Chapter 4 - Chapter 3: Another World 2
"Mika!"
"Eh!? W-wait, eeeeeeeeeeeh!?"
Suddenly hugged by a young girl, Ritsu let out a loud scream.
"Wait! Hold on! Hold on hold on!! What!?"
He tried to pull away, or rather, gently push her off, but his body simply wouldn't move as he wanted.
With sheets covering him and now a child's body, it was natural that he couldn't move as he pleased.
But with this sudden, excessive embrace from the girl, there was no room to think calmly.
Who could laugh at Ritsu flailing so ungracefully?
"Pff! Ahahahaha!"
The woman who had been talking to the girl earlier, sitting on a chair beside the bed, could no longer hold back her laughter.
Kicking her knees and clapping her hands while saying "Hiiiii," she looked so much like an old man.
After enjoying the sight of Ritsu flailing ungracefully for a while, she wiped the tears gathering in her eyes and spoke to the girl.
"Haa... My stomach hurts. Loretta-san, please stop there. Pu... Kukuku... Mika-kun is in trouble."
"...But."
The girl called Loretta still didn't try to let go of Ritsu.
A sound of her sniffing her nose was heard right by his ear, and he realized the girl was crying.
Finally becoming a little calm, Ritsu tried to understand this abnormal situation.
(...Loretta? And Mika? Mika must be me in this situation, right.)
He tried to understand, but naturally, he couldn't go any further than that.
Though Ritsu was completely at a loss, suddenly he felt a warmth from this girl's embrace that he recognized.
It was frustrating that he couldn't recall it clearly.
It was like looking for something that should always be there.
Something must have been placed there, but he couldn't clearly remember what it was.
Or perhaps, the hazy feeling of knowing a face but not being able to recall the name.
Then, suddenly, a massive surge of "information" connected into one stream.
It might be said that it was like disconnected circuits finally connecting, allowing electric current to flow smoothly.
He had suddenly gained access to a massive amount of previously closed-off information.
"...Big Sister, can you let go?"
He was still confused, or rather, even more confused by the new information, but there were things he clearly understood.
Ritsu decided to postpone analyzing the information and focused on stabilizing the situation for now.
He searched for "memories" and chose words that wouldn't seem unnatural.
Shaking his head back and forth, he gave up on trying to get Loretta, who still wouldn't let go, to release him, and decided to act from another direction.
"...Sister Radi."
He called out to the woman in the nun's habit, pleading with his eyes to help him.
Radi, who had been watching the heartwarming family love with a smile, made a slightly troubled face but seemed to help him anyway.
"Loretta-san, can you let me check if Mika-kun is okay? Is there anything wrong with his body? Does it hurt? Do you feel sick? Tell me anything."
Radi thought for a moment and decided not to persuade Loretta but to start a medical examination instead.
She reasoned that if Loretta could properly judge what was important, she would choose the appropriate action.
As Radi had predicted, as soon as Ritsu began to think "Hmm...", Loretta started moving restlessly.
She let go of Ritsu and moved to Radi's side.
She wiped her tears, but her eyes were red.
Seeing her brought pain to his chest, but for Ritsu now, there was nothing more he could do.
Her precious younger brother was not here; instead, Ritsu was here.
So he deliberately avoided thinking about Loretta and answered Radi's questions.
(...Even if you say "abnormalities in the body." Actually, everything is abnormal.)
An adult had turned into a child overnight. There probably wouldn't be anything more abnormal than that.
But he knew she wasn't asking about that, so for now, he thought about where it might hurt physically.
"...For now. I think I'm okay for the time being."
"Oh, that's good. Can you eat something? It would be better if you ate, but don't force yourself."
"Yes, I'm hungry."
When Ritsu said that, Loretta immediately tried to leave the room, but when she put her hand on the doorknob, she said "Ah!" and froze.
"What's wrong, Loretta-san?"
"I was going to prepare Mika's meal, but I have to tell Mother that Mika has woken up. She must be very worried..."
As Loretta fretted, wondering what to do, Radi stood up straight.
"I'll tell Amalia-san myself. Mika-kun will be fine by now anyway."
"Eh, but..."
"Today, we're just going back to the church in the morning. It's fine to stop by the factory for a bit. Loretta-san, please prepare Mika-kun's meal. Otherwise, he might faint from hunger again."
Smiling softly, Radi headed straight for the entrance.
"Thank you very much."
Loretta bowed politely and saw Radi off to the entrance.
■■■■■■
Lying on the bed, Ritsu decided to reconsider the current situation and the new information he had gained.
Loretta was preparing the meal. Probably vegetable soup and bread, so she would bring it soon after warming it up a little.
There wasn't much time, so he would just organize the simple information for now.
The owner of this body was Mika Noisheim. A seven-year-old boy.
The girl called Loretta earlier was Mika's older sister, and there was also a beautiful mother named Amalia who looked very much like Loretta.
Most of Mika Noisheim's memories were related to these two, and he learned that he had been raised with great love.
There was no information regarding his father. Had he already passed away, or was he away working for a long time? At least he hadn't seen Mika for several years.
The other woman in the nun's habit earlier was Radi. Called Sister Radi, she was a nun living in the church of this village.
The reason he gained this information was because it was the memory of Mika Noisheim himself.
The reason he couldn't access these memories when he came to this world was probably because there was no trigger.
Memories are linked in various ways; remembering one thing allows you to instantly retrieve the attached information.
However, information with absolutely no connection rarely surfaces.
If memories are stored in the brain, it wouldn't be strange that he could recall Mika Noisheim's memories.
After all, this body was Mika Noisheim himself.
Rather, what was strange was why Ritsu Kuhashi's consciousness was here.
And why he was in this world.
Those were the only two points.
No matter how he predicted, he didn't feel like he would be right, and above all, there was no way to prove it.
Since memories are stored in the brain, Ritsu's memories should naturally remain in Ritsu's body.
Even if souls existed and swapped places, once inside Mika Noisheim's body, that consciousness should be nothing other than Mika Noisheim.
Because only Mika Noisheim's memories were in the brain.
It seems ancient philosophers thought "thinking is done by the heart (soul)," but this is such an absurd situation that it might actually be true.
For Ritsu, who had lived in a world with developed scientific civilization, it was a bizarre phenomenon he could never accept.
(What am I supposed to do with this?)
It went without saying that calling the police to return home was no longer an option.
If he tried to tell anyone about this situation, not only would they not believe him, but they might even treat him as "demon-possessed" and dispose of him.
This world seemed to be at that level of cultural development.
Facing this harsh reality he couldn't change, he groaned and writhed on the bed.
"...Mika, are you okay? Does it hurt somewhere?"
Seeing Ritsu writhing in agony on the bed, Loretta called out with concern.
"Well... I'm just too hungry..."
"Really, Mika."
Finally, Loretta showed a smile.
Just a moment ago, there was still some unease deep in her heart, thinking "...what if he never woke up..."
But now that he had finally woken up to his usual gluttonous self, she finally felt relieved.
Loretta brought a tray with legs, carrying soup and bread, and placed it on the bed.
(Oh, this is "breakfast in bed," huh.)
A luxury he thought he would only see in movies and never experience himself.
He ended up experiencing it in an unexpected place.
The soup placed before his eyes was the expected vegetable soup.
In Mika's memories, almost all the Noisheim family's soup was like this.
Cabbage, onions, broccoli, with soybeans and tomatoes added, seasoned with a tiny bit of smoked pork and salt.
The vegetables included changed with the seasons, and there were many types of vegetables, but the amount of ingredients was small.
He couldn't help but compare it to the ingredient-rich soup from his memories as Ritsu, but for a seven-year-old Mika, this might be the perfect amount.
Moreover, for someone who had collapsed from starvation recently, this was a meal he was truly grateful for.
He clasped his hands simply saying "Itadakimasu" and took a sip of soup.
It was thin on salt but a quite delicious soup with the umami of vegetables and smoked meat.
He had forgotten about many things due to various events, but he was truly hungry, so once he took a sip, he couldn't stop.
"Really, Mika, you didn't even pray!"
Loretta, watching from the side, said with exasperation.
He finished the soup in the blink of an eye and now reached for the bread.
"There's more if you want it."
Stunned by his speed, she asked if he wanted more soup.
Ritsu, unable to speak because he had stuffed his mouth too full of bread, silently handed the soup plate to Loretta, thinking it was rude.
While complaining with her mouth, "Really," Loretta happily went to get more soup.
(This bread is hard and too dry. It takes all the moisture from my mouth.)
Even when Loretta brought more, he still couldn't swallow the bread.
He sipped some soup to replenish the moisture in his mouth and chewed.
(I've heard stories about this, but it's seriously incredible!)
He had heard stories that bread used to be hard and people ate it soaked in soup.
It seems bread was hard in this world too, and in Mika's memories, he ate it soaked in soup.
Trying it out, the soup's umami and saltiness made it feel far more delicious than eating the bread as is.
After finishing all the refilled soup this way, he finally felt at ease.
(Fuu... I'm full.)
To Ritsu, the food before his eyes seemed small, but it must have been enough for Mika.
In fact, with the refills, his stomach felt a bit too full.
"You really seem to be okay now."
Half exasperated, half happy, Loretta cleared the legged tray.
She sat on the bed next to him, looked straight at Ritsu, and smiled brightly.
"So, Mika."
At Loretta's gentle voice calling his name, Ritsu reacted with a twitch.
A sensation ran down his back, Zow-zow-zow..., and goosebumps rose.
(...What is this?)
Confused by the unfamiliar sensation, Loretta continued speaking.
"Why did you go all the way to Kotontesse by yourself?"
Seeing Loretta ask gently while smiling, Ritsu realized.
(Ah, this must be Mika's conditioned reflex.)
Mika's memories seemed to be sounding an alarm unconsciously.
This voice was genuinely angry. It was saying, "Danger, run."
It sounded gentle to Ritsu, but Mika's brain and body seemed to be sensing a dangerous signal.
"Mika."
"Um..."
Ritsu desperately searched Mika's memories.
First of all, what was Kotontesse?
He didn't even know what the problem was.
As he searched through the memories, he concluded that the issue seemed to be the actions Ritsu took right before becoming Mika, and the actions taken after becoming Mika.
That day, Mika had been helping in the fields with neighborhood children.
It was a place slightly away from the village, along the road where Ritsu had awakened.
That itself was normal, but while helping, Mika spotted a wild rabbit.
Wild rabbits weren't rare; there were plenty around.
They were loved by commoners as food.
But that wild rabbit had fur that was impossibly pure white and fluffy.
The fur color of wild rabbits in this area varied—white, black, gray, brown—but a single color was a bit rare.
It seemed most were mixed colors like brindle.
Being wild, it was natural for them to be dirty with mud or have weeds tangled in their fur.
But that wild rabbit showed none of that; it was truly pure white.
It seemed that beautiful appearance had touched Mika's heartstrings.
Letting out a "Waaah..." sound, his eyes were nailed to the spot, trembling with emotion, and he started chasing it with obsession.
It was a wild animal; naturally, it would run away if chased.
And Mika chased the fleeing wild rabbit with obsession.
Moving further and further away from the field where work was being done.
The surrounding fields were no longer vegetable fields but cotton fields for the textile factory, but he didn't notice such things.
After chasing for a long time, he suddenly noticed a buzzing sound.
That annoying sound of a large bee, Bzzzzzz...
It was a species called Red Bee, not particularly fierce.
Never fierce, but quite large. About one or two sizes larger than an adult's thumb.
And even if not fierce, they would counterattack if attacked, and they also attack those who intrude into their territory centered around the nest.
It seemed Mika had entered that territory.
Several bees flew out of the nest and threatened him.
The terror at that time was enough to make Ritsu, who was only searching memories, shiver.
Giant bees with vibrant red colors threatened him with that annoying buzzing sound.
Since they were large, the buzzing sound was correspondingly loud.
Overwhelmed by terror, Mika cried and ran away. He ran with all his might. In a daze.
He fell many times, running through the fields, and even after jumping out of the fields onto the road, he kept running.
He didn't know about the bees of this world, but at least the bees of his original world were wary of fast-moving objects.
And objects that made loud noises.
Mika, running while crying loudly, must have been a high-priority warning target for the Red Bees.
They chased him for quite a distance.
Perhaps the Red Bees were just keeping a certain distance and observing the warning target.
Chased by such Red Bees, Mika finally exceeded the limit of his terror and confusion.
He fell at the place where Ritsu had awakened and couldn't move.
Ironically, it seemed that by becoming immobile, the Red Bees' vigilance was lifted, and after a while, they returned to the nest.
What was unfortunate for both Mika and Ritsu was that he had run in the opposite direction of the village.
It seemed the town called Kotontesse was in that direction.
Had his sense of direction gone awry while chasing the rabbit and being chased by the Red Bees? Or had he simply been too confused to think that far?
If he had run toward the village, people in the vegetable fields might have noticed and saved him.
When Ritsu awakened, he might have seen Rish Village or the vegetable fields.
Well, saying that now wouldn't change anything.
However, the fact that he would have arrived at Rish Village if he had walked in the opposite direction made Ritsu depressed.
(One in two chance of drawing a losing ticket. I really am unlucky.)
If he had chosen to head toward the mountain instead of away from it, he would have reached Rish Village before collapsing. Or there was a high chance he would have met someone.
At least, if he could see the village, he could have walked with hope.
The despair of walking endlessly with nothing, with no one, was truly harsh.
(Well, even a lottery with a 90% failure rate is still a losing ticket. I might need to set a rule for when I'm confused, for the future.)
If he set a rule to always do this, no matter how many times he lost, the result would eventually be close to probability... or so it should be.
Of course, the best thing would be never to experience this again.
"Mika?"
While Ritsu was thinking about unrelated things, Loretta called out with concern.
Seeing him fall silent, she either thought he was repenting or sulking.
"...I'm sorry."
Ritsu apologized honestly.
Searching through memories, he roughly understood the situation.
Regardless of Ritsu's subjective view, objectively, a seven-year-old child had tried to walk alone over ten kilometers to Kotontesse and collapsed on the way.
It was natural for an older sister to scold him.
There was also the calculation to avoid making a fool of himself with a poor excuse.
He couldn't possibly tell the truth. So this was a move of apology.
What floated up in Ritsu's mind was a press conference for apology he had seen on TV.
A scene where several important officials bowed their heads together.
Repeating "We are deeply sorry" every time they opened their mouths, while vaguely dodging the core issues.
You could feel their determination to escape responsibility.
(Well, I'm not that malicious, fortunately.)
For Ritsu, he had simply made a wrong choice due to insufficient information; he hadn't voluntarily undertaken a death march.
If he had known a village was nearby, he would have happily headed there.
But that wouldn't be an excuse.
Even though he had been suddenly thrown into an unknown place, his chosen actions had caused worry for Mika's family.
A seven-year-old child lay collapsed on a road far from home.
Covered in blood, unconscious.
Ritsu couldn't even imagine how worried the family must have been.
With his head hanging low, Loretta told him what happened after Mika collapsed.
Gently, explaining to a child so he could understand, one by one carefully.
"...I'm sorry."
After hearing Loretta's story, Ritsu truly felt he had done something unforgivable to Mika's family.
He apologized once more, from the bottom of his heart.
■■■■■■
After a while, he was hugged tightly while crying by Amalia, who had returned from work.
She seemed to have run back, and receiving Amalia's embrace while she was still out of breath filled Ritsu with guilt.
For putting Mika in danger, and for the fact that Mika was not here.
He didn't think it was his fault that Mika's consciousness wasn't here.
He didn't know what reason or phenomenon caused it, but he considered himself a victim too.
Still, he felt guilty for not being able to tell the truth and pretending to be Mika.
(...Is it okay to keep deceiving them like this?)
He asked himself, but he just couldn't think that telling the truth was the right choice.
If Mika could be found by searching, he should search no matter what.
No matter how painful, he should accept the truth as truth and search desperately.
But "Mika's body is here, but the consciousness is someone else. Mika is not here." Who would that benefit?
Telling those two who were happy about their loved one's safety that, and then what would remain?
No matter how desperate, if there was even a sliver of hope, he might consider it as an option.
But there was no such hope.
And that was true for Ritsu himself as well.
(...Can I not return anymore?)
There was nothing in his original world that could explain the disaster that befell Ritsu and Mika.
Perhaps there was an "answer" in this world that could explain it.
But that was like a delusion. At least for Ritsu now.
Without any clues, he couldn't act on the premise that it "exists."
(...I have no choice but to live on. As Mika Noisheim.)
Ritsu raised his head and looked at Amalia and Loretta, making a bright smile.
With a tragic resolve in his heart.