Do You Think You Can Run After Reincarnating, Nii-san?

The Golden Boy: The Awakening of Talent

Chapter 12

The Next Day

“It’s snowing.”

The roofs outside the window were uniformly dyed white, and the distant mountains looked like giant shaved ice.

The snow piled at the base of the telephone poles looked very appetizing to me at the time, but even at ten years old, I had the sense not to eat it.

“Done!”

She declared as she thrust a branch into the body of the snowman, forming its arms.

Beside her was my seven-year-old sister, half-forced into helping build the snowman.

“Well then, to celebrate its completion… Banzai! Banzai!”

She was imitating the television again.

She always mimicked things she saw on TV immediately. Today, she was copying a politician who had just won an election.

Her imitations were always so abrupt that no one usually joined in. This time was no different.

She tilted her head and grabbed my sister’s hands.

“Come on, Banzai-chan. Do it like this, banzai!”

“Banzai?”

“Yes, yes. Banzai!”

“Banzai!”

“Banzai! Banzai!”

“Banzai! Banzai!”

They laughed gleefully together.

I watched the two of them while leaning against a snowman that had only a body. The snowman-building contest ended with her and my sister’s alliance as the overwhelming winners.

It’s a worn-out fragment of memory. A supposedly happy recollection that vanished into the distance of nightmares.

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The chirping of birds was heard.

“…So bright…”

I rubbed my eyes with my left hand.

Morning already… It felt like I had a nostalgic dream…

“Mm… Mmh…”

Right in front of me was Phil’s face.

Her eyelids twitched and slowly lifted.

Her large eyes, still hazy, stared at me from up close.

“…Ja-kun?”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. …Ah.”

After returning the greeting, Phil’s face suddenly turned red.

She pulled the quilt up to her mouth—covering her lips.

Seeing that gesture, I remembered what we did right before going to sleep last night, and my face heated up too.

“Hehe.”

Seeing me just as embarrassed seemed to comfort Phil, as she gave a relaxed, goofy smile.

I averted my eyes out of embarrassment.

“Good morning, you two.”

Startled by the call, we both jumped a bit.

Raquel was sitting by the window, brushing her hair.

She had woken up earlier and was already dressed.

Phil and I sat up.

“G-Good morning, Master.”

“Why the formality this morning?”

“Oh, no reason…”

“I see.”

Raquel glanced at Phil and me.

“You two are really close.”

“What?”

“When I woke up, you were holding hands while sleeping.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Phil tugged at my nightclothes.

“(Secret.)” She whispered

Well, I couldn’t exactly tell her that we were passionately kissing next to her all night.

Raquel didn’t seem to expect a response. She finished brushing her hair and stood up.

“Alright, I’m heading out. You two can sleep a bit longer if you want.”

“Okay, understood.”

With that, Raquel left the room.

Phil and I looked at each other.

“Um…”

“Yeah?”

“A-ha ha ha.”

“Hehehe.”

We exchanged meaningless words and laughed meaninglessly together.

To be honest, I don’t clearly remember much of what happened last night—I was too caught up in the moment.

Until yesterday afternoon, I wasn’t sure if I had ever seen Phil in that way. But at that time, she looked so incredibly cute that I couldn’t help myself.

Actually, I still feel that way a little now. Like a lingering scent or an aftertaste.

“…Phil.”

“Yes. Ja-kun?”

Before I realized it, I had my hand on Phil’s cheek.

My fingers tangled in her silky hair.

The sensation that had been there all night was gone now, and the discrepancy was frustratingly itchy.

In plain terms, my lips felt lonely.

“A-ah, um…”

Still, I should probably ask for permission, right…?

Yesterday, it was her who initiated, so what should I say…

“Hehe.”

Seeing me hesitate, Phil gave a shy smile.

“It’s okay.”

My heart pounded painfully.

Phil’s long eyelashes—

Her clear eyes—

Her faintly flushed cheeks—

Her lips, looking moist—

Everything seemed to sparkle.

Oh no. For the first time, even including my past life, I realized something so clearly.

I like this girl.

I swallowed and slowly brought my face closer.

Phil closed her eyes, so I hurriedly closed mine too.

I felt her warmth.

Her damp breath touched my half-parted lips.

And then—

“Sorry, I forgot to mention something.”

—The door opened, and we both jumped apart.

I fell off the bed, hitting my back on the floor.

“Ouch!”

“What are you doing, Jack?”

Raquel, standing in the doorway, looked at me with a dismayed expression.

“Uh, no, I was just a bit drowsy…”

“You’re too relaxed. If I were an assassin, you’d be dead by now.”

“S-Sorry…”

Her reprimand was so justified that I couldn’t argue.

“Master! What did you forget to mention?”

Phil tried to divert the topic, and Raquel took the cue.

“Oh, right. I have an urgent matter this morning, so training is off.”

“Urgent matter?”

As I got up and asked, Raquel nodded.

“The present I mentioned yesterday. It’s ready, so I’ll go pick it up. I’ll be back by the afternoon, so you can play until then.”

With that, Raquel left for good this time.

A present… I wonder what it is?

“Ja-kun.”

As I pondered, Phil, still sitting on the bed, called out to me.

“Um… should we try again?”

Recalling the memory that had been scattered by Raquel’s sudden reappearance and the shock of falling from the bed, my face heated up again.

Do I want to try again? Yes, but starting from scratch again… ah, ugh, argh!

“…M-Maybe later…”

Barely managing to say that while looking away, Phil shyly smiled.

“Alright. …Later, then?”

In just one day, one night, the way I see people has changed.

Now, anything Phil says makes my heart race.

“—Oh, that’s right!”

Suddenly, Phil exclaimed and jumped off the bed.

“Master said we’re off this morning, right? Let’s go now!”

“Go? Where?”

“Did you forget? We were going to buy a present for Master together!”

Oh, right… We did talk about that.

The events that followed were so intense that I forgot.

“Yeah… Let’s go. Master’s present should be ready by the afternoon, so we can exchange it.”

“Alright! Let’s go!!”

Phil, back to her usual self, declared enthusiastically.

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Approximately six hours later.

I woke up on a cold stone floor.

“Ugh… It hurts…!”

The back of my head throbbed with pain.

Maybe that’s why my recent memories were fuzzy.

What…? Why am I sleeping on the floor…?

“Mmh…”

I heard a voice beside me.

I turned to see Phil lying face down.

“Phil!? Are you alright!?”

“Ouch… Huh? Ja-kun…?”

As I helped her up, Phil looked at me with a dazed expression.

She didn’t seem to be injured. Thank goodness…

“Ja-kun… Where are we…?”

Phil looked around, prompting me to finally notice our surroundings.

We had woken up in a cold, stone jail cell.

Yes, a jail cell.

In front of us was an iron grille, beyond which was a dimly lit corridor.

On the opposite side was a small window for ventilation or light, high up near the ceiling.

Even if we stood on each other’s shoulders, we couldn’t reach it.

And it had sturdy bars on it.

A semi-underground stone prison.

We had somehow been locked up in such a place.

“You’re awake.”

A sudden voice startled us, and we turned around.

To our further surprise, we saw several children, around our age, huddled together in the shadows of the cell, clutching their knees like mold in a bath.

The boy at the front had spoken.

I asked him.

“Who are you…? Where is this place?”

“Don’t you remember…? When you were brought here…”

Brought here…?

I searched my recent memories.

A sharp pain shot through my head, and my blurry memories began to clear.

Oh… That’s right…

Phil and I went to town.

We visited several stores together… We bought a hair ornament at the fourth or fifth shop, pooling our allowances together…

After that.

We took a shortcut on our way back to the mansion.

We were passing through a deserted alley when—

Suddenly, I sensed someone’s presence.

Thanks to Raquel’s training, I immediately went on alert, but I was a moment too late.

The next thing I knew, I felt a heavy blow… and now here we are.

“I see…”

I held my head and sighed.

“We were kidnapped, huh…”

“Kidnapped?”

Phil tilted her head in confusion.

“What a typical mistake.”

“Remember yesterday, when the master warned us? About the ‘Crimson Cats,’ the band of thieves. They probably brought us here.”

“Ah! I-I remember!”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“It’s not my fault. It’s Ja-kun’s fault.”

“Why?”

“Since last night, I’ve been thinking about Ja-kun non-stop!”

“Oh. Oh…”

Are you seriously bringing that up now?

“Well, in that case, it can’t be helped.”

“Right, right?”

Honestly, I can’t deny that I’ve also been in high spirits and can’t blame her. If I were in my usual mental state, this wouldn’t have happened.

Anyway…

Although the tension suddenly eased, the situation was still not great. But it wasn’t hopeless either. We needed information. I turned back to the boy who had spoken to us earlier.

“Hey. Were you guys brought here too?”

“Yes,” the boy nodded. “We were attacked suddenly and brought here before we knew what was happening. Most of us had the same experience. I’ve only been here for about three days, but some have been here for around a week.”

A week… Besides Phil and me, there were about ten other children in the cell. They all looked dirty, but they didn’t appear to be starving, so they must be getting some food.

However, several children had bandages on their arms, legs, or eyes. If I wasn’t mistaken, the limbs wrapped in bandages were missing their ends. The bandages were blood-stained, indicating these injuries weren’t from an old accident or a congenital condition. They had clearly happened recently.

“Hey… what happened to those injuries?”

“Well…”

The boy was about to answer when footsteps echoed from the corridor.

“It’s… they’re here for the ‘inspection’!”

As the boy’s voice trembled, the other children began to shake in fear. What… inspection? The footsteps grew closer until their source appeared outside the iron bars.

“Huh? Looks like we’ve got some well-bred ones here.”

A woman spoke as she looked at Phil and me through the bars. She seemed to be around thirty, with reddish hair sticking out wildly, giving her a fierce, tiger-like appearance. Her clothes, which showed off her well-toned muscles, made it clear she wasn’t to be underestimated. She looked like she could fight a bear.

Yesterday, Raquel had mentioned the leader of the Crimson Cats was a top-notch spirit magician. So, this must be…

“Huh? Hmm…”

The female leader examined Phil and me without reservation. Now I understood what the boy had meant earlier. This was the inspection.

“Both of you are quite high-quality. Though all brats look the same to me… I see, a noble kid, huh? You should fetch a good price.”

She knows I’m a noble? Did she guess from my appearance?

The woman turned to a man behind her.

“Hey, tell the others. We’re starting the ‘processing’ today.”

“Oho! How many are we doing today?”

“The two newcomers and… maybe one more.”

As she looked around the cell, the children’s fear intensified. They were terrified of this processing. The leader pointed casually at the front of the cell.

“We’ll take that one. That makes three.”

“What…?”

She had pointed at the boy who had spoken to us. He stood there, mouth agape, as if his soul had left his body. It was an expression of utter despair.

“No… No… Noooo!!!”

The boy suddenly screamed and clung to the bars, reaching out to the woman, his face a mess of tears and snot, pleading desperately.

“Please…! I’ll do anything… anything but the processing… please…!!!”

“Shut up.”

In an instant, I was shocked. The boy was suddenly thrown back. What happened? I saw the leader wave her hand, but it hadn’t reached the boy. She had flung him back without touching him. Was it spirit magic? But what kind?

Ignoring the boy who was now sobbing on the ground, the woman looked at me.

“You’re quite calm. Aren’t you scared? Or are you just too stupid to understand the situation?”

I intended to ignore her, but then I changed my mind.

“Your old-lady stink is so strong I’m struggling to breathe.”

As soon as I said that, one of the woman’s eyebrows twitched.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Use your head. Who else but you, you old hag? Oh, and by the way, ‘old hag’ is short for ‘stinky old hag.’”

The subordinate looked terrified. I found it amusing and let out a chuckle. The woman swung her hand. No, it was a fist?

The next moment, I was sent flying and rolled across the stone floor. As I lay there holding my stomach, the woman looked down at me and spat on the floor.

“Remember this, you brat. I’m Vicky, the leader of the Crimson Cats Thieves’ band, known as the ‘Bloodstained She-Leopard.’ Anyone who mocks me will see their own red blood, even brats like you.”

With those parting words, Vicky and her subordinate left. Once the sound of their footsteps faded, Phil rushed over to me as I lay curled up.

“Ja-kun! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

I said as I stood up nonchalantly. Phil made a surprised sound.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Of course not. I lightened my body to absorb the impact. Didn’t you notice?”

“I-I noticed!”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

I had trained with Raquel’s sudden attacks. Knowing it was coming—and letting it come—there was no way I couldn’t defend against it. I rubbed my stomach. That sensation… was it a punch? But Vicky’s hand hadn’t reached me.

“More importantly,”

I put aside what I didn’t understand for now.

“Phil, you stayed surprisingly calm. I was more worried about you causing trouble than about the leader.”

“I was scared…”

“You can be scared?”

“Of course, I can!”

Phil pouted, puffing out her cheeks. To think she could feel fear. That was the most surprising discovery today.

“Anyway, Phil.”

“Hmph.”

“Listen to me.”

I pressed her puffed-up cheeks with my hands, deflating them with a hissing sound.

“We need to contact the master and father quickly. Let them know we’ve found the thieves’ hideout.”

“Roger that!”

“Huh…?”

Startled voices made us turn around. The other children were all staring at us in disbelief. I walked over to the boy Vicky had thrown and offered him a hand.

“You okay? Can you stand?”

“Yeah… Um, you mentioned contacting…?”

“Oh, that’s…”

Just as I was about to explain,

“Come here, little birds.”

Phil called out to the window barred with iron. Three small birds flew in through the gaps.

“Can you find out where we are and inform the mansion? That’s right, Ja-kun?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The birds chirped and flew out the window again. The boy watched in bewilderment.

“What was that?”

“Phil’s spirit magic. I asked them to deliver a message. We should get help in… well, as soon as four hours, maybe.”

“The master will arrive sooner. She’ll use the same spirit magic as Ja-kun to get here quickly.”

“Oh, right. So, maybe in an hour and a half.”

“An hour and a half for help to arrive?!”

The boy looked astonished. I asked him,

“What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

He blinked and said,

“Benny.”

“Benny, listen carefully. You too, everyone.”

I addressed the ten or so children in the cell.

“I expect help to arrive in about an hour and a half. But before that, we’ll get you out of here. It’s safer that way. Phil, why is that?”

“Well…”

Phil tilted her head left and right several times before answering,

“If the rescuers and the thieves start fighting, we could be taken as hostages, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Yay! Head pats, please? Head pats?”

I patted her head. Well done. The other children stared at us in disbelief.

“Who… are you?”

“We are—what should I say?”

People with more knowledge of spirit magic than others? Not wrong, but it sounds lame. As I pondered, Phil raised her hand and declared,

“We’re the allies of j

ustice!”

“Huh? Allies of justice?”

“Yep! The master said Ja-kun wanted to be an ally of justice, so he learned spirit magic, right?”

What kind of explanation did Raquel give? Well, anyway… Allies of justice… That sounds good.

“Yeah, that’s right. We’re allies of justice.”

In the dark cell, I declared to the children huddled together,

“We’ll get you all out of here.”

‘Crimson Cats’? ‘Bloodstained She-Leopard’? So what? Such lame names. You’re nothing compared to my little sister!

I’ve been confined for five years. Escaping from here will be easier than from home.