(AN: Hi, I'm relatively new to writing about stories and just had a spur of the moment to create my own story hehe...)
Ray wasn't particularly special.
He was just an ordinary person who spent most of his free time watching anime, browsing the internet, playing games, and occasionally doing whatever his family asked him to do. He wasn't particularly athletic, nor was he exceptionally intelligent. He simply enjoyed his hobbies and preferred spending his free time at home.
He lived with his parents and older brother. His family wasn't particularly wealthy, but they got along well enough. Like most families, they had their fair share of arguments, although nothing that lasted very long.
His mother often complained about how much time he spent on his phone.
"Ray, you've been staring at that thing for hours. Don't you have anything else to do?"
"Not really."
"At least take a break. Your eyes are going to hurt."
"I'll be fine."
His mother gave him a look before returning to whatever she had been doing.
Ray simply went back to his phone.
His father wasn't much different. Whenever he noticed Ray staying up late, he'd remind him that sleeping properly was important. His older brother, on the other hand, was usually the one who bothered him the most.
There were times when Ray would leave something on his desk only to find it missing the following day.
"Have you seen my charger?"
His brother, sitting nearby, didn't even bother looking up.
"No."
"Then why is it beside you?"
"...Coincidence."
Ray would usually just take it back.
It wasn't anything serious. They were ordinary family interactions, the kind that happened so often that he rarely thought about them.
And honestly, he liked it that way.
He didn't have some grand ambition or a particularly interesting life. He was content with his routine.
Wake up, eat, spend time on his hobbies, occasionally go outside, and repeat.
There wasn't much to complain about.
That afternoon was no different.
Ray had spent most of his free time watching anime. He had recently finished an episode and was scrolling through online discussions when he noticed a message from his brother.
Buy something on your way home.
Ray looked at the message for a moment before replying.
What do you want?
His brother sent a short list.
Ray read through it, sighed, and put his phone down.
"Of course."
He got up, changed his clothes, and checked his pockets for his wallet.
Before leaving, he passed by his mother.
"I'm going out."
"Where?"
"Just buying something."
"Don't take too long. Dinner will be ready later."
"Alright."
"And don't spend all your time on your phone while walking."
Ray glanced at her.
"I know."
She gave him a doubtful look.
He ignored it and headed outside.
The weather was fairly pleasant. The sun was still up, although it was beginning to get lower, and the streets were gradually becoming busier.
He walked toward the nearby shops, occasionally checking his phone.
There wasn't anything particularly interesting happening online. A few discussions about anime, some messages from friends, and the usual collection of random posts.
He stopped at a small store and bought the things his brother had requested.
After paying, he checked his phone again.
A notification appeared.
A new episode of a series he had been following was available.
"Oh, finally."
He opened the announcement and briefly checked the details.
He was looking forward to watching it later.
After putting his phone away, he started heading home.
The streets were busier now. Cars passed through the intersections, vendors were preparing to close their stalls, and a few people were making their way home.
Ray walked along the pavement with his shopping bag in one hand.
He wasn't particularly tired, although he was looking forward to getting home.
He thought about what he would do after dinner.
Maybe watch the new episode.
Maybe play a game for a while.
Or perhaps he would just lie down and browse his phone until he got sleepy.
Nothing complicated.
Eventually, he reached an intersection.
There were several other pedestrians waiting for the signal to change.
Ray stood near the edge of the pavement, checking his phone again.
He received another message from his brother.
Don't forget the drinks.
Ray looked at the message.
He had already bought everything.
I got them.
A few seconds later, his brother replied.
Okay.
Ray put his phone away.
The pedestrian signal was still red.
He looked toward the road. Vehicles were passing in both directions, and the usual noise of traffic filled the area.
He waited.
A few seconds later, the signal changed.
Green.
The pedestrians began crossing.
Ray followed them.
He was halfway through the intersection when he heard something.
A horn.
It was loud enough to make several people turn their heads.
Ray looked toward the source.
A large truck was approaching from the side.
At first, he didn't think much of it. Vehicles sometimes approached intersections quickly, and he assumed the driver would slow down.
But something felt off.
The truck wasn't slowing down.
Ray looked again.
The distance was closing faster than he expected.
"...Huh?"
The horn sounded again.
This time, it was much louder.
People began reacting one another and managed to get out in time.
Ray turned toward the vehicle, his mind struggling to process what was happening.
He tried moving out of the way.
But his reaction was too late.
For a brief moment, he could only see the approaching headlights.
Then came the impact.
His shopping bag slipped from his hand, and the contents scattered across the road. His phone flew out of his grasp and blood splattered across the road.
The sound around him became distorted and his vision became blurry.
He couldn't properly understand what had happened.
Everything felt distant.
He was vaguely aware of people shouting and someone rushing toward him.
His vision shifted toward the sky.
What... just happened?
He tried to move.
His body wouldn't respond.
His thoughts were becoming increasingly difficult to organize.
He had only gone outside to buy a few things.
He was supposed to go home and live the way he normally does.
His mother was preparing dinner.
His father was probably doing something in the living room.
His brother was probably waiting for the things he had bought.
Uhhk-
He tried to speak, but couldn't and instead he spat out blood from his mouth.
His thoughts wandered toward his family.
He remembered his mother's complaints about his phone usage.
His father's reminders about sleeping early.
His brother constantly bothering him over the smallest things.
Ordinary memories.
Nothing particularly important at the time.
But now, they were the only things he could think about.
I still have to go home.
He didn't want to die.
He hadn't accomplished anything remarkable, but he hadn't expected to die either.
There were still so many things he wanted to do.
He wanted to see his family again.
He wanted to sit at the dinner table, listen to their conversations, and complain about his brother stealing his things.
He wanted to return to the life he had always taken for granted.
While at deaths door he realized... He really had never accomplished anything great in his life...
All those regrets from his past flooded his mind and made him realize how pathetic he was.
But his thoughts were gradually fading.
His vision became darker.
And eventually, he could no longer think clearly.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting in an endless void, not being able to hear, sense, taste, or feel anything, making him feel unimaginable loneliness and discomfort, something seemed to have changed.
The first thing Ray noticed was the smell.
It was faint, almost like old wood mixed with dust. Not the familiar scent of his bedroom, nor the sterile smell he would have expected from a hospital.
His eyes slowly opened.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.
It was made of wooden planks, unevenly arranged, with small gaps between them. A dim light slipped through a nearby window, illuminating the room just enough for him to make out its contents.
A small wooden table. A chair. A cupboard standing against the wall.
Nothing looked familiar.
Ray blinked.
Then he sat up.
"Where..."
His voice stopped halfway.
He looked down at himself. His clothes were different. A loose, worn-out shirt covered his upper body, and his hands looked noticeably smaller than he remembered.
He raised them closer to his face, turning them over as if expecting to find an explanation.
"What the hell?"
He pulled the blanket away and looked at his legs. They were shorter too. His body felt lighter, almost unfamiliar.
For a moment, he couldn't decide what to do.
Was he in a hospital? Had he somehow survived the accident? Maybe this was some kind of dream brought on by the impact.
He looked around again, searching for anything that might confirm his thoughts.
There was no hospital equipment. No monitor beside the bed. No phone, no familiar belongings, and certainly no sign of his family.
Ray slowly got out of bed.
His legs wobbled as soon as his feet touched the floor. He grabbed the edge of the mattress to steady himself, waiting until the dizziness passed.
"Okay... Calm down."
He took a breath.
Panicking wouldn't help. He needed to understand where he was first.
He approached the window and pushed it open. A cool breeze entered the room, carrying the distant sounds of people talking and footsteps moving along what sounded like a busy street.
Below, he could see several buildings with wooden walls and tiled roofs. People walked along a dirt road, some carrying baskets while others pushed small carts.
Ray stared.
It didn't look like a hospital.
It didn't even look like anywhere he had ever been.
He stepped away from the window and searched the room. The cupboard contained a few folded clothes, most of them old and slightly worn. The table held a clay cup, a small wooden box, and a piece of paper.
He picked up the paper.
The handwriting was unfamiliar, but somehow, he could understand it.
That was strange.
He read through the short note several times. It mentioned that the previous guardian of the child living in the room had passed away, leaving the house and whatever belongings remained behind.
Ray lowered the paper.
"Previous guardian...?"
He looked at the note again.
The child.
That was apparently him.
His name, surprisingly was also the same as his name in this body.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to put everything together. His body was that of a young child, perhaps around eight years old. The room belonged to someone who had recently lost their guardian, and the world outside looked like something from a historical setting.
There were too many things he couldn't explain.
He remembered walking home.
The shopping bags in his hands. The sound of traffic. The approaching truck.
Then nothing.
He pressed his fingers against his forehead.
"Did I... die?"
The question came out quietly.
He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't find a better explanation. Even if he had somehow survived, there was no reasonable way he could have ended up in a place like this, inside a completely different body.
He remained seated for a while.
Eventually, he stood up again and looked at himself in the small mirror hanging beside the cupboard.
A child looked back at him with delicate, porcelain-like features, soft golden hair, a small refined nose, and clear golden eyes. His youthful face carried an almost ethereal purity, accompanied by an eternally gentle and serene expression.
Ray touched his cheek.
The reflection did the same.
"...This is ridiculous."
He wasn't sure how much time passed before he finally stopped searching for an explanation. His thoughts were still scattered, but he understood one thing, he couldn't simply sit in this room waiting for everything to return to normal.
He needed information.
And before anything else, he needed to figure out his current situation
Eventually, his stomach interrupted him with a quiet growl.
Ray looked down at his growling belly and endured the increasing hunger coming from his body.
Right. This body probably hasn't eaten anything.
He glanced around the room once more, then toward the door.
For now, food seemed like a reasonable place to start.
Ray stood in front of the door for a while before finally opening it.
A narrow hallway stretched beyond it, with a wooden staircase leading down to the lower floor. The house was quiet, and judging by the layer of dust on some of the furniture, it hadn't been properly maintained in quite some time.
He carefully made his way downstairs.
The lower floor consisted of a small living area and a kitchen. There wasn't much to see. A few wooden utensils, an empty shelf, and a fireplace that hadn't been used recently.
He checked the kitchen first, hoping to find something edible.
Nothing.
"Seriously?"
He opened another cupboard. There were a few containers, but most were empty. Whatever food had been left behind was either gone or had spoiled.
Ray closed the cupboard and sighed.
He couldn't remember the last time he had been this hungry.
Before leaving, he searched the house for anything useful. In one of the drawers, he found a small pouch containing several coins. He emptied them onto the table.
They were unfamiliar, but their differences were easy enough to notice.
Some were small and brownish, others were silver, and a few were noticeably larger and golden.
He counted them.
There were several bronze coins, a handful of silver ones, and a single gold coin.
"At least I have money."
He placed them back into the pouch and tucked it away.
It wasn't much, but it was better than having nothing.
After checking that the front door could be locked, Ray stepped outside.
The first thing that caught his attention was the street.
Unlike the quiet interior of the house, the town was full of activity. Merchants called out to passing customers, people carried baskets between shops, and carts moved slowly along the road.
The buildings were mostly made of wood and stone. Some had signs hanging above their entrances, while others displayed their goods directly outside.
It was an unfamiliar place, but it didn't look particularly dangerous.
At least, not at first glance.
Ray began walking, keeping his pace slow as he observed his surroundings.
He passed a small clothing shop, a blacksmith, and several stalls selling vegetables and other household goods. There were also people wearing leather armor and carrying weapons. Some had swords hanging from their waists, while others carried equipment that looked more suited for traveling.
Adventurers, perhaps.
It seems like I reincarnated into a medieval world or something similar to it.
But he still couldn't conclude what kind of world he was in with just this information, but seeing people casually walking around with weapons suggested that it wasn't somewhere he could afford to be careless.
For now, he needed food.
A bakery caught his attention a little further down the street. The smell of freshly baked bread made his stomach growl again.
He entered.
A middle-aged man stood behind the counter, arranging several loaves.
"Welcome. What would you like?"
Ray approached the counter and pointed toward a small loaf.
"How much is that?"
"Three bronze coins."
Ray took out his pouch and examined its contents again. He wasn't entirely sure how much each coin was worth, so he decided to use one of the silver coins.
"Will this be enough?"
The merchant glanced at the coin before nodding.
"Of course. Here."
He placed the bread on the counter and returned seven bronze coins as change.
Ray accepted them.
"Thank you."
"No problem. Come again."
He stepped outside and moved away from the entrance before looking at the coins in his hand.
Three bronze coins for a loaf of bread. One silver coin was apparently worth ten bronze coins.
That was simple enough.
He placed the seven coins inside his pouch.
Ten bronze for one silver, then.
He would need to remember that.
Ray found a quiet spot near a building and sat down to eat. The bread was plain, but it was enough to satisfy his hunger for the moment.
While eating, he continued observing the people around him.
There were merchants negotiating prices, children running between buildings, and travelers asking for directions. Occasionally, he heard people mention monsters and dungeons, though he couldn't make out the full conversations.
Those words caught his attention.
Monsters?
He glanced toward a group of adventurers passing by. Their equipment was worn, and one of them had a bandage wrapped around his arm.
Whatever their occupation was, it didn't seem particularly safe.
Ray finished his bread and brushed the crumbs from his clothes.
He still had many questions, but asking strangers about things he didn't understand would probably attract unnecessary attention. He needed to be careful about what he said.
Instead, he decided to learn through observation.
He spent the next few hours walking around the town, gradually becoming familiar with its streets. He found a public well, a general store, a small inn, and a building that appeared to offer information about local work.
He also noticed that most people seemed accustomed to seeing children alone. Nobody paid him much attention beyond the occasional glance.
That was convenient.
By the time the afternoon approached, Ray had learned a few useful things.
The town had a functioning market, adventurers were a common sight, and bronze, silver, and gold coins were used for everyday transactions. He still didn't know the name of the town or the country it belonged to, but he had at least figured out how people lived here.
His next problem was finding a more reliable source of information.
As he walked past another street, he noticed a modest building with shelves of books visible through its front window.
A small sign hung above the entrance.
A bookshop.
Ray stopped and looked at it for a moment.
"That might help."
He had no idea what he would find inside, but books seemed like a better place to start than randomly questioning people.
After adjusting the pouch at his waist, he approached the entrance and reached for the door.
He finally felt like he might actually make some good progress in figuring out the situation he was in.
(Chapter End.)
(AN: So tell me how was the chapter so far? Any opinions?)