Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

The edges of the road are covered in a blanket of pink, creating a path of petals on the ground.

Seeing this scene, I realize that spring has come once again.

In my previous life, I had no interest in the changing of the seasons or the events that marked the passage of time. Still, whenever I saw cherry blossoms, I'd feel a faint sense of excitement, recognizing that spring had arrived. Not that it ever made me want to start something new or switch jobs to reset my environment.

"Itsuki, are you nervous?"

"No, I'm okay."

My mother's voice brought me back to the present, and I shook my head.

We were standing in front of the main gate of my elementary school. There, a white signboard with the words "Congratulations on Your Entrance Ceremony" was decorated with red and white fluffy ornaments around the edges. There was no need to explain where we were or what was about to happen.

…Yes, I was about to attend my second elementary school entrance ceremony in this life.

Although, I don't remember much from the first time. Almost nothing, really. I vaguely recall being guided by older students and lining up in the gymnasium. I wonder if that's a common experience across the country.

My mother led me across the schoolyard, stopping in front of the school building. There was an old-fashioned bulletin board with class rosters posted, surrounded by a crowd.

There were nervous-looking children, excited children, and some were already chatting animatedly with their friends.

Wait, did they already make friends?

No way! That's too fast!

No, it must be friends they made in kindergarten or nursery school. Otherwise, I'd be completely lost on what to do.

As I stood there, feeling a bit of despair at the sight, my mother patiently pulled me along through the thinning crowd until we reached the bulletin board.

Of course, I could have used "Silveit" for "enhanced vision" to see the roster from a distance, but that wouldn't have been fun.

After all, mechanically going through life's events was how I lived in my previous life. I've decided to leave that behind.

"What class are you in, Itsuki?"

"Hmm… Ah, there it is!"

Scanning the class list for Grade 1, Class 1 from the top, I quickly found my name. As expected, with a surname starting with "Ki," I was fifth on the list. No wonder it was easy to find.

After spotting my name, my mother and I stepped away from the board. She looked at me with concern.

"Itsuki, you'll have to go to the classroom by yourself from here. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine!"

Yes, from this point on, I had to go to the classroom alone.

Whoa, this is nerve-wracking!!

Even though I've faced death twice and actually died once, the thought of entering a new class still makes me nervous. But I'm excited too. This is the very beginning of the six years I'll spend in elementary school. It would be strange not to be nervous.

I'll do my best to have a great school life.

With that thought in mind, I entered the school building, heart pounding. As I searched for the shoe cubby for Class 1-1, my thoughts drifted back to the class roster I had just seen.

There were a lot of names in katakana… That wasn't because they were trendy "sparkly names." No, there were quite a few non-Japanese names on the list. Well, it's a global and diverse world these days.

I wonder what it was like in my previous life…

I think there were a few kids from abroad, or maybe there weren't. If there were, it was probably just one per grade. I'm sure there weren't two or three in a single class.

Reflecting on the changes in the world, I placed my shoes in the cubby and pulled out a pair of new indoor shoes. These will eventually turn completely black, and I'll have to wash them myself. That's going to be a hassle.

After putting on my shoes, I noticed a handmade sign pointing to the first graders' classrooms. It was clearly made by older students, with "First Graders This Way ⇒" written in big, bold letters. Very helpful.

Following the arrow up the stairs, I headed toward the classroom.

There were other kids who looked like first graders climbing the stairs too, but I wasn't confident enough in my communication skills to strike up a conversation. Seriously, how is it that I can't even talk to six-year-olds?

As I reached the classroom door, I took a deep breath.

Standing in front of the closed door, I steeled myself.

…Alright, here goes.

As I pulled open the creaky door, I was met with a scene of complete chaos.

It might sound like the beginning of a story set in a snow country, but that's the reality I faced. There's no better way to describe it. After all, telling a group of six-year-olds to "be quiet" is a lost cause. It's no surprise, but still… This is something else.

"Wait, your pencil case is black? That's so lame!"

"But my pencils are cool."

"Whoa! They really are!"

I weaved my way through the chattering kids—no, classmates—and made my way to my seat.

The blackboard had a large message written in hiragana, "Congratulations on Your Entrance," along with a seating chart.

It was handwritten with chalk. Did the teacher write this?

My seat was by the window. The first seat by the window was number 1, and the numbers decreased as you moved toward the back. I was number 5, so I ended up in the last seat.

The last seat by the window, seriously?

That's such a classic spot for something like a youthful adventure to begin. I thought something silly as I placed my backpack on the desk, but then I noticed the girl sitting next to me.

Unlike the other noisy classmates, she had hung her pink backpack on the side of the desk and was resting her chin on her hand, looking a bit grumpy.

But what stood out wasn't her bad attitude.

The color of her backpack wasn't unusual either. Pink wasn't rare even in my time.

What was unusual was her appearance.

Platinum blonde hair, almost translucent, and blue eyes.

Her skin was so fair it looked like it had never seen the sun.

…She looks a lot like Irena-san.

Maybe this girl is from Europe too.

She's probably one of the kids with a katakana name I saw on the roster.

With that thought, I took out my pencil case from my backpack and hung my backpack on the side of the desk, imitating the girl next to me. Then I checked the time.

The entrance ceremony starts at 10:00.

It's 9:30 now. I still have about 30 minutes.

…What should I do?

I had assumed that first graders would be more nervous before the entrance ceremony, maybe even a little stiff. My plan was to slowly close the distance with my new classmates and make friends that way. But reality had exceeded my expectations, and the first graders here were much freer than I had imagined.

Some of them had already made friends before the ceremony even started.

This is bad.

If I don't make friends from the very start, I might struggle throughout my time in elementary school.

It's often said that the beginning is crucial. If you miss the starting dash, it takes a lot of effort to catch up later on.

I looked around, trying to find someone I could talk to… But no luck. Everyone had already left their seats and was chatting freely. There was no opening…!

As I scanned the classroom, my eyes landed on the girl sitting next to me again.

There she was! Someone who hadn't talked to anyone yet!

Feeling a surge of excitement, I thought about talking to her, but it was hard to approach a girl who was resting her chin on her hand before the entrance ceremony even started.

But I knew I had to.

Making friends is a decision I've already made. I can't back down now…!

I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and spoke to the girl next to me, who was facing away.

"…Hello."

"...…"

But the girl remained silent.

Come on, say something…

But I couldn't stop here.

My goal for first grade is to make ten friends.

If I can't get along with the person sitting next to me, that goal will be hard to achieve!

"My name is Itsuki. What's yours?"

"…Nina."

Whoa! She answered!

Even though she still wasn't looking at me.

"Nice to meet you, Nina-chan."

"…Hmph."

After my greeting, she responded with what felt like a growl. Tough crowd. But then she stopped resting her chin on her hand and turned to face me.

"Itsuki, what do you want?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your last name, tell me."

Her gaze, slightly more mature than I expected, pierced through me, and I answered since it wasn't something I needed to hide.

"My last name is Kisaragi. Itsuki Kisaragi."

The moment I said that, Nina jumped out of her seat with a loud bang.

She stood there, looking shocked.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like odd behavior, but in the chaos of the classroom, no one noticed. Nina then spoke in a barely audible voice, almost drowned out by the noise around her.

"R-Really…?"

Really, what? What is she talking about?

Could it be that she knows about me?

"Are you really the one who defeated the Sixth Rank Queen…? Itsuki Kisaragi?"

"You know about me? Then… um… Would you like to be friends?"

When I asked, Nina took a step back, as if she was a bit startled.

That hurt.

"Why are we in the same class?"

"Is it bad if we're in the same class?"

"Of course it is!"

Nina shouted, a mix of anger and confidence in her voice.

"I'm a Fourth Rank Bishop Exorcist! I came here to defeat you, Itsuki!"

..…Uh-huh.

Uh-huh…????