Chapter 4: Sweetness and Kindness aren't Necessarily the Same Thing, are They? Me? I'm Just Sweet

Sweetness and Kindness aren't Necessarily the Same Thing, are They? Me? I'm Just Sweet

It's been about eight years since I was born.

To be precise, it's been a little over seven, but there's no need to count so precisely. Since you can calculate it using your birthday and the current date anyway, there's no need to keep your internal clock perfectly in sync.

Even if I did, the most I'd be able to do is push my glasses up and say, "It's been a long time. It's been XX years, XX days, and XX hours since we last met."

...Eh, what is that? Seems cool. I really want to do it.

I decided to try it out when talking with my studious, bespectacled classmate, Satoshi-kun, and did a quick calculation in my head.

The last time we met was around 4:30 PM, so the next time we meet, I just need to add 7.5 hours to that time.

It's no problem. Even my smooth, reincarnated brain can do this kind of calculation.

Another wrinkle, there you have it.

My goal is to have a wrinkled, filthy pink brain that, when someone sees inside it, gets excited, thinking, "Who could believe such a grotesque thing is in the head of such a beautiful girl..."

What the hell am I even saying?

I shake my head around to shake the pink cloud inside my head. I shook it a little too much and it made me feel a little sick, but I guess that's okay.

The more important topic is the sound of my adorable little sister crying out to me.

My adorable little sister is four years younger than me. She's small, soft, and has an adorable smile. She's my angel. She's so cute I want to melt her, my beloved baby.

Mama is overjoyed, saying, "We have two angels!"

You're so cute, Mama.

Yes, as an aside, I am also growing up to be an angel without any problems. It seems my belief as a baby was not wrong.

I have the beautiful face and figure I inherited from Mama.

Since my younger sister is the same, I'm sure we'll grow up to be beautiful sisters. And with Mama's appearance showing no signs of changing even after all these years, I'm sure our future is secure.

Do we have anything from daddy's side?

No. It's probably a recessive gene.

In fact, I even think that we might just be clones of Mama, as I cheerfully enter the classroom. Being a bit of a brainless kid, I'm a little hesitant to behave like this, but if I don't behave at the same level as the other kids, adults will look at me suspiciously.

In order to fit in, I put on the mask of a cute, fragile little girl, and when I say "Good morning!" I get lots of greetings in return.

Yes, this cute little girl is always smiling and friendly, so of course the people around her will take a positive attitude. That might change a bit once they grow a little more and begins to understand jealousy, but for now, that's about it.

I hide my true, squalid reincarnated self with the angelic smile I inherited from Mama, and when I look into the eyes of the crowd of children who gather around me and smile, the innocent kids are instantly captivated. These guys are always small fry. They're lacking in training.

"Hmph, what's with all the "Good morning everyone!" stuff? What an idiot."

So, while I've established myself as the class idol and mascot, there are of course some who aren't as kind.

That's right, there's the smart kid, the second-best student in the class. He's still in the lower grades of elementary school, but he's the only one capable of middle school-level studies. His clever demeanor and constant cynical tone are very charming.

He started hanging out with me early in the morning, and because he's so good at studying, he seems to think of everyone around him as a bunch of monkeys inferior to him. His emotions must be developing quickly.

Satoshi-kun acts more mature when talking to other kids, but for some reason he gets snappy with me. I wonder why.

Most likely, it's because of my reincarnated powers that he feel a sense of rivalry with me, who know more than him, but at the same time, I'm the only one he respects.

Incidentally, I guess he doesn't like the fact that I, who is supposed to be different from everyone else, usually adjust to everyone else's level.

He thinks it would be more meaningful to talk to him instead of those guys, but he doesn't have the courage to say it directly, so his immature boyish mind gets distorted and he snaps.

I'm sure he's making snide remarks to me with this arrogant thought process that will likely become a dark memory in the future.

So cute.

"Good morning, Satoshi-kun! It's been 15 hours and 2 minutes!"

Greetings are the magic that makes everyone happy!

I said with a smile, something that would please any cute, adorable girl, but Satoshi-kun looked away.

I won.

That's what happens when kids underestimate adults. Well, I'm still a little girl, though.

Sorry, I will kneel down and lick my feet.

After exchanging greetings like that, I returned to sit next to Tomohiro-kun, who had walked to school with me.

By some stroke of luck, this boy had even been seated next to me, his super-beautiful childhood friend. At home, it would have been a coincidence, but when something like this happens, it feels like fate.

Hello there, my adorable little snack.

I'll raise Snack-kun so I can 'eat' whenever I want, and encourage him to depend on me as needed. It's convenient to have one or two people who can act as my shield of their own volition if something happens.

For now, the only people who seem likely to protect me if something were to happen are my loving parents, who have said they'd give their lives for me, and Tomohiro-kun, who is standing right in front of me.

Other than that, they only help out when I'm in trouble. This is enough for everyday life.

I attend class with a reasonably serious look on my face, and play along with the others during recess.

We're at an age where there aren't any clear boundaries between boys and girls, so we all play together. Friendship between boys and girls is beautiful. Though it'll disappear without a trace in a few years.

While I'm feeling the impermanence of all things, school ends.

Once school ends, the fun after-school hours begin. All the energetic elementary school students return home in high spirits, and it's time to meet up and play.

"Well, Hiro-chan, shall we go home too?"

And that doesn't change even if I'm a reincarnated person.

In fact, it's precisely because I am what I am that I know how fleeting this wonderful time is. After this time in elementary school, the things I have to do aren't always finished so quickly. Well, I've never had a proper job, so that never happened to me.

I take Tomohiro-kun, who follows me around like a puppy, home and drag him to my house to entertain my little sister.

Of course, I join in. 

Being sandwiched between a beautiful girl and a young girl is such happiness! What a lucky bastard!

Well, he'll probably only understand this happiness when he's a little older.

I tickle my little sister's playful lower jaw as she meows, and help her with her homework. By the way, emphasizing lower jaw instead of chin makes it sound like I'm also tickling her upper jaw. Maybe I'm going to stick my finger in her mouth and gently stroke her? That's naughty.

I keep my little sister entertained, do my homework, and do my housework without taking my eyes off the two of them.

Mama is tired from dealing with my little sister, after all. If I show off my skills in these situations, I'll get Mama's gratitude.

A elementary school student (lower grades) juggling her younger sister, the kid next door, and the housework at the same time.

Oh no, saying it like that makes me sound like I'm working too hard!

I'm doing it on purpose, though.

While everyone is grateful, my Mama and the neighbor mom feel a little guilty. They regularly ask me if it's hard or difficult, but making them feel that way is actually part of my goal.

When I tell them with a big smile that it's okay and that I'm doing it because I love it, they look a little sad. It's so adorable.

"Onee-chan! Play with Akari too, not just Hirocchi!"

"Sorry. What do you want to do, Akari?"

As I was smiling while watching Tomohiro-kun study, my little sister came over.

Perhaps she thought he had stolen her beloved big sister, or perhaps she was feeling competitive towards Tomohiro-kun, but she said she wanted to study too, so I read her a picture book.

Practicing reading is part of Japanese study, after all. You're doing great, my little sister.

Tomohiro-kun is doing his homework and my little sister is being read a picture book. I praise them both a lot and instill in them the experience of success. I make sure they understand that if they work hard and do good things, "I" will praise them.

I'll pour so much sweet, happy affirmation into them that they'll drown in it. I can't wait to see what kind of people they grow up to be.