Prologue
In this world, there is something called destiny.
When, where, with whom you meet, whom you fall in love with, and whom you marry—it’s all predetermined.
It’s supposed to be unchangeable from the beginning.
However, on a noisy summer day, with the loud chirping of cicadas,
On that one summer day, destiny did change.
It’s a common occurrence in stories, but for her, this was the second time.
The trigger was unclear.
She simply realized that, in an instant, time had rewound from adulthood back to her childhood.
She experienced what is commonly known as a time leap.
At first, she was astonished.
It was only natural, considering that encountering events like those in a story where you’re a character is something no one would expect.
The first thought that came to mind was that this might be a dream,
and she pinched her cheek.
However, a stinging pain conveyed that this wasn’t a dream but a literal reality.
“…I can redo it.”
Once she realized she had gone back in time, the next emotion that surged was an overwhelming joy.
If only she had done this at that time,
or if only she had done it this way
—that kind of regret is something every human has likely wished to go back and redo.
Such “what-ifs” became a reality.
It was only natural to feel joy.
Having led a life below average, the joy was intense.
—During childhood, she was bullied because of her mother’s inherited flaxen hair and indigo eyes.
—In elementary school, she fell in love with a boy her friend liked, causing a rift in their friendship, and she endured subtle bullying from the once-close friend.
—In middle school, despite a relatively calm life attending classes in a separate room, she had no friends, and spending time alone in the classroom was painfully lonely.
—In high school, a significant turning point occurred.
She was saved from a stalker by a knight in shining armor.
It was the first time in her life that someone had saved her.
It became the starting point of her understanding of love. After two years of fierce competition, she managed to become the knight’s girlfriend, and it was, looking back, the happiest time for her.
—During college, she learned that the knight was just a human.
—He would never betray her.
—He loved only her.
Thinking that way, she decided to maintain a pure relationship until marriage.
However, that continued only until having a child.
In reality, what was necessary was—
“Sorry, senpai. I took ○○ from you. ○○ is my boyfriend now.”
“No, this is a misunderstanding! Lily!”
“Oh, even though you whispered love to me like this? ‘I love you,’ ‘You’re the only one for me.'”
“Aaaahhhh!!”
—Physical intimacy. Without that, a romantic relationship would crumble easily, as Machikane Lily painfully realized.
Reflecting on her past brought back only revulsion.
It’s a life with no redeeming qualities.
Once was more than enough.
“This time, I will be happy.”
Nothing special was needed.
Just a normal happiness.
If she had that, she needed nothing else.
With modest aspirations in her heart, she began her actions.
“Ugh… I’m so done with this…”
—The world turned out to be more stubborn and ruthless than Lily had imagined.
In a campsite deep in the mountains,
having lied to her parents and wandered to a secluded place, she found herself sitting down, inadvertently letting out a sigh of weakness.
Under the out-of-season long sleeves, bruises and scratches were hidden. Hugging herself, a dull pain shot through her entire body.
While grimacing at the pain, Lily looked back on how she ended up like this.
She had time-leaped back to when she was three years old, already attending kindergarten and being bullied.
The first step was to do something about it.
She explained to her mother that she was being teased for being different, and had her dye her hair black. If teased, she immediately cried to the teacher and tried to stay as close to the teacher as possible.
Sometimes, she tried to logically outwit or counterattack when bullied, but this didn’t go well.
Her unchildlike responses and behavior earned her the dislike of the other children.
—That girl suddenly changed hair color, and it’s creepy.
—She’s monopolizing our teacher, and it’s unfair.
—Despite being protected by the teacher, she suddenly acts like she can say and do whatever she wants.
Various reasons led to Lily being disliked by those around her, and she ended up completely isolated. The only person she could rely on was the teacher.
However, there came a moment when the teacher wasn’t around.
Her bullies have been waiting for that moment to make a move on her.
To make sure the bruises weren’t immediately visible, they punched her under her clothes, threw mud at her, tripped her to make her fall, and subjected her to more insidious bullying than she had experienced in her original memories.
A major failure right after the time leap.
In an attempt to make the world better than before, it ended up becoming even worse.
This realization shattered Lily’s heart.
Originally not mentally strong, her heart, already shattered by her lover’s infidelity, was completely broken by this incident.
“…I want to die.”
Recently, every time Lily is alone, these words escape her lips.
Not as a joke, but with genuine intent.
As a means to be liberated from this world of pain, she even considers it the most useful option.
If nothing can be changed anyway.
If she’s just going to repeat the same things as before.
Struggling would be futile.
She doesn’t want to think about anything anymore.
“…………………………Death.”
Abandoning her thoughts, the word [death] came out of her mouth
In an attempt to faithfully carry it out, her body moved aimlessly, and in the next moment, screams echoed from above.
“Ahhhhh! I’m gonna die, die, die, die~!!”
“Kyaa!”
“Fugyaa!”
She turned her head to look in the direction where she heard the voice and saw a boy rolling down from the mountain.Funny! Ha-ha-ha! “
As Lily reflexively took a step back, suddenly a boy rolled down from the hill, passing by with tremendous force,
He plunged into the bushes with great force.
“Puhah! I’m alive. Haha, amazing. Funny! Ha-ha-ha! “
Pulling his body from the bushes, confirming that he could move without any issues, the boy burst into genuine laughter.
Observing the unexpected turn of events, Lily stared at him in bewilderment and, suddenly, their eyes met.
“Hey! Wasn’t that awesome? I fell from way up there and still came out fine!”
“Yeah… it was something.”
“Oh, man! I thought I was gonna die when I slipped. Surprisingly, things work out somehow.”
“Maybe from around there.” The boy pointed to a considerably high point on the mountain. It was a height where one would normally not come out unscathed.
It could be considered a miracle that he wasn’t seriously injured.
Despite the potentially life-threatening experience, the boy was nonchalant.
Whether he lacked a sense of fear, or perhaps he didn’t fully comprehend the situation due to his childishness, Lily thought it was probably the latter.
Rude as it may sound, Lily’s initial impression of the boy’s face was that he looked like an idiot.
To clarify, it wasn’t that he looked dim-witted, but rather, he exuded an air of carelessness and frivolity. She had no ill intentions.
“Would you like to try it too? It’s surprisingly fun!”
“…I’ll pass.”
“Aww, come on! It’s fun!”
But it seems that Lily’s observation was right and the boy made a foolish suggestion.
The boy let out a dissatisfied sound when she refused.
“If I get my clothes dirty, Mom will get mad at me.”
“Oh, I see. My mom’s the same… Oh no! My clothes are all torn. Mom’s gonna be pissed! Hey, do you have any spare clothes? Something nice. If I go back like this, I’ll get in trouble with my mom!”
Feeling that the boy still wasn’t giving up, she added a reason for her refusal. The boy nodded in agreement, and eventually, with a blue face, he asked if he could borrow her clothes.
Upon closer inspection, although he didn’t seem to have any injuries, his clothes were torn in several places, in a shabby state.
Indeed, it was easy to imagine he would get scolded if he went back like this.
“Um, if you go back to the campsite… well, there might be something there, I guess.”
“Really! Please lend them to me, just until I get back to the tent.”
“Um… well, you see… the thing I brought is a one piece dress.”
“One piece? Like the ones they show on TV?”
Well, I’m not sure about TV, but it’s a one-piece garment that covers the body and has a skirt part at the bottom.”
“A dress for girls, huh? Hmm. My mom’s kinda dumb, so maybe she’ll buy it?”
“…I think it’s impossible.”
What does he think will work?
Surely, that would be impossible.
If her son returned from the woods wearing women’s clothing, anyone would interrogate him about what happened.
At least that’s what she would do if she had children. Though she had never experienced having kids.
“Oh well. I thought it was a good idea, though.”
“…Don’t you dislike wearing girls’ clothes?”
“Not really. It’s all the same fabric, right? As long as the important parts are covered.”
“Ah… you’re that type.”
Surprised by the response, Lily was a bit taken aback.
Does this boy have no shame?
No, he probably doesn’t.
Otherwise, saying anything goes as long as it covers the important parts is unthinkable.
Even if it’s just someone else’s matter, she couldn’t help but worry about whether this boy could become a responsible adult in the future.
“Ugh… Well, it’s a hassle. Alright, let’s play something else.”
Unable to come up with any other ideas,
as if gave up on thinking he then invited her to play.
“I gave up… um, I’m good. I have to go back to my mom soon.”
However, she indirectly declined his invitation
The way they met and what the boy’s said were too shocking, and although a normal conversation was happening, she had a strong aversion to people, especially men.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t speak at all if approached. She had thoroughly avoided any interaction with men.
The reasons were obvious.
The traumatic events involving men in her first life were the cause.
There were multiple events of traumatic nature, and it wasn’t surprising that she became this way.
There was no wonder that she became this way.
“Hey, it’s still early after lunch. It’ll be fine for a little adventure in the mountains!”
“Wait… Wai..t!”
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But the boy, oblivious to her situation, forcefully took her hand and dragged her into the depths of the forest.
Caught in a child-like grip, unable to shake off his hold, the girl was carried away into the heart of the woods.
From then on, she was forced to participate in the boy’s games.
“Do you know these leaves make a sound?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Hmm. Well, try blowing on it. It makes a pretty good sound.”
“……Puh.”
“Puh! Hahaha, it sounds like a fart.”
“Well, what can I do? It’s my first time.”
“Don’t get mad. It’s my bad. I’ll teach you how to do it properly next time.”
“That fruit on that tree looks delicious. Can we eat it?”
“…I think it should be edible. I read it in a book.”
“Really!? Okay, I’ll get it.”
“Wait a moment! It’s dangerous!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. There we go. …Got it. I’ll drop it, so catch it. Here.”
“Got it. …Hey, drop it a bit more comfortably next time.”
“Sorry. How about this?”
“Good enough.”
“Alright, I’ll get more.”
“……”
“Sour!”
“It’s quite sour. The book mentioned it’s edible, but maybe not tasty.”
“Let’s have a water splashing contest. The one who jumps the most wins.”
“Huh, it’s fine, but I’ve never done this before.”
“Me neither, so it’s okay.”
“What do you mean it’s okay?”
“……”
“Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. I jumped a lot!”
“One…Ahh! Why can’t I jump!”
“…Puh.”
“Hey, you laughed.”
“I didn’t laugh.”
“You did laugh!”
“I didn’t laugh!”
They played the grass flute, tried eating wild tree fruits, and had a water splashing competition, utilizing the natural surroundings of the mountain for their games.
Initially reluctant, she found herself immersed in the play as time flew by.
In essence, yes, it was enjoyable.
Perhaps it was because everything was new, and the fact that the other person was a complete stranger without any memories played a significant role.
She could enjoy being a child without being triggered by strange traumas, simply engaging in playful activities.
However, enjoyable times are fleeting, and as the sun started to set, it was time to bid farewell.
Walking behind the boy on the dimly lit mountain path, the campsite came into view.
“Saito, where were you!?”
“Ugh, it’s my mom. She’s definitely gonna be mad. Well then, today was fun. See ya.”
“Wait…wait!”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
As they entered the campsite, a woman who seemed to be the boy’s mother ran towards them, shouting loudly.
The boy’s mother face showed a mix of anger and relief, with anger being the stronger emotion. the boy thought he would be scolded and hastily tried to escape.
However, she stopped him.
This was an opportunity she couldn’t miss.
For a while, she had been curious and decided to ask the boy a question she had been pondering.
“Hey, why did you forcibly invite me to play?”
Though only briefly interacting with him, she had noticed something.
This boy was kind.
He observed people well and didn’t do things that would genuinely upset others.
Therefore, the reason he forcefully took her away, even though she was genuinely reluctant, intrigued her.
The boy stopped and showed a thoughtful expression before saying,
“Hmm… simply because I wanted someone to play with.”
But …… I didn’t dislike it.
“What? Really? You didn’t look like you didn’t like it. If that’s the case, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s… umm… well, in the end, it was fun. So, it’s okay.”
“I see. That’s good then.”
Hearing that Lily disliked it, the boy felt a bit guilty for doing something wrong.
But as soon as she conveyed that it was fun, his expression softened and changed to a brighter one.
However, the boy’s reaction and such didn’t matter to Lily at the moment.
The words he had said earlier were echoing in her mind, refusing to leave.
“You didn’t look like you didn’t like it that much.”
At that time, she genuinely hated it.
She wanted to break free from his grasped hand and escape right away.
But the boy’s strength was too much, and reluctantly, she went along with the play.
—She didn’t dislike it?
That couldn’t be true.
She disliked boys.
She disliked being forced.
Because of the bullying, she didn’t like children either.
She was afraid of interacting with people.
If possible, she wanted it to end without getting involved with anyone.
Yes… she thought that. She should be thinking that.
—Really?
“Hey! Saito! Where do you think you’re running off to!?”
“Uh, uh, uh-oh!? When did…”
“Ah… I see. I guess that’s how it is.”
Lily lets out a small, quiet sigh as the boy is caught by his mother.
“I hadn’t given up yet.”
Come to think of it, it was simple.
If you seriously want to die.
If you’re rejecting interactions with others.
It would be strange not to resist more strongly at that time.
However, she didn’t do that because deep down, she still didn’t want to die, wanted to be happy, and wanted to be involved with someone again.
It seems that she is more reluctant than she thought.
“Thanks!”
“?”
Something she would never have noticed on her own.
To the boy who gave her the opportunity to realize her true feelings, Lily sends words of gratitude from the bottom of her heart.
The person himself doesn’t understand what he’s being thanked for, tilting his head in confusion with a silly expression.
Lily lets out a little smile, and the sky she looked up at was beautifully dyed in shades of crimson.
This is the encounter with Saito Minazuki, who would later become her childhood friend.
Due to this encounter that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, Lily’s destiny would undergo a significant change. However, at this moment, she had no idea of what was to come.
Translator’s Ramble :
This novel tell a story about a girl, betrayed by her lover in the past, time leaps and finds herself saved by a boy who becomes her childhood friend in her second chance at life. Thus begins the story as the curtains of an unseen world open when time takes on different hues.
The uniqueness of the story lies in the heroine’s time leap and the protagonist being an outsider. The intricate depiction of the heroine’s emotions adds depth to the narrative. The boy, unaware, becomes her savior, paving the way for a different future. Overcoming one trauma, they grasp an alternate outcome. What lies ahead? Will the world, with its bared fangs, attempt to correct itself?
As mentioned earlier, this novel presents a very unique premise, where the main heroine experiences the time leap rather than our protagonist. This create a problem as the first half of the story predominantly focuses on slice-of-life narratives from the protagonist’s school life. These events seem unrelated to the heroine’s time leap until the second half of the novel gradually unveils the details of her previous life.
Furthermore, there is a noticeable tendency in the author’s writing to redundantly restate information already conveyed in conversations. Despite this, the novel ultimately unfolds into a compelling story, making it the kind of of novel that is so much better to read continuously in one sitting.
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Ooo seems interesting. Thanks!
Way different opening vs webnovel, lets see more
you didn’t like it that much > should be dislike
girl suddenly changed his hair color > should be her
Fixed, thanks