"Hey Eiji wake up!" I hear a child's voice. My eyes open, I looked toward where the owner of said voice came from, what greeted me was an unfamiliar environment and multiple children staring at me.
"Eiji are you alright? You were screaming and thrashing around."
He was tall, he looked like the oldest of the children that gathered around me. Before I could reply a searing pain tore through my head, unfamiliar memories memories being forcefully fed into my brain.
"Eiji!" The boy shouted, concerned. "Aki, call sensei immediately!" The tall boy instructed one of the children. Their panicking didn't help and soon the pain became unbearable and I pass out.
...
My eyes flickered open. It seems they brought me into a hospital, there is no one here except for me. Good. I don't really feel like talking to someone right now and it gives me time to think.
First, the memories I received when I woke up in the orphanage. I used to be a college student from Earth. Aside from studying, reading, and watching anime to pass the time, I didn't really have any other hobbies… or at least that's what I think. My memories from my past life are still blurry.
In this life, my name is Eiji Amamiya, a 10-year-old. A loud, extroverted kid. The exact opposite of my past self.
"Eiji you're awake!"
A middle age woman holding a plastic bag called out to me. This is miss Ayaka, the director of our orphanage or 'sensei' as the children from the orphanage call her.
She sat down and brought out the stuff inside the plastic bag. Is that a bento?
"Are you feeling alright Eiji? Hospital food isn't really good so I brought some homemade food for you to eat." Miss Ayaka says softly.
"Thank you Miss Ayaka, I'm alright now and I'll make sure to eat everything."
I said politely.
"Are you really fine Eiji? You used to call me 'sensei' like the other kids."
She said concerned .
"Sorry sensei, I just woke up that's all haha..." I said awkwardly.
"Is that so?" By the tone of her voice she most likely didn't believe me. "You'll stay here for a couple of days until we're sure you are in good condition." That was not a request but a command. Seems like she's really worried about me.
"Alright sensei"
Although I said it in a reluctant tone, I was really grateful to her this gives me a few more days to process everything. Why was I here? Did I meet ROB? Did I die in my previous world? How did I die? What was that light?
Crap my head's starting to hurt again
...
It's been a few days, and I'm back at the orphanage. When I returned, the children quickly surrounded me, relieved to see I was in good condition. I thanked all of them, especially the tall kid named Ito. As expected, he was the oldest among the children here.
After that, I went back to playing and fooling around at the orphanage. Being carefree and unaware of how harsh the world can be is something only children can truly afford, and I don't plan on wasting that privilege.
Yup, totally different from the grueling adolescent life.
At least... that's what I thought.
It started small.
At first, I didn't even notice it.
While playing tag with others, I find myself reacting faster than what my small body should be capable of.
I stopped
That wasn't normal
"Oi, Eiji! Don't just stand there." Ito shouted, lunging towards me.
I panicked.
The moment my foot pushed off the ground—
BOOM
The ground behind me cracked slightly, dirt scattering outward from the force.
"...Huh?"
I turned around.
Ito was looking at me, his jaw open wide.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
...
After that incident, I stopped playing with the other children. Ito promised he wouldn't tell anyone what happened in the yard.
I'd been too carefree. I should've followed the basics and started gathering information. I almost want to hit myself for not doing that earlier.
First, I need to figure out where I am. With that in mind, I found myself walking toward the kitchen to look for sensei.
"Sensei.. which city do we live in again?" I asked.
Miss Ayaka looked at me weirdly.
"You were born here yet you don't know?" she replied. "We're in Fuyuki Eiji-kun."
OH FU—
...
I did whatever I could to get stronger ever since realizing I had transmigrated into a world full of crazies. I even begged Miss Ayaka to let me take karate classes, and surprisingly, she agreed. Though… it didn't go exactly the way I had imagined.
FLASHBACK
1st day of karate class
The first day didn't go how I Imagined at all.
I thought knowing the basics would be enough but it wasn't
The moment I stepped onto the mat, I got overwhelmed. The other kids who have been doing this longer than me had easily beaten me.
It was frustrating.
"…Again."
I stood up, ignoring the sting in my arms.
But the result didn't change.
By the end of the session, I was exhausted, sore, and completely outclassed
2nd day of karate class
I didn't want to embarrass myself again, so I just watched Kiritaka-sensei.
Kiritaka-sensei is the owner of this dojo. He's a well-known figure in Fuyuki, having won major karate tournaments representing the city, which is why the locals admire him.
Every movement he made was precise. Clean. No wasted motion.
At some point, it almost felt like his movements were slower than they actually were.
That day, I just kept watching.
For some reason, the more I observed, the more things started to make sense. I tried to recreate the movements I saw, repeating them in my head, then in my body.
3rd day of karate class
Things turned out differently this time.
I've easily beaten the kids who could mop the floor with me before. This shocked everybody since I wasn't this skilled before, but the most surprised of them all was Kiritaka-sensei.
Kiritaka-sensei narrows his eyes.
Those were my moves
After winning my last match, Kiritaka-sensei asked me from a distance.
"Eiji-kun where did you learn those moves?"
"I just copied what you were doing sensei." I replied.
Kiritaka-sensei's eyes widened in shock
He just copied what I did? Is that even possible?
"...Eiji-kun come here."
He observed me for a moment, then spoke again.
"Punch me"
The dojo went quiet
"...Huh?"
"I want to see how strong you are. Strike my stomach" He replied.
I exhaled slowly.
I shifted my stance and drew my fist back.
Suddenly strange lines appeared on my arms. Before I could process it my fist moved.
Thud
The impact echoed through the dojo.
Kiritaka-sensei's body jolted slightly from the force.
His eyes widened for a brief moment, then his body went still.
"…Sensei?" I froze.
He didn't respond.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"…Sensei!" someone shouted.
END OF FLASHBACK
Ever since that day, rumors started spreading among the locals that Kiritaka-sensei had been beaten by a child. His reputation took a hit, and people who once admired him began making fun of him instead.
I felt bad.
After all, I was the one who caused it.
But… how was I supposed to know?