Volume 4—Chapter 81: Is her
Miyazaki Aria is one of the most mysterious people I have ever met. The first time I talk to her, I get this strange sensation, like a memory hovering just out of reach, slipping through my fingers before I can fully grasp it. Her expressions, her mannerisms, even the way she speaks all feel achingly familiar, yet I cannot place why.
Then it finally clicked. At first, I didn’t even consider the idea, thinking that there’s no way that would be the case, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. She might be a reincarnated person, just like me. That would explain everything, the sense that we have crossed paths long before this lifetime.
And now that I think about it, she could very well be that little girl I met in my previous life. I remember her clearly, her curious eyes, the way she would tilt her head when she listened, as if weighing every word I said. She told me her name back then, too. Aria. I just never connected the dots before.
She is… my first love…
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This is a story about a certain boy from the slums who one day met a girl who would change the course of his life. His name was Harold. Life in the slums was harsh and unforgiving, but Harold had learned to survive in it. That day, while wandering through the narrow, dirty alleyways, he spotted someone who clearly did not belong there.
She was running, her clothes far too clean and refined for this place, her shoes unscuffed, her hair too neatly kept despite the chaos around her. One look was enough for Harold to know she was from another world entirely. A girl like that had no business walking alone here, where a wrong glance could get someone into trouble.
Acting on instinct, Harold approached her, partly out of curiosity and partly out of a quiet sense of responsibility. She seemed startled at first, but she did not run. Instead, she explained that she was simply wandering, skipping school to escape from her troubles.
Her name was Ari…no… It’s Aria. She was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, but behind the shine of her privileged life lay a story of pain. She was being bullied, worn down by the cruelty of her classmates. Harold listened silently, his rough hands clenched into fists in his pockets. He knew the pain of being powerless, and in that moment, he made a silent promise to himself that he would make her happy.
From then on, the two of them met often. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Their friendship blossomed, and so did Harold’s feelings. At first, he could not name what he felt. But slowly, he came to understand… this was love.
And then, just as suddenly as she had appeared in his life, Aria was gone. They were separated, torn apart by circumstances beyond his control. They never saw each other again.
Harold grew up carrying that loss with him. Determined never to be powerless again, he clawed his way to the top of the business world. Starting with nothing, he built an empire. He became the head of a powerful conglomerate, feared and respected in equal measure. Those who dared to cross him vanished from the business world, never to recover. Mercy was a word he had long since forgotten.
Yet even as wealth and power surrounded him, happiness never did. His life’s purpose had narrowed to a single goal… finding that girl. But no matter how deep he searched, no matter how many resources he poured into the hunt, she was nowhere to be seen.
He never married. The only child in his life was one he adopted, a girl who happened to resemble Aria in her youth. To her, he gave all his wealth, hoping at least a shadow of his love would live on.
In the end, he died alone, still yearning for the girl. His last thought, as the darkness took him, was a wish.
“If there is another life, let me meet her again.”
That wish was granted.
But when Harold opened his eyes in the next life, he screamed inside his mind.
“Why am I a girl!?”
He had been reborn as a girl named Carol, living on Tsukuru Island and enrolled in a private academy.
Even after twelve years in this new body, he still could not fully adjust. Outwardly, she was a cute little girl. In truth, she was still the same man inside, a man who had once commanded boardrooms and crushed rivals without hesitation. Living as a girl felt humiliating.
But fate was not done with her yet. One day, she saw a familiar face that stopped her in her tracks.
From that moment, Carol’s quiet school life was over. She began investigating everything about this girl, using the same cunning and resourcefulness that had made her a feared figure in her past life. Even as a child, she had already become a hidden power in the underworld, building her influence through stock markets, real estate, and shadow deals, all under a secret identity.
…
…
…
That’s definitely her… my wish has come true. I finally met her again. After all these years, after all the lifetimes, she is here. But why… why am I a girl too?
Well, at the very least, she doesn’t know who I really am yet. That gives me an advantage.
Let’s see…
Miyazaki Aria. The twin daughter of Miyazaki Takeru. She is the older of twin daughters. Currently enrolled in Tsukuru Academy as a freshman. Despite being a girl, her temperament is closer to that of the boys around her age. She has an easygoing, bold manner, and for years, people often mistook her for a boy, largely due to her casual, boyish way of dressing. Recently, she has been making an effort to “fix” that image, dressing more neatly and fashionably, much like her younger twin sister. But no matter how much she tries, the shadow of her tomboy reputation still lingers. Her efforts barely make a dent in the impression she has already made.
“Is this the only thing we know about her?” I asked, leaning back in my chair. From anyone else’s perspective, I must have looked like an ordinary petite girl in a tidy school uniform, sitting at a polished desk.
“Lady Caroline, that’s all we could gather on such short notice,” replied the man standing before me. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his posture stiff and formal. He was more than a servant… he was one of my most trusted operatives.
From her temperament and appearance alone, I feel almost certain, she might be the same girl who once held my heart. The same girl who, like me, could have been reincarnated into this world. The problem is… I don’t know if her memories are intact. If she truly remembers me.
“Have you sent someone to monitor her movements, as I requested?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied immediately. “At present, we have two of our people shadowing Miyazaki Aria. And… they discovered something interesting.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Something interesting?”
“Yes. It appears that multiple people from different affiliations are also keeping her under surveillance.”
Huh… why would they be watching her too?
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