NOVEL NEXT chapter 14
14: Domesticated People
It’s sports day.
The preschool is divided into groups of about thirty, and I belong to the “Slime Group.”
Slimes are commonly kept as pets, with special features about them even being showcased on the morning magical image board (television) programs, and a segment called “Visiting Your Cute Slime-chan at Home” is aired.
Inserted in between trivial news, this segment serves as a precious refreshment during busy and gloomy mornings, mainly watched intently by mothers.
I also think I want my own slime, but taking care of it seems unexpectedly difficult, and when I stuck to the pet shop window to look, the price was unimaginable for a four-year-old, so I want one, but it seems impossible. I want to pat and hug that squishy thing from above…
So, it’s the inter-group sports day.
There are other groups like “Ambrosia Group” and “Broom Group,” and I think, “Whether it’s living beings, plants, or tools, just unify the class name genre,” but there must be an “enemy” intent in this world that has not yet grasped even the slightest intention, so I want to examine it further in the future.
But for now, it’s the sports day in front of me.
Or rather, it’s in the midst of the sports day right now.
Now.
We, who bear the name of the slime, cannot allow defeat.
Slimes are amazing. We cannot lose to some class with a name like Ambunro… Ambro… Ambrochi… something like that.
—
The defeat of the Slime Group is synonymous with the defeat of slimes inhabiting this world.
The burdens we carry differ in weight.
Losing to a class named after a red fruit, commonly used in baked goods, whether it’s a fruit or a vegetable, is not an option. Yes, we must win by any means necessary…
We ran vigorously. We rolled the balls vigorously and occasionally put them in.
There’s Sheila, born in April, on our side. April-borns are amazing. They have a large body. Naturally, they’re fast. They also have good ball control. We steadily accumulated points with Sheila at the forefront.
The sports festival is entertainment, but not just play.
We competed earnestly. We didn’t hold back in tug-of-war. And of course, we didn’t hold back in the relay either.
In the parents’ race, we cheered loudly. Cheering mainly involved shouting midway, and we became so engrossed that we even forgot what we were doing. The sports-challenged, intellectual dads lagged behind in the parents’ race. Don’t joke around.
Perhaps Dad is indeed an “ally” of the enemy.
I thirst for victory. That’s why the “enemy” will likely snatch victory from me. It’s the same in any world. The more you desire something, the less likely you are to obtain it. Dad will need to be thoroughly investigated later. I know that you have hidden adult books on your bookshelf…
And so, the Slime Group and the Ambrosia Group continued to have a dead heat.
The Slime Group is slightly in the lead, but I won’t let my guard down. Leaving the Broom Group aside, April and May-borns are sporadically seen in the Ambrosia Group.
Early birth gives strength. Particularly, we toddlers grow quickly. With a half-year difference in birth, they can be considered completely different species.
The dead heat grew increasingly intense, and finally, the competition was carried over to the last event, the “Class Costume Relay.”
The winner of this costume relay would be the overall winner of the sports festival—this is where my experience of reincarnation over a million times came into play. While the other children dressed up as their favorite characters, I dressed up as a “preschooler doing sports.” In other words, I chose a “comfortable outfit” as my costume.
And thus, due to my strategy, the Slime Group won the sports festival.
The point difference is large enough for even us, at four years old, to understand. Yes, we can read numbers.
However, at the final moment, the principal said, “Everyone did their best. The victory belongs to everyone.”
…Huh?
I was furious. However, even if a child gets angry and rants, they cannot resist the enormous authority of the “principal.” If I’m going to get angry, everyone should get angry.
I looked around for children with dissatisfied faces. It’s impossible for the statement “the victory belongs to everyone” to pass after such a fierce competition—this is what I thought. However, what I saw was a terrifying sight.
Smiles.
Smiles, smiles, smiles.
Everyone had faces filled with a sense of accomplishment after completing the competition.
The losers, the Broom Group, being treated as winners despite coming in third, smiling is understandable, but even the Ambrosia Group, who fiercely competed, and not just us, the younger members of the Slime Group, even the older ones were smiling.
I don’t understand. I felt unsteady. It might be heatstroke. The sun is unusually harsh today… The May sky is high and blue.
No, that’s not it. It’s not heatstroke. I’ve realized.
I’m being brainwashed.
I understood that the spirit of competition has been taken away. Despite grasping victory at the end of the battle, they’re wearing faces that show they don’t care about having that victory stolen from them.
I clenched my teeth, holding back my anger. Should I lose my composure alone? No, it’s better to refrain. I am a four-year-old who can control my emotions. I stomped on the ground in frustration. Ughhh… control my emotions… uooooh!
“R-Rex, what’s wrong?”
Mom, who was watching nearby, whispered to me in a hushed voice.
I was taken aback. That’s right, the parents! Even the children, let alone the parents, didn’t raise their voices at this outcome… This is clearly abnormal. It must be brainwashing.
I wanted to scream in anger, but I had calmed down a bit after what happened earlier.
Yes, I should stay calm… I pinched my own thigh and admonished myself. It hurt a lot. Really painful. It hurts… but I managed to calm down.
Yes, I am a four-year-old who turns adversity into an opportunity.
I can also gather information from adversity.
If the situation is this unnatural, it’s easy to understand the “enemy’s” intentions.
In this world, where the “enemy” is still lurking without even leaving a trace, they must have some purpose in trying to steal people’s “fighting spirit”…!
Finally, I have touched the tip of the enemy. Let’s celebrate.
This defeat is certainly frustrating. But if I know that the enemy is afraid of the fighting spirit, then I just have to keep holding onto it… I am a four-year-old who can learn. I can write better than anyone in my class, and I’m fast enough to become the representative for relay races. I’m in the lead in the caterpillar race.
And so, with this bitter defeat, I have come one step closer to uncovering the true identity of the “enemy”.
Victory may have been taken away, but I won’t forget.
In a 101 to 99 score, the Slime Group was undoubtedly winning.
They were winning…