The village chief, flustered, was busy caring for two crying children, while Tatsumi lay quietly, deep in thought.
In his previous life, he'd been a bit of a homebody—a decent young man of the new era. No gambling, no drugs, and he didn't even drink or smoke.
When he realized he had transmigrated, he'd felt deeply sad.
The money and property from the demolition in his old life didn't matter much, but he couldn't let go of his family.
Of course, he'd tried to convince himself this was just a dream.
But when his tiny hand touched the hard railing and pain shot through him, he knew—
There was no going back.
Now, he could only mourn them spiritually and move forward with sorrow.
'Speaking of which… where's my transmigration system? System?!'
The boy called out in his heart, full of anticipation, waiting quietly.
Zzz—
[System initializing… Loading system…]
[Loading complete—]
"..."
After waiting a while and seeing no further response, the boy froze in confusion.
'System? You there? Give me a newbie gift pack?!'
'I want to sign in!... No sign-in panel...' 'Could it be one of those chat-group-type systems? Saitama-sensei, are you there?'
He called out several times, trying every kind of system name or function he could think of, but got no response.
At that moment, the boy had no time to notice the strange expression of the old man watching him. His entire attention was focused on the system in his mind.
'System! Personal panel!'
Finally, when there was a reaction, the boy let out a sigh of relief.
Zzz—
[Name – Tatsumi
Age – 1 year old
Abilities – None
Bloodline – Human
Skills – None
Worlds Traversable – None [Can pause the time flow of the original world after traversal]
Seeing this straightforward system without any extra functions, the boy understood right away.
This was a primitive, archeological version of a system.
No data interface! No extra features!
It could only display these few bits of information, plus a time-pause function—nothing else.
The small infant suddenly seemed to mature by eighteen years, letting out a sigh like an adult.
"Ah..."
"Tatsumi sighed? Hm? Am I seeing things..."
The village chief looked at the peacefully sleeping Sayo and Ieyasu, then at Tatsumi, rubbing his eyes.
"Haha, getting old... can't deny it anymore..."
With a dry chuckle, the old man walked to the window, gazing at the scenery outside as he waited for the village youth to return.
He never knew that this waiting would become eternal—separated by life and death.
---
Clang!!! Bang!!!
"Ugh!!!"
Slash!!!
As the blade pierced the bandit before him, the boy frowned.
"Bandits have been popping up a lot lately..."
Saying that, he pulled out a hard piece of flatbread from his pocket and started chewing.
"Tatsumi!! You done over there?"
Ieyasu, carrying a longsword far too large for his body, waved over to the boy. Beside him, a beautiful black-haired girl with long straight hair and a bow smiled and waved too.
"Yeah... that was the last one..."
Sitting on a rock, unbothered by the blood-stained ground, the boy continued eating.
In recent years, their border village had often been harassed by small groups of foreign tribes and bandits.
The group of bandits he and his two companions had just slain was already the third batch this year.
"Then let's report to Instructor Yuzu! Tatsumi! Let him know that Lord Ieyasu can also fight and kill bandits on his own!"
The boy in the headscarf closed his eyes proudly, raising his chin.
"Should we go back now, Tatsumi..."
Sayo also nodded, asking the boy who sat on the rock.
"You two rest for a bit first... I'm thinking about something..."
Hearing them, the boy fell into thought.
When the three of them were just one year old, their parents had all died in a war with foreign tribes.
Although the Imperial Army suppressed the invaders in time, the village, now lacking young adults, faced immense pressure.
A retired Imperial soldier, Yuzu Kasa, guilt-ridden after the war, came to the village where his benefactors—who had once helped him—had perished.
After explaining everything to the village chief, the man, just like those who once helped him, accepted his apology.
Since then, Yuzu had stayed, becoming both guardian and instructor to the three children, teaching them survival and combat.
Now, at nine years old, after years of training and a diet rich in dangerous-beast meat, they were capable of defeating bandits who were once ordinary villagers turned criminals.
Though they were only killing bandits, being able to take down adults at age nine was already an incredible feat.
Even if those bandits were malnourished and weak.
When they were around four or five, the entire Empire suddenly changed.
Not in appearance—but in atmosphere.
A chilling, bone-deep cold seemed to spread from the heart of the Imperial Capital. When Yuzu returned from a visit to his comrades there, he refused to speak of what had happened.
The once-proud nation had utterly broken this retired soldier's heart.
After that, the boy clearly felt the Empire's drastic shift.
Taxes increased, bandits grew in number, merchants dwindled, and rumors of new wars spread—each adding to the growing pressure on the boy.
He also realized that he had crossed over into the world of that famous anime, Akame ga Kill!
After all, his companions' names—Sayo and Ieyasu—made it pretty obvious.
With that realization, Tatsumi made up his mind.
He would train hard, mastering as many skills as possible—whether for eating or surviving. He would give it his all, working tirelessly to learn and grow stronger!
His family in this life had died before forming any real bonds, but he could never ignore the kindness of the villagers who raised the three of them.
They were kind and honest people.
Thinking this, the boy's face grew firm as he spoke with a smile to his companions.
"Let's go back, Ieyasu, Sayo! Let's become stronger together!"