TNZKMA 114

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I wonder when the Ceremony will end? I also came out from there but I was all dizzy and can’t remember. 

When the Ceremony was over, Saine saw me coming out and ran away. In place of my missing husband, an official with a troubled look on his face took me to Saine’s house.

I vaguely remember the official’s face and the path we walked together, but I don’t know if it was morning or afternoon. It wasn’t pitch black, so it couldn’t have been night.

Now that I think about it, the official gave me something to eat on the way. I think he took me to the market in the northeastern section because he thought my husband wouldn’t be back for a while. He gave me some food from a food stall there. He also told me where the Reincarnators Association was located.

Hmm, was it lunchtime? The market was a bit crowded, so maybe we were having lunch. That means Dole’s Ceremony will finish around noon too. It’s not the same for everyone, but on the day Dole’s Ceremony is over, I’ll wait for him to come out from the morning in the square.

If Dole is angry, I’ll take the Male Reincarnator. If he waited for many years and paid a huge sum of money after finally taking the Ceremony, if he failed despite all that, he might get mad even if it’s Dole. If the reincarnated man appears, a cooling-off period is necessary. I think Saine’s was eight days, so it should be about that long.

When the male Reincarnator appears, I’ll have to take care of him. Ah, but even though he appears to be 15 years old, if he was alive and well in his previous life, then inside he’d be an old man. Is it rude to say I’ll take care of him?

But as a one-year Reincarnator, there are many things I can teach him. First, I’ll take him to a food stall and teach him how to order, how to return dishes, and how to use money. Then I’ll have to take him to the Reincarnators Association and the Men’s Club.

If Dole’s Reincarnator says that he will cook, maybe I can teach him about that too. Since worm oil is a tall hurdle, perhaps I’ll do that for him in the meantime.

Come to think of it, where is Dole’s house? Even if two reincarnations are together, it’s not okay for one to let someone stay over at a house without the husband’s permission. I have to make sure he gets back to Dole’s house.

Even if Dole is mad, I have to at least ask him where his house is. If that seems difficult, I’ll ask an official to tell me. Just like he took me to Saine’s house, he should know Dole’s house, too.

I was excited to see Blue Crest performing Dole’s Ceremony, and worried that it would fail, but before I knew it, I was thinking about Dole’s “male” Reincarnator. The five-man Men’s Club. I was a little excited, wondering if the sixth person would come.

Well, I really want Dole’s Ceremony to succeed.

The next day I went to the Men’s Club, but Haruka wasn’t there so I ran off to the market. I invited Haruka, who was stirring the pot next to the uncle, to join me at a table in the market. We talked about  Dole’s Ceremony as we ate the stir-fried vegetables the uncle had made for us.

Haruka and Dollar had never met. But I told them about each other, so they both know about each other. I told Haruka about the Ceremony and the current situation with the Blue Crest, and said that we might be adding a new member to the Men’s Club.

Haruka frowned sympathetically, but a smile was on his face. For us, the idea that a new male Reincarnator might be joining the group was good news.

In this town with a population of 5,000, there are only five reincarnated men and we feel out of place. Unlike the girls, we aren’t treated as useful Reincarnators and even if we act like people from here, we smell different so we’re easily identified.

I wish there were a few more male Reincarnators. But on the other hand, if I put myself in their shoes, I know that it would be better for them to have zero male Reincarnators.

Our situation is so complicated. Depending on which side you side with, the answer is completely opposite.

What the people here want the most is children. And they need a female Reincarnator for that. So a reincarnated man is unlucky, and if he appears, they’ll get rid of him without anyone knowing. Putting myself in the locals’ shoes, I can understand them well.

Haruka said the same thing. Even in his past life, Haruka could only fall in love with men. Haruka’s parents couldn’t understand their son, and in the end their relationship became cold. Haruka only goes back to her parents’ house during Obon and New Year’s. They visit the Buddhist altar and the grave, have lunch, and then say goodbye. Conversation is kept to a minimum.

Haruka’s partner in his past life was in a similar situation. There were hardly any people who would welcome their son with open arms if they know that he was dating a man. It seems there were people who were understanding, but it was very rare.

It’s probably the same thing. If your son’s partner is a woman, he can get married and have children. But if his son’s partner is a man, he can’t get married or have children.

If your child is just in love, it doesn’t matter if the partner is the same sex or the opposite sex. Since their ultimate goal is to have children, or rather grandchildren, I think they don’t like people of the same sex. Of course, there is also the issue of appearances.

Even in my past life, I think I would have fallen in love with Saine if I had met him. I would have loved Saine.

But Saine wouldn’t have chosen me if there were girls everywhere and he could have a normal romance. That’s why I’m really glad I met Saine here.

Here, children come first, and they don’t care about the gender of the Reincarnator. The only difference is whether they are Reincarnators who will give birth to children or not.

So none of the Guards Guild think anything of Saine having sex with me, a man. Even when we talk dirty, it’s only about what my dick is like, and we’ve never once talked about what the girl’s body is like.

I still don’t really get it, this way of thinking about love.

I want Saine to come back soon but I’m more concerned about Dole’s Ceremony. With only one day left until the end of the Ceremony, I find myself wandering around. Even though I know there’s no point in going, I run to the plaza. I look up at the Seiga family’s Ceremony building.

I hope the Ceremony is successful. I hope a female Reincarnator appears. But if it’s a male Reincarnator, I hope he’s an interesting one. Even if it’s a man, I hope Dole won’t be shocked.

God must be troubled with my too many requests. Moreover, His only grace is just erection. No, I don’t mean like… just one “thing,” you know?

Tomorrow, as soon as I have breakfast, I’ll run straight to the square. I’ll bring a packed lunch too, planning to eat lunch there. It’s just one piece of bread I bought at the market, though.

I tried cooking rice recently, but I failed and it turned out completely burnt. If it had gone well, I’d have made rice balls for my lunch. I’ll give the rice another go soon.

If a reincarnated boy comes out, the first thing we’ll need is food. After all, food saved me too.

My last memory of my previous life was being hungry, and my first memory after reincarnation was also being hungry. My head was fuzzy, but I was starving… absolutely starving. So the first meal I had here was incredibly delicious, and it made me so happy.

When you’re too hungry, it makes you feel sad, so food is the first priority. If they like meat, I’ll treat them to some Las. If they prefer vegetables like Haruka, we can get stir-fried veggies from the stall. Maybe Haruka could even join us.

I’d better get to bed early. I need to wake up and get moving.

I’ll get up before sunrise, wash my face, and go collect some salt. Then I’ll eat breakfast, wash the dishes, grab Kyui, and head out. I’ll run, run, run, walk, and then run again to rush to the square. It seemed like the Ceremony wasn’t over yet—the Ceremony hall of the Seiga family with the blue emblem was still quiet.

I sat on the edge of the fountain. A few droplets of water hit me, and it felt refreshing. There, I waited for the new friend to emerge. Deep down, I knew I was hoping for a girl, praying for one, but the thought of a reincarnated boy was starting to excite me more.

All the guys in the men’s circle are older than me. The closest in age is Kent, who’s 23, but he used to be 62. In that sense, maybe Alex is the closest. He’s been reincarnated for 11 years, so his physical age is 26. He says he lived until he was 25 in his previous life, so his combined actual age is 36. Hmm, still older than me.

If Dole’s partner turns out to be a reincarnated boy who died before turning 20 in his previous life, then he’d be just like me. I wonder if he’d become my friend.

I sat on the edge of the fountain, kicking my legs as I waited for the moment to come.

The sun rose overhead, and I thought, “It’s noon.” I looked up at the sky, wondering if I should eat the bread I’d brought, when suddenly, I felt a huge shock, and my body was flung into the air.