants--

*Click*

At that moment, the door suddenly opened.

In the hallway was a girl wearing a maid uniform.

Probably about fifteen years old. She was a cute-looking maid with a plain appearance without makeup. The wooden bucket and towel she was carrying seemed too fitting to be cosplay. Could she be real? Am I about to be taken care of by a real maid!?

Well, that's not important.

What's important is my appearance.

I'm currently in full view. If this were sumo wrestling, I'd be disqualified.

The maid's gaze, widening in shock, is intense.

For now, it's that.

While physically I might be a child, mentally I'm already an adult. When a young girl stares at my thing, there's only one thing to do.

Like the child actor in Home A----, I put both hands on my cheeks, took a deep breath, and...

[TL notes: Most likely most of you know but Home A--- --> Home Alone ]

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

Two versions of "The Scream" by Munch were completed.

[TL notes: Painting -> Wiki link if you interested ]

No, wait a minute.

Isn't this a bit too much?

It's one thing for me to scream after having my elephant seen, but for the one who saw it to scream in terror... What?

Could it be that my thing is cursed? Is it the type where if someone sees it, they have to show it to others or they'll die? Eh, does that mean I'll have to live with this cursed thing from now on? Do I have to show my lower half to someone every day? Surely if I did that, my fetishes would get warped. Ah, could it be that all the exhibitionists in the world are carrying such curses...?

[TL notes: don't know about you but this part was funny]

"M-M-M..."

The maid girl spilled the water from the wooden bucket with her scream, then collapsed. She stares fixedly at my pure and cute elephant, her voice trembling.

"M-M-Master! Th-Th-This is terrible!"

I think what's terrible is that I'm soaking wet all over from the spilled water.

But they say water purifies evil things, so maybe this has purified my cursed lower half.

...No, this is not the time for that.

I don't even know if the maid girl in front of me is an enemy or an ally. Jokes aside, I need to seriously consider how to respond.

I can hear footsteps of others rushing here, so maybe I should run away--

"It's terrible! Young Master Ruruk has... come back to life!"

"...Oh?"

My brain assesses the situation.

The maid girl's scream.

The words "Master" and "Young Master Ruruk".

And she says I've come back to life.

...Ah, I see.

It seems that this maid girl wasn't surprised by my thing after all. Judging from the context, it appears that my consciousness - Nanairo Gaku's - has possessed? the body of a child called Young Master Ruruk.

No wonder I felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as if this wasn't my own body.

So this pattern is that, huh. After surviving the helicopter accident, I didn't become small due to a drug, nor was I modified, nor was my body changed by a mysterious tool.

"Isekai... no, reincarnation maybe?"

I died once, and only my consciousness or spirit became a different person.

It's hard to believe, but judging from the situation, it seems to be correct.

As a story otaku specializing in myths and legends, of course I also indulge in teenage-oriented ones. While isekai stories have existed around the world since ancient times, it's not yet a genre that can be said to be standardized and vibrant. Among stories where the protagonist's body exists in two or more forms as the story's axis, avatar control systems have become the global mainstream. Compared to that, possessing the dead body of another person is still a minor genre.

Of course, it's not that there are no precedents. Rather, in this age of information overload, it's more difficult to find a story pattern that hasn't been born yet. There are certainly masterpieces among reincarnation stories, and they're rather common in manga and light novels. I've read a few in commercial magazines and web novels, so it's easy to list similar patterns.

Ah, and by the way, the language this maid girl has been speaking isn't Japanese.

Of course, it's not English or Chinese either, but a language system I don't know.

Thanks to my hobby of chasing myths and legends from around the world, I've at least seen or heard most of the world's major languages once. Even for me, this was a language with a composition I've never heard before. I can naturally understand it thanks to the knowledge stored in this body, but the words themselves are new to me. If this body didn't remember, it would feel like conversing with an alien.

In short, this is a place unknown to me.

Now, if only another source of information would come before this soaking wet child's body catches a cold.

As I was thinking this, the sound of footsteps approached rapidly.

The ones who rushed to the maid girl collapsed in the hallway were a young man about 20 years old dressed like a lightly-equipped soldier or rather a medieval knight, and a short-haired man in his mid-30s wearing a suit with a stout build. The man in the suit was also wearing a sword.

Swords, huh.

Neither of them seems to be carrying guns, from what I can see.

"What happened!"

"M-Master... Young Master Ruruk..."

"!?"

So the short-haired man was the master. Judging from the maid's tone, he's probably Ruruk's father.

He was speechless for a moment when he saw me in the room, but in the next instant, he jumped back while holding the maid girl. And he did it in one step, covering about 3 meters.

What incredible physical ability. It's one thing for a knight, but for a man in a suit to show such a reaction...

Replacing the master, the knight-like young man stood between me and the master, sword at the ready.

The knight stares at me intently and asks:

"Are you Young Master Ruruk? ...Or are you an undead?"

"Eh? Undead?"

When asked with a straight face about a term I've only heard in games and never in reality, it's only natural to reflexively ask back, I think.

The knight doesn't answer my words, just keeps staring at my body. His gaze is strangely intense. Could it be that this exposed lower half... Huh!? So I really am cursed--

"How is it, Kafhei?"

"...It seems Young Master Ruruk has not become undead. As you can see, he can engage in conversation."

"I see. It's hard to believe, but does this simply mean he's come back to life?"

"It appears so. However, it's better to be cautious. I think it would be best to have a doctor examine him under supervision."

"Hmm."

I don't really understand, but it seems they've come to a conclusion.

The knight bows to me and says,

"I apologize, Young Master Ruruk. Now, please come with us. Please refrain from any arbitrary actions."

"Ah, yes."

Although his tone was polite, his eyes looking at me were quite cold.

I don't really understand, but it seems there are various circumstances, so I should probably obey quietly.

Having judged so, I silently followed behind the knight.

□ □ □ □ □

The original owner of this body was named Ruruk Muuteru.

Apparently, he had been suffering from a serious illness since birth, and today, having just turned 5 years old, his condition suddenly worsened and he passed away. It seems his body was brought to his room, where it was to be cleansed once before being officially mourned.

I analyzed the situation from their conversation while obediently submitting to the doctor's physical examination.

The short-haired man standing behind the doctor with his arms crossed and a frown between his brows seems to be Ruruk's father. However, he doesn't look very happy even though his son has come back to life.

Next to the father, the young knight from earlier and an older man with a white goatee who looks like a butler are standing by. If he's not a butler, then there are no butlers in this world - that's how butler-like this middle-aged man's appearance is.

The doctor takes his hands off my body and says while wiping away cold sweat,

"My, my... He's healthy to a frightening degree. Far from being undead, he's overflowing with vitality."

"Healthy, you say?"

"Yes. Your son's body is functioning perfectly. Even more so than before."

"That's absurd. Wasn't mana deficiency syndrome an incurable disease?"

"It should be in general cases, but..."

Mana deficiency syndrome.

That seems to be the name of the disease that led this Ruruk's body to death, but I've never heard of such a disease name. From the fact that it's considered common, and from the unknown language and the word "undead" from earlier, I can guess.

"...Another world, huh."

Although I still haven't been able to see outside, if this isn't a dream or an elaborate prank, that's probably what it is. The most plausible hypothesis is that the soul of me, who died in Japan, has reincarnated into the body of this child named Ruruk who had died.

Hmm, fantasy.

Either way, whether it's because I reincarnated or due to some other circumstances, the reason why this Ruruk's body came back to life is unknown, but...

The doctor, who was being pressed by the father, speaks with an expression that seems to say "This is quite troubling":

"A-Anyway, sir. I would recommend that your son rest for a while longer. There are no symptoms visible now, but we don't know when they might recur. I'll prescribe the same medicine as before, so please use that to manage his condition."

"...I see. Then, let's continue this in the reception room."

"Yes, sir."

The father leaves the room with the doctor, the knight, and the butler.

Before closing the door, he turns back to look at me sitting in the chair.

"Ruruk, you go back to your own room. As always, you are forbidden from leaving the mansion."

Saying that, he closed the door.

...Hmm.

I didn't call out to him, wondering how to interact, but it seems that wasn't unnatural.

Considering the cold gaze and words at the end, it doesn't seem like they have a good parent-child relationship. It might even be described as hostile.

"Ruruk Muuteru, huh."

Did I spiritually reincarnate into this body because Ruruk died, or is the causality reversed?

If it's the former, then I'm also a victim, but if it's the latter, then I'm the perpetrator. I'm quite curious about the truth, but it doesn't seem like I'll understand even if I think about it now.

Let's just go with the flow of the situation for now.

Still, to think it's another world.

As in popular light novels, I don't think I have any amazing powers or abilities from the start... but who knows.

I try opening and closing my hand. Yeah, this moves normally. I try picking up a nearby ceramic cup and it feels heavier than it looks. Yeah, unreliable power. I try jumping with all my might but can only float up a few dozen centimeters. Yeah, clearly decreased explosive power compared to before I died.

This is quite a frail body. Even taking into account that it's a child's body, the lack of exercise is undeniable. It seems to be healthy but not strong.

"Well then, shall we go?"

There's no point in just thinking about it.

It's an unfamiliar world, in an unfamiliar child's body. I don't know what I should do, but staying still like this would be the height of foolishness.

To get used to Ruruk's body and to think about what to do next, I need to gather information first.

"Information is earned on your feet" was my newspaper reporter grandfather's favorite saying.

I tied the string of my pants tightly and then slipped out of the room.