Chapter 6: Kazuya’s Flashback (Part 1)

Today is the day of the prophecy, held once every five years in Torque Village.

A government-appointed Oracle tells children what roles they’re suited for, and sometimes, they even receive divine revelations.

My name is Marsh. I say this myself, but I’m a ten-year-old boy who’s good at everything—athletics, studies, you name it. Also, a bit of a pretty boy.

Well, I guess there’s no such thing as “sports” in this world, though.

I was reincarnated into this world from another. In my previous life, I was Kazuya Hiragi, a second-year high school student who died after getting hit by a hybrid car missile—along with my best friend.

There was no god or anything during the reincarnation. I was just born as a baby, but I could clearly remember my past life from the very beginning.

Thanks to those memories, I’ve been able to train my body and study efficiently. They call me a child prodigy.

My strength and stamina are way beyond what you'd expect from a ten-year-old. Maybe I was secretly granted a cheat ability without realizing it? ...Well, if it is a cheat, it's a pretty low-key one.

Once I turn fifteen and become an adult, I plan to leave the village and become an adventurer.

As someone who reincarnated, chasing fame and glory as an adventurer is kind of the dream, right? This is a world where monsters actually exist, so I’ve been diligently training with swords and battle techniques to be ready.

Magic supposedly exists here too, so I plan to learn it while adventuring.

So no matter what the prophecy says, my future is set: I’m going to be an adventurer, living it up with treasure and a harem party.

That’s what a proper isekai life is all about!

---

According to the Oracle, I have the aptitude of a Hero.

He also told me that, currently, there are more than forty people in the world who possess the Hero aptitude.

But just because someone has the Hero aptitude doesn’t mean they’re forced to become one. It’s up to each person to choose, and it’s not unusual for kids to go into professions different from their aptitude.

That said, the Demon King appeared about fifteen years ago, so they’d really prefer if those with Hero aptitude would step up and save the world.

And apparently, I also received a divine revelation.

It’s rare to receive one—last time, five years ago, not a single person did.

The Oracle delivered the message:

“To accomplish great things as a Hero, seek out your best friend. Travel together.”

...Best friend?

I don’t think I have anyone in this village I’d call a best friend.

Also, the word “seek out” implies someone I haven’t met yet—not one of my current friends.

Not “make” a best friend, but “find” one? Did I mishear?

“Um, pardon me, Oracle sir, but was it really ‘find,’ and not ‘make’ a best friend?”

The Oracle nodded.

“Yes. The divine message clearly said ‘find.’”

Even if you tell me to find one… best friends aren’t something you go hunting for. That’s asking a bit much.

A best friend, huh… The only person I could ever call him was Miki. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he’s okay… Ah!!

That’s when it hit me: if I were reincarnated into this world, maybe Miki—who died in the same accident—was brought here too.

That would explain the “seek out” part of the prophecy. It wasn’t “make,” but “find.” It has to be about Miki.

That means he’s in this world too. What’s he doing now, I wonder?

Maybe he got the Hero aptitude too, and we’ll team up—two Heroes fighting side-by-side… Now that’s a cool scenario.

Just thinking about it makes me want to see him again. Alright, decision made. I’ll become a Hero!

My original plan was to coast through life as an adventurer, raking in cash with a harem party, but being a Hero... isn’t bad either.

I can’t wait to turn fifteen and leave the village.

“Oracle sir! I’ll become a Hero!!”

“Very well, young Hero. Do your best.”

After that, the village chief and all the other adults were surprised, congratulated me, and seemed genuinely happy.

Only my parents didn’t look too thrilled.

---

I turned fifteen and became an adult. Officially one of the grown-ups now.

I kept up my training and had become the strongest person in the village.

Dad, Mom, thank you for raising me. I’m going to become a Hero and save the world!

I said goodbye to my parents, left the village, and headed for the city.

When I arrived at the city of Cylindarl, I immediately registered at the Adventurer’s Guild and officially became an F-rank adventurer.

At the reception, I told them about my Hero aptitude and showed them the certificate I got from the Oracle. That led to a meeting with the Guildmaster.

Apparently, those with Hero aptitude are allowed to take quests above their rank if their strength permits. So even as an F-rank, I could be allowed to take E-rank quests.

It’s a joint policy between the Guild and the country. Following the regular rank-up system would take too long to recognize someone as a Hero, so this speeds things up in the hope of defeating the Demon King sooner.

However, if someone isn’t actually strong enough and still tries to jump ranks just because they have the aptitude, it’s dangerous. That’s why the Guildmaster himself verifies each person’s strength—to prevent unnecessary deaths of potential Heroes.

To be officially recognized as a Hero by the Guild and the nation, one must reach B-rank while possessing the Hero aptitude.

As of now, only six people have achieved that. Each of them has gathered a party, defeated monsters and demons, and is working to grow stronger to one day take on the Demon King.

After demonstrating my strength to the Guildmaster, I was approved to take on higher-ranked quests.

By the way, the fact that I have the Hero aptitude is a secret.

I did consider forming a party, but since I’m currently searching for Miki, it’d be hard to move freely if I had permanent teammates.

So for now, I’m taking quests solo, only joining temporary parties when needed, building connections with other adventurers, and continuing my search for Miki.

---

Two years had passed, and now that I was seventeen, it was about time I became eligible to take the promotion exam for C-Rank.

When I reached D-Rank, I started studying magic. Maybe because of my aptitude as a Hero, I turned out to be well-suited for lightning magic, and eventually I became capable of primarily using lightning-based spells.

And then, on that particular day, I spotted a female elf at the guild on my way back from a quest.

Just like in the tales of swords and sorcery from another world—I'd heard the rumors, but to see a real elf in the flesh? That was something else.

She looked like she'd only just arrived at the guild, glancing around nervously. She was exactly my type.

Her beauty was in a league of its own—she was the very image of the ideal elven girl I'd imagined in my past life. I had to make her mine, no matter what. Not wanting anyone else to beat me to it, I quickly ended my conversation with my fellow adventurers and made my way over to speak to the elf.

…Little did I know—that elf would turn out to be none other than Miki, my best friend from my previous life. Looking back on it now, maybe it really was fate.

I had just assumed Miki would’ve reincarnated as a Hero too—but no, this wasn’t even a matter of that. To think she’d come back as a female elf… it was so far beyond anything I could’ve imagined, it almost felt like a bad joke—but it was real.

And she was exactly my type. A total bullseye. While we were drinking, I kept catching myself wishing she wasn’t Miki.

We hit it off that night and drank way more than usual. I even blacked out, which was rare for me.

I was happy to have finally reunited with my best friend… but still—this?

---

The next morning, I woke up with a slight headache from drinking too much.

When I tried to sit up to get some water, my hand brushed against something soft.

Huh? What’s this? I gave it a gentle squeeze. Soft and yielding… and then it pushed back.

Wait a sec. Did I bring someone home with me last night?

I opened my eyes—and saw a naked Miki lying beside me.

In that instant, I was wide awake. The blood drained from my face. Why… why is Miki naked in my bed?! D-Don’t tell me… did I… with Miki?!

A terrifying thought crossed my mind and I started to panic.

But as I was freaking out, Miki woke up and explained what had happened.

Apparently, it wasn’t that kind of situation. She explained it in a way that made sense, and I tried to convince myself it was fine… but no, it wasn’t. Don’t sleep naked in someone else’s bed!

Even so, Miki’s bare body had burned itself into my memory. I couldn’t get it out of my head.

And then… I began to feel something toward her. Something different from before. Looking back, I think that’s when I started recognizing her as a woman—and maybe even started to fall for her.

At the time, I just hadn’t realized it yet.

---

After that, the two of us continued doing quests together.

About two weeks after we reunited, I found myself completely in love with Miki.

There was nothing I could do about it—it felt inevitable.

Her looks were exactly my type, her face and body were flawless, and her personality? That was still the same Miki I had once called my one and only best friend. Of course I’d fall for her.

Ever since I met Miki again, I stopped chasing after other girls. I couldn't even see anyone else anymore.

But I also knew—I couldn’t let her find out how I felt.

To Miki, I was still just Kazuya, her old friend. She didn’t see me as a guy.

If she ever found out about my feelings, it might ruin everything between us. That was the one thing I couldn’t let happen.

---

And then I messed up. One morning, when I went to wake Miki like usual, I ended up muttering something honest—something about the conversation we’d had the night before—right in front of her while she was still asleep.

Except… she wasn’t asleep. She’d heard everything.

Miki responded by pretending she misunderstood, giving me some wild excuse to dismiss it all. I didn’t know if she truly believed it or not, but she pretended she hadn’t heard what I’d said. I was relieved—so damn relieved.

But after that, Miki started acting strangely. Maybe she was bothered by it.

Even so, I didn’t want things to fall apart between us. More than that—I was hoping that someday, she’d help me as a Hero.

Miki’s power was incredible. Her magic could easily be A-Rank—or maybe even the stuff of legends, S-Rank level.

To defeat the Demon Lord, I was sure I’d need her power.

No—forget the Demon Lord. I needed Miki. For myself.

I tried to act as normal as I could, pretending like nothing had happened. I didn’t want to put any pressure on her heart.

But ever since that day, she stopped looking me in the eye.

That hurt more than I expected. At the time, the only peace I had was when I went to wake her in the morning and saw her sleeping face.

Our relationship gradually began to unravel. But I pretended not to notice. I kept treating her the same way, keeping the same distance as always.

Now that I think back on it, maybe I just didn’t want to admit that we were drifting apart.

And then, that day came.

When I went to wake her in the morning, she was wearing pajamas—something I’d told her to do many times, which she’d always refused.

Normally, that should’ve made me happy. But instead, it felt like she was shutting me out.

When that continued for a few days, I understood.

After that, I stopped waking her in the mornings.

---

Our time stopped syncing. The distance between us only grew.

Even so, I tried to act like I always had—to stay close to her in whatever small ways I could. And in the time before she’d wake up, I started learning about elves.

To my surprise, I found out that elves rarely feel romantic love like humans do. Their sex drive is apparently low too.

Which explains why, even with lifespans of thousands of years, there aren’t many of them. Meanwhile, humans—who are in heat year-round—multiply quickly despite their short lives.

In other words, getting an elf like Miki to fall in love with me wouldn’t be easy.

So instead of waiting for it to happen on its own, I’d have to take the initiative. I’d have to show her how I felt, act on it, and awaken those emotions in her.

The only question left was when.

Timing is everything when it comes to confessing your feelings. If you get it wrong, it could ruin everything.

And then… the time finally came.

It was finally time for me to tell Miki how I felt.

I love Miki. That’s why—I want her to love me too.

There’s still a long road ahead… but at last, I’ve taken my first step forward.