Chapter 10: First of All, I'm Not a Girl!
Rustle, rustle~
The children trekked through the dense, humid air of File Island's tropical rainforest. The frantic terror of their earlier escape had subsided, replaced by a weary curiosity. Now that the immediate danger was gone, they could finally take a proper look at their alien surroundings—the impossibly large ferns, the strange, vibrant flowers, and the chorus of unseen creatures that filled the air.
Seizing the opportunity to break the tense silence, Mizuki decided it was time for proper introductions.
"Hmm, where should we begin?" he mused aloud, a thoughtful finger tapping his chin. "Ah, that's right. I almost forgot the most important part. Let's introduce ourselves."
Mizuki turned, his light pink eyes landing on the boy with the wild brown hair and goggles. Taichi Yagami's determined face was reflected in his gaze.
"My name is Mizuki," he began with a gentle smile. "As for my age... I'm probably about the same as you all."
"I'm Taichi Yagami, but I think I already said that," Taichi replied quickly. Though he was still buzzing with questions about Mizuki's strange powers and otherworldly appearance, he matched the friendly tone. "And this is my little sister, Kari Yagami."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kari murmured, following her brother's introduction. She gave Mizuki a small, polite bow, her movements shy and precise. The moment she was done, she instinctively shuffled closer to Taichi, her small hand finding his.
Mizuki watched the gesture and couldn't help but sigh internally. 'Sure enough,'he thought,'Kari's brother complex was there from the very beginning.'
It had nothing to do with him, of course. While he was technically a transmigrator, he had no interest in the kind of harem-building fantasies that plagued so many other stories. Besides, Kari was just a little girl.
His gaze shifted to the next person in line, prompted by a gesture from Taichi.
"This is Izumi Koushiro," Taichi said, clapping the smaller boy on the shoulder. "Don't let his size fool you. Koushiro's a real brainiac."
"The 'size' comment was unnecessary," Koushiro muttered, a hint of exasperation in his voice. But despite his words, a faint blush colored his cheeks at Taichi's praise.
An interesting detail caught Mizuki's eye. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but whenever Taichi and Koushiro interacted, Kari seemed to hug her brother's arm just a little bit tighter.
He could only let out a silent, amused sigh. 'The relationship chart is a mess already, huh?'
Following the lead of Taichi, Kari, and Koushiro, the other children began to introduce themselves one by one. It was just as Mizuki remembered from the show. Aside from the unexpected presence of Kari Yagami, the cast was identical.
There was the kind and responsible Takenouchi Sora; the anxious but good-hearted Joe Kido; the bubbly and fashionable Tachikawa Mimi; and the youngest boy, Takaishi Takeru.
And then... there was Ishida Yamato.
"..."
Mizuki felt a subtle shift in the air as he met the blond boy's gaze. It might have been his imagination, but he could swear that beyond the expected vigilance, there was a flicker of genuine displeasure in Yamato's eyes.
He was a bit baffled.
Admittedly, back in his old life, he hadn't been a fan of the anime version of Yamato, the infamous 'team-breaking maniac'. But since arriving in this world, he had made a conscious effort not to judge the living, breathing people in front of him based on a fictional script. As far as he knew, he hadn't done a single thing to offend the guy.
'I don't get it.jpg,' he thought, giving a slight mental shrug. He decided to file it away for later and refocused his attention on Taichi. Honestly, it was just easier to talk to the cheerful, straightforward leader of the group.
But before he could speak, a bright voice piped up from behind him.
"Um... excuse me? Can I ask a question?" It was Mimi.
Mizuki turned, interrupting his budding conversation with Taichi. "Of course."
"Why did your cat," she began, pointing a hesitant finger, "turn into... that really tall big sister?"
Mizuki followed her gaze to LadyDevimon, who stood silently beside him, her presence a stark and intimidating contrast to the lush green jungle. He then looked back at Mimi, whose confused expression was perfectly mirrored by the Palmon standing beside her. He couldn't help but tilt his head in amusement.
"Because she Evolved," he stated simply. "You've all been here for a little while now. You must have some understanding of Digimon, right?"
Seeing their blank looks, he sighed softly. "Alright, if you don't mind me being a bit long-winded, I can give you the short version."
Under the expectant gazes of the entire group, Mizuki cleared his throat. "Digimon, as you've seen, are mysterious beings made of data from the network," he began, his voice taking on a calm, instructive tone. "They can generally be divided into several stages of growth."
"There's Fresh, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega."
"When a Digimon absorbs enough data, it can Evolve to the next stage. That's what happened to your partners when they protected you, and it's how my BlackGatomon became who she is now."
He paused for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a soft click. "Think of it like gaining experience points to level up a character in a video game. Does that make sense?"
The children exchanged glances, processing the information. Before them stood this gentle, exquisitely featured young man, patiently explaining the rules of their new reality. A chorus of voices responded in unison.
"Understood!" × 7
That simple exchange seemed to break the last of the ice. Taichi and the others visibly relaxed, realizing that Mizuki, despite his incredible power, was a very approachable person. LadyDevimon still radiated a strange, oppressive aura, but their initial wariness had melted away into simple curiosity.
After Taichi and Mimi, the third person to actively approach Mizuki was Takaishi Takeru.
The boy, who was tied with Kari as the youngest of the group, had quickly bounced back to his naturally lively self now that he felt safe. He was staring up at Mizuki, his eyes sparkling with hero-worship.
"Big Sis Mizuki, can I ask you something?" he asked, his voice filled with breathless excitement. "How did you do that amazing thing? You kicked that huge monster away with just one kick!"
Big Sis...
Hearing Takeru's form of address, Mizuki nearly stumbled over a tree root. He managed to catch his balance just in time, a wry smile touching his lips.
'Right. The hair is probably a bit too long.'
His extended hospital stay hadn't left much opportunity for haircuts, and that, combined with the pale skin and white hair from his albinism, made the mistake understandable.
He let out a soft, helpless sigh. "First of all, Takeru, I'm not a 'Big Sis'."
He crouched down slightly to meet the boy's eyes. "I'm a boy, just like you."
"Secondly," he continued, "I'm not as amazing as you think. I just happen to know a lot about Kuwagamon, and I knew exactly where to hit to find its weak spot."
"Ehhh?!"
A collective gasp of surprise went through the group of children. As their curious and questioning gazes fell upon him, Mizuki made a mental note to find some way to trim his hair soon.
Just as Takeru, clearly unsatisfied with Mizuki's humble explanation, opened his mouth to ask another question, Yamato stepped forward and gently pulled him back.
"Brother?" Takeru looked up, confused.
"That's enough, Takeru. Can't you see you're bothering him?" Yamato's expression was stern. "It's rude to keep prying at someone you've just met."
"Oh... Okay. I'm sorry, Big Sis Mizuki... I mean, Big Bro Mizuki." Chastened, Takeru obediently apologized.
Mizuki just waved it off, not paying it much mind.
"Speaking of which," Mimi chimed in, ever curious, "Mizuki, your name doesn't sound like it's from around here, does it? From the sound of it, are you from China?"
"China?" Taichi's eyes lit up with a stereotypical image. "If you're from there, then it makes sense that you're so strong! I've heard everyone from China knows powerful kung fu, right?"
Mizuki's smile became a little strained. 'Hey, hey... what kind of bizarre stereotype is that...'
"Actually," he began, deciding to correct them, "my name isn't what you think."
He paused, considering how to explain the complex truth. "Mizuki... isn't the name I was born with. It's one I chose for myself."
Seeing their intrigued expressions, he continued. "My original family name is very, very old. It's written with a character that means 'dusk'—the end of the day. But I... I chose Mizuki because I wanted my future to be full of sunshine and hope. A new dawn, you know?"
A flicker of some deep, distant memory shadowed his eyes for a moment before vanishing. He offered them a serene smile, but the underlying story was clear.
Just as Taichi's boundless curiosity got the better of him and he was about to ask more, Koushiro quickly stepped in.
"Taichi, that's enough," he said quietly, giving his friend a pointed look. "It would be rude to ask any more."
Koushiro, ever the observer, had clearly deduced from Mizuki's pale appearance and his carefully chosen words that his past was not a happy one. He was tactfully shutting the conversation down.
"Ah, oh! Right," Taichi stammered, quickly realizing his mistake. He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
In response, Mizuki simply let his smile widen. It was a gentle, warm expression, like a spring breeze that effortlessly smoothed over the awkward atmosphere.
After all, he thought to himself, everything that had happened was in the past, wasn't it?
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