I don't exactly remember who I was, but what I do know for sure is that this is my second life.
My name is Orochi Shin, Orochi is my family name, and Shin is my first name.
It was a day like any other, well, almost like any other. It was the last day of pre-school, I would be entering elementary school the following academic year.
"Orochi, have you seen where Misugi went?" Honma asked me. But in that very moment, everything started to swirl in my head, memories that didn't belong to me, memories from another life, rushed into my mind.
"Orochi?" Honma said, raising an eyebrow."
"Sorry, Honma... I think he went toward the football field." I replied.
"Thanks." he said, heading in the direction I had pointed.
'I'm in Captain Tsubasa.' I thought to myself as I kept walking toward the school gate. It turns out that, in the memories I had just gained, the person I used to be liked this manga, and many others. He played football, trained at AS Monaco's youth academy, until a back injury left him paralyzed.
I was still deep in thought when I bumped into someone at the exit.
"Sorry, Shin." a voice said to me. "No, it's my fault..." I replied, standing up and brushing off my clothes. Then I looked up and found myself face-to-face with. "Jun."
"Don't worry about it." he said. Jun is currently my best friend.
"Honma was looking for you earlier." I told him.
"Yeah, I ran into him. Tell me, Shin... are you really going to play baseball?" he asked.
It was true, I had planned to start playing baseball. But with this wave of new memories... change of plans.
"No, I'll join the football club." I replied.
"I knew you'd change your mind eventually." he said.
I simply nodded in response. 'Apparently, the old me would never have changed his mind, since there's no mention of me in the manga.' I couldn't help but think.
"With you in attack and me in midfield, we could do great things together." he said.
"Shin, I'm here."
It was my mother, Orochi Hana, calling out to me. She's a teacher here at Musashi School. She's the reason I'm in this school meant for rather well-off kids.
"Alright, I'm off, Jun. See you during the holidays." I told him, then walked over to my mom's car.
"Did you have a good day, Shin?" she asked as she started the car and we headed home.
"Yeah, it was pretty chill." I replied.
We arrived home—we live in Tokyo, in the Minato ward. As soon as we got in, my mom had me do some math exercises. They were ridiculously easy for the current me.
Later that evening, my father, Orochi Dai, came home from work.
"So, son, ready for today? Go grab your glove, let's play some catch." he said."Let's play football today, Dad." I told him, holding up a ball.
"I see, I see... alright, let's do that." he said.
Then, before heading out, we said in unison. "See you later, Mom"/"See you later, honey."
A few minutes later, we found ourselves on a field.
"I'll get in goal, son. Take a few penalty shots." my dad said, taking his position.
"Alright." I placed the ball on the ground, took a few steps back, and shot.
But instead of diving for the ball, my dad walked toward me and said,"Shin, you just kicked with your left foot."
I realized he was right, I had just used my left. I used to be right-footed. "Yeah." I replied.
"Try shooting with your right foot this time." he said as he brought the ball back.
I shot again, this time with my right foot, with the same ease as before.
"Shin, you're ambidextrous, that's excellent." he said. Thinking I might not understand the word, he added. "It means you're both right- and left-footed."
After that, we kept playing.
Eventually, my dad sat down on a bench. So I started juggling the ball, the way it stuck to my feet, it felt like it was glued there.
"Shin, you've improved a lot. You were already pretty good for your age, but now..." my dad said, impressed.
Later, we went back home.
The next day, I was with my friends from Musashi.
"Shin, over here! Cross it to me!" Sanada called out.
I sent him a perfect cross, and he headed it straight into the net.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" he shouted, then added. "That was an incredible pass. It's been a while since you played with us, Shin."
"True." I replied. Then he said. "Too bad Jun's not here."
Misugi is probably at the hospital for a check-up. He hasn't told the others yet that he has a heart condition.
A week passed.
One morning, as I was eating breakfast, my mom asked. "Shin, sweetheart, don't you want to go get a shorter haircut?"
"No, Mom, I like my hair the way it is."
"Alright, if you say so. But if your grandfather makes a comment, don't say I didn't warn you." she added.
My dad came into the apartment and said. "Are you all ready? We've got a six-hour trip ahead of us to get to Osaka."
So we set off on our way to Osaka, where my grandparents live.
About halfway through the trip, I fell asleep, and stayed that way until we arrived.
We were now in Osaka, standing in front of my grandparents' house. I rubbed my eyes to wake up a little.
"Son, where's my grandson?" I heard my grandfather ask my dad."He's in the car, he was sleeping," my dad replied.
I stepped out of the car and went to greet my grandparents.
"There you are, Shin." my grandmother said. "You're growing up so well, my boy."
"Indeed." my grandfather added.
"No comments about his hair?" my dad asked his father.
"No, why ?" my grandfather responded.
"But when I was his age, you used to force me to get really short haircuts," my dad said.
"Times change." my grandfather replied with a laugh. My grandmother and my mother laughed too.
Later, we shared a meal together.