About the Reckless Girl Who Kept Challenging a Reborn Man Like Me - Volume 1 Chapter 0: Prologue

“I’m off,” I said as I left the house.

Outside, white snow was falling heavily on the ground. The sun was blocked by the clouds that cover the sky, and the area was dimly lit with the surrounding rays.

I opened my umbrella with my small hands and walked slowly, leaving small footprints in the accumulating snow. The streets, the roofs, and the trees were completely covered in snow. The world was dyed entirely white.

Even the breath that escaped my mouth was white in color.

This area is not an area prone to heavy snowfall. However, every year, snow falls from the sky in a ritualistic manner, chilling the whole world. The snow piles up even on the umbrella that I held up. I took short, careful strides, trying to not get my feet caught in the snow as I walked alone towards a certain place.

I could hear the sound of a piano coming from somewhere nearby. It was a really pretty sound, but it must’ve been a child who was practicing it nearby. It was a sound that even I, an amateur at the piano, could tell came from an inexperienced player.

The inside of the house was warmer than the outside. The magical heating system was fully developed and kept the room at a comfortable temperature. In comparison, the outside world was very, very cold, although that was to be expected from all the snow accumulated outside.

A white world where life slept in peace. The animals were confined to their dens, the trees had lost their leaves and ceased their activities. I was walking slowly through this path, making my own small footsteps in the white world.

At that time, a girl appeared in front of me.

“Zeke! I’ve been waiting for you!”

“…………”

“I’m not going to lose today! Let’s settle this…!”

In the midst of the falling snow, the girl put her hands on her hips, turned her chest away, and shouted loudly at me.

The girl was wearing a catsuit over her pale blue hair and warm looking coat. The red coat worked well with her blue hair. It gave her a confident look and a lively impression to others.[TLN: Wiki for catsuit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catsuit]

Her name is Anya. She is my friend who is going to the same place as me. She was ten years old, the same age as me. She was still a small, young child.

“…Have you been waiting in this snowy weather?”

“I don’t care, you’re gonna be my rival for my entire life!” [TLN: She used 終生(Shusei) which means lifelong or lifetime] 

The little girl was using the word “life”. It was probably a word she had just learned. Her intonation was slightly different than usual. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her looking so proud. Seeing me like this, Anya puffed up her cheeks in frustration.

“It’s only now that you can afford to be complacent. After all, I’m a genius.”

The girl in front of me was not holding an umbrella. There was a light coating of snow on her head and shoulders.

“Do you want to share… the umbrella with me?”

It would have been embarrassing to share an umbrella with her, but I thought I would’ve been a terrible person if I didn’t ask her.

“I don’t care. Let’s get going.”

It’s true that many children don’t take an umbrella when it snows. She trotted off ahead of me at a quick pace. I let out a sigh and slowly follow her as she turns around and looks at me.

The two of us walk through the snow together.

The footprints of two different people were marked on the ground beneath us. Anya’s footprints were haphazardly scattered across the snow as she moved about beside me, walking at a slower pace than before.

Eventually we arrived at the station. I brushed off the snow from her head and clothes, and got on the train with her. The train took us to the next stations, three stops away. Even though it was only a ten-minute ride, Anya’s legs were wobbling on the chair, looking as if she was bored of just sitting on the train with nothing to do.

“They’re going to be releasing the Science test results today! This is where I win against you!”

“They said that they raised the difficulty on the cram school’s test. Are you sure about this?”

“Of course I am. I’m a genius after all.”

“Right.”

“Some people call me a child prodigy, you know!”

“Right.”

“That means I’m a god!”

“No, you’re not.”

She was confidently declaring that she was a God.

But she truly was a genius. It seems that she’s always proud of herself for being first place in the school tests, and because her school lessons are not enough for her intellect, she has been sent to the highest level cram school in the area. She was one of the top students in the entire school, and more specifically, she was one of the top students in the national examinations for the elementary school.

A child prodigy for sure, an honor student among honor students, that was Anya.

“But I think I’m smarter than most adults.”

“…………”

Therefore, it’s no wonder that her nose would become a little bigger compared to others. It’s difficult to tell a child who’s more capable than anyone else to NOT develop a superiority complex. It’s even difficult for adults who think so.

It is natural for people to be swept up by their talents.

“But Anya, you know the proverb, “A child prodigy at ten, a gifted child at fifteen, and a normal man at twenty?”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“That’s Anya for you.”

“But I don’t really get it.”

“…………”

Anya said, raising an eyebrow.

“Why is it that when you turn 20, the person in the proverb becomes a normal person? He’s a genius, right? Is the person in the proverb bewitched to become an idiot at the age of 20?”

“…that’s it.”

It was certainly too difficult for a normal ten year old to comprehend that proverb. There was no way she could understand it. It was a proverb that was difficult to understand without being exposed to a part of wider society.

“That’s because… advantages as a child means almost nothing in the real world.”

“Hmm…”

Anya responded to my words with a head tilt.

Just around the corner, the train arrived at our destination station. As we got off the train, the cold air hit us.

We walked through the developed city. Commercial buildings stood tall, narrowing the sky. The snow was trampled down by many people, making the streets slipperier than those near our house. The snow fell quietly amidst the noise of the cars and the bustle of the city. No matter how much it snowed, people did not stop their activities and walked briskly, looking busy.

“…Achee”

Anya sneezed and shuddered. Snot dripped sluggishly from her tiny nose. Needless to say, it’s very cold outside when it’s snowing.

“…Do you want to come under the umbrella?”

I pulled a tissue out of my pocket and at the same time tilted the umbrella slightly in her direction.

“I don’t care. Let’s just get inside the warm school!”

Anya said while blowing her nose with the tissue, and started running towards our destination. She was certainly right. It would be more efficient to get to the destination quickly and warm up over there, rather than to walk slowly outside in the cold under the umbrella.

Our destination was a cram school. We were students at a cram school that offered more difficult classes than our school school. Of course, the inside of the school was heated up, so a warm room awaited us. I had been walking slowly, but I had no choice but to follow her back and start running to catch up with her. I ran on the snow, being careful to not fall down.

“A child prodigy at ten, a gifted child at fifteen, a normal person at twenty.”

There is a saying that goes something like that.

It is a proverb that warns us that even if you are better than others when we are young, if you act too proud, you’ll not be able to use your abilities wisely when you grow up. 

I wonder if it’s also used in the sense that when you grow up and learn about the wider world, you realize that you’re not good enough compared to the past you.

Anyways, it’s meant to say that even if you are praised and recognized at an early age, you should not be satisfied with just that, but instead you should continue to make an effort and just try to improve yourself.

……However,

This proverb had a slightly different meaning for me.

“Zeke! Zeke! Let’s compete with our test scores!”

I was in a warm study hall. Anya was standing right in front of me, shouting loudly.

“Anya, you’re so…”

The test was now being returned. The teacher was calling out the names on the stage and returning the answer sheets to each student. As soon as Anya received hers, she ran straight to me and snorted loudly, although we were in class, so the teacher was troubled with her reaction.

“You’re… usually cool, but when it comes to winning against me, you’re extremely passionate…”

“You can’t afford to be complacent at such a time! Here, take this!”

Anya turned her chest to me and showed me her answer sheet. She was holding it a bit too close to my face, so it was hard to make out what was written on it. But there was indeed a score of 97 on it.

“…Wow, that’s amazing. 97 points.”

“Hmph!”

The corners of Anya’s mouth rose silently, showing off her proud face. This score was actually really amazing. This test had a lot of practical questions, and the number of students who could get such a high score would be almost zero.

The tests at this cram school were more difficult than at a normal school.  This is a cram school for honors students, a place of learning for those who aim for a higher level than normal. As a student here, I can say that this was the kind of place it was. There were very few students who could get a 97 in this cram school.

She had excellent grades and was very athletic. She was an honor student amongst honor students.

“I worked so hard on this test to beat you! That’s why it’s so high!”

“Hooh…”

“Even last night, I stayed up all the way till 9:30 studying to try and beat you.”

“You’re leading a more disciplined life than you think, you know.”

I guess I’m usually in bed much earlier than her.

“Okay? The loser of this test will do whatever the winner says!”

“Hey…? It’s not fair to say that after you got your test score.”

This sort of thing should be said before the test actually happens.

“No excuses! There is no such thing as unfairness in this game!”

Since this was happening in the middle of class, everyone in the class was listening to our conversation with great interest. It seemed that no matter how much I tried to convince them of the unreasonableness of the situation, they just wouldn’t accept it. The teacher was scolding us with utter distress, while the others were buzzing at the sudden bet of ours.

“I’m confident this time! If I lose, I’ll do anything you want! I’ll even give you a kiss on the cheek!”

“What are you talking about, you!”

I’m getting really impatient now. The people around me are getting excited at her words. However, Anya still kept her chest out proudly, which showed that she had strong confidence in this test.

The teacher called out my name with a troubled expression. It was my turn to have my test returned. Even though it was my turn to return my test, Anya followed me and peeked at my answer sheet from the side as the teacher handed it to me.

“No way…?”

Anya’s expression stiffened. Her mouth gapes open and a surprised expression sticks on her face.

“A-Ah, yo-you got a hundred on this test as well?!”

“…………”

I had scored a hundred on the test.

Anya was dumbfounded. Her mouth hung open in disbelief at what she was seeing. She must have studied very, very hard. The test was difficult and it was extremely difficult to actually manage to get a score of 97.

It’s not that hard to imagine, with a score of 97, she’d probably be the best student in the entire school. Excluding me, of course.

And yet, I was the one who won.

“100 points?”

“…So Anya-chan lost?”

“Anya’s on a streak!”

It was everyone else’s comments which upset Anya.

“What?”

“Geh.”

It was a bad move. Anya’s expression tenses. I took a step back.

“It was a kiss! That’s what Anya just said! Kiss!”

“Uwaa~ So adult like of her~”

“ “ “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” ” ”

“Hey! Everybody, stop right now!”

The teacher scolded them loudly, but the agitated children did not stop. The energy of these children is so great that no matter how much the teacher scolded them, the uncontrollable train would not stop.

Anya’s face flushed red.

“Whoa! What…? EH?”

“It’s okay, Anya. You don’t actually have to do anything.”

Even though it was her own unintentional comment that had caused the problem, Anya was looking pitifully upset. Overwhelmed by the voices around her, her face turned bright red, and she fidgeted and panicked with her jerky movements. I tried my best to calm her down, but her confusion would not subside at all.

“ “ “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” ” ”

“~~~~~~Tsu!!”

Her face turned redder than an apple, and steam gushed out of her head. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she became teary-eyed.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Wha!? Anya! Where are you going?”

Without listening to the teacher’s orders, Anya ran out of the classroom with a cry and ran away like the wind.

“…………”

“…………”

The classroom turned quiet. Then the teacher’s sermon began. Everyone was dumbfounded at what just happened.

I thought back to how she was. She was completely dumbfounded when she saw my score of 100, just before the crowd went wild.

She was always trying so hard. She was a girl who was always desperately trying to beat me, a girl who challenged me again and again to a competition just to try and best me. She was a girl who studied hard, combining hard work with natural talent.

But still, she has never actually defeated me.

I felt sorry for her. She was doing her best, after all.

But it’s not her fault. I’m the one who’s cheating here. I got a 100 points by being a coward, not by any hard work like she believes.

Earlier, I’d admonished her for her cowardice for bringing up gambling in the middle of the game. But I had no right to call her a coward from the beginning. I’m not supposed to be in the ring of this competition in the first place. I’m not supposed to associate with people like Anya who are trying their best.

But I can’t tell anyone about my situation after all. If I told anyone about it, they would question my sanity, and even if I managed to somehow tell them about it, I don’t think that they would believe me. After all, I am…

　───A reincarnator

I have memories of my previous life.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

It was a special winter day with the heaviest snowfall recorded since quite a long time ago.

I think it was a cold day, but don’t remember that day very well. Actually rather than remember, I think I didn’t even feel it.

My cause of death in my previous life was a certain disease. 

I looked out the window at the sight of the large snowflakes falling in profusion. I managed to raise my head above the bed and envied the pure white scene I could see from my white hospital room. I was twenty-eight years old at the time, working for a common magic tool manufacturing company, just like any other person in the world. Although I was working like a normal person, it was still a struggle.

Apparently, I am what is called an ordinary person, and even if I did the same job as others, I couldn’t achieve the same results as others without working twice as hard compared to others.

It would have been the same for the rest of us anyways. If you don’t work hard enough, you can’t reach the workload required by society. That was the nature of society.

I was neither particularly good nor particularly inferior to others. In that sense, I was just an ordinary person. I once broke up with my girlfriend because I was too busy with work that required me to work much harder than others. Well, I suppose it happens all the time to the best of us.

In such a life, full of only common things in the world, I got sick. Ironically, it was the only thing that made me special and different from the others.

My body stopped moving and I managed to turn my head to look out the window. In my hazy consciousness, I heard from someone that the snow was covering the entire world, and that it was a special kind of a heavy snowfall.

I was envious.

I envied the heavy snowfall.

The heavy snowfall was certainly ‘special’ and will remain in the memories and records of many people as life goes on.

I wanted to be special, too. I wanted to be someone special. I wanted to leave my mark in the world too.

I slowly closed my eyes, feeling selfishly envious of the climate, a divine nature that we have no control over.

Then I lost consciousness, and my life came to an end.

───But then, I reincarnated

I have no way of knowing why or what reason I was here for.

But for some reason, I inherited the memories of my previous life.

TLN: Alright so this chapter is the only short chapter amongst the novel so this is the only one I can get out now, I’ll try to get a chapter out every week but don’t get your hopes up. I’m really sorry if I rekt this novel with my shitty translation quality but I’m trying my best with Spynine helping me out. Huge thanks to Spynine01 for helping me edit this(He’s just as masochistic as I am.), And pascal for proofreading. If you see any typos or mistranslations feel free to leave it in the comments or join the discord. That’s pretty much all, If you’re new to this site Please check out the others we have quite a few good novels on the site, Also we’re currently recruiting editors and translators so if you’re interested in editing or translating feel free to join and ask in General. Here’s the discord. And if you would like to support me here’s my Ko-fi Button. Thanks alot for reading