NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1 - The Lost, Lost Office Worker
The Lost, Lost Office Worker
……Who am I?
Ah, no, no. It’s not a serious story about amnesia or anything like that. Well, it’s serious in a different way.
“Hafuu…”
Trying to calm down, I let out a big sigh. Please don’t mind that it’s a sigh devoid of any tension.
First of all, I’m a pure Japanese woman, born and raised in Japan. I’m 28 years old, a single woman nearing her thirties, and currently single. My face isn’t particularly good or bad, but I’m a relatively approachable person, so I guess you could say I’m pretty popular in the sense that I’m easy to approach? But you see, there’s a catch. I’m the type to end up as just a friend. That’s me, Hasegawa Megu, an ordinary office worker who works from morning till night and goes home only to sleep… How sad.
You know who you are, right? No, that’s not it. I’m lost right now… I mean it. Because, look!
These fair, small hands and feet! This low eye level! And this flat body! ……Shut up! I had some curves before!!
Nevertheless, I knew immediately that the obvious protrusion of my stomach wasn’t just because I was fat or pregnant. I was just continuing to look away because I didn’t want to admit this reality.
“…I’ve turned into a child… There’s no mishtaking it.”
I felt like the cute, childish voice that came from my own mouth, and the way I couldn’t articulate properly, confirmed that conclusion. I couldn’t help but fall to the ground, hands on the rocky surface. What the heck…?!
But really, I have absolutely no idea why this is happening. The first thing that came to mind was the reincarnation or transmigration stories you often see in light novels. Is it too naive to think that I’ve gotten caught up in something like that? But it feels right.
Assuming that’s the correct answer, okay? Even then, it doesn’t make sense.
Because, I don’t remember dying.
In those kinds of stories, there’s always that cliché where the protagonist dies or gets hit by a truck when they reincarnate or transmigrate, right? Well, it might actually happen without any action, but I think there has to be some kind of trigger.
But I don’t remember dying, or being in an accident, or anything out of the ordinary happening.
Yeah. No matter how many times I think back on it, it’s the same. As usual, I went home on the last train like a good office worker, had a quick dinner, dove into bed, and the next thing I knew, it was morning, and I was getting ready for work, thinking how I wanted to go back to sleep even though I had just woken up.
But guess what? This situation. When I woke up as usual, I was surrounded by rugged rocks, and my body was that of a child.
Anyone would think “It’s just a dream…” and try to go back to sleep, right? And when they lay down, they would hit the hard ground and yell “Ow!”, wouldn’t they? They’d be dumbfounded to realize that the possibility of it being a dream has been crushed, right? They’d literally go through the “Where am I? Who am I?” routine, right?
See, I’m not being weird, I’m not wrong. I feel like I’m doing a stand-up comedy routine in my head, asking “Who are you talking to?” But this must be a normal reaction.
When humans face a situation that exceeds their capacity, they usually become like this, I’m sure of it.
…You know, there are so many things in the world that you just can’t understand no matter how hard you think about them.
Things that you don’t even have the materials to think about. You could probably come up with a few different scenarios, but in the end, you wouldn’t be able to go beyond the realm of imagination, so it would be a waste of energy to even think about it.
The only thing I know for sure is that if I just sit here and do nothing, I’m going to die.
There are nothing but rocks around here, let alone food or water. If I don’t move, I’m sure to die of dehydration. I know I’m not going to find water if I just walk a little, but… I can’t just do nothing. It’s just a story that someone will help me if I stay put.
You’re not crying, are you? What good would crying do?! Crying won’t fill your stomach; it’ll just waste energy and water.
First, I need to find a way to survive. It would conserve more energy to stay put, but there’s only one option for me, who’s not waiting for rescue. I have no choice but to walk!
That being said, since I’m walking without a destination, I can’t help but think about things. Of course, what I’m thinking about while walking is the same thing as before. I want to try not to think, but I can’t help it…
Haa~, maybe there was a huge disaster while I was sleeping. And I got caught up in it and died instantly without realizing it? That’s not funny! I wonder how happy-go-lucky I was to not even notice…! I’m absent from work without permission, but if it’s a disaster, that’s the least of my worries.
My thoughts drift further and further in a positive direction. I’m tired, I think to myself. As I hang my head, I notice my thin, small feet, which I can’t help but recognize as my own.
“I wonder if the owner of this body is awound…”
Is it my consciousness that is possessing this body, or is the previous owner of this body me? I don’t know that either, but wouldn’t it be unusual for a child this small to be walking alone on a rocky mountain with nothing?
If this is another world, then common sense might not apply, but I would hate it even more if this situation was considered normal in this world.
“Ugh, I’m tiwed…”
How long have I been walking? I’m seriously in trouble because I’ve stopped thinking. I feel like I’ve walked a lot, but with these small steps, I’m sure the distance I’ve covered is nothing…
My stomach is empty, and my throat is parched. I’ve started tripping and falling over and over again, so I need to take a break.
“Oh… that looks good over there.”
What caught my eye was a small depression in the rocky mountain. Maybe about 50 meters away? I’m sure it’s a really small depression, but I think this body could fit in there, and even if there were enemies, it would be a place to protect myself. Thinking that, I mustered up the last of my strength and took a step forward.
…Or so I thought.
It seemed that this young body had reached its limit sooner than I had expected. Because of my long years of working like a dog, I made the mistake of thinking that I could still go on. I should have estimated the standard much lower. It was as if I hadn’t even considered that a child’s body couldn’t handle it.
I’m an idiot.
Thinking that, I lost consciousness.