I Was Reincarnated as a Nameless Combatant in a Japanese-style Fantasy Depressive Erotic Game, but the Women Around Me Are All Dangerous, and I Have a Bad Feeling about It

ir surroundings.

 

　”Shiro-chan, let's play house!”

　”Eh~, let's play hide-and-seek instead!”

 

　The older children ran up to Shiro and invited her to play, partly because they did not want their new friend to feel lonely, and partly because they themselves wanted to play, too.
The fox girl is confused as her hands are pulled in opposite directions.

 

　”Shiro-oneechan, can you read me a book?”

 

　The one who came to the rescue was Akane, who was holding a book in her hand while flapping her lizard-like tail and waving it around like she was in a good mood.
Although she herself did not intend to help her, but only acted on her own desire.

 

　No one can complain when Akane, the youngest, the most pampered, and the whiniest among the orphans, says so.
She is loved like a little sister by everyone, and her request could not be ignored.
Above all, Shiro could read the most among the orphans, though she herself did not know why.
So it was obvious which game the fox girl would choose.

 

　”Yeah, okay.
Akane-chan, you want to go?”

　”Yeah!”

 

　Seeing the troubled attitudes of the people around her, and at the same time, sensing the power relationship between them from her not-so-long life in this orphanage, the fox girl accepts her cute friend's request with a slightly bitter smile and starts reading a book sitting on the porch of the orphanage.

 

　The books were slightly discolored due to the lack of mass production of paper and the immaturity of the type-printing technology.
It was a moral education lesson book donated anonymously to the orphanage some years ago, probably from a second-hand bookstore.

 

　”So, which story do you want to talk about today?”

　”Ummm…
The story of Kasa Jizo!”

 

　Akane cheerfully answers Shiro's question.
The story she told was about the Kasa Jizo.
It was not simply because she liked the story, but rather because the girl Akane seemed to like stories involving food every time, and that seemed to be her choice.

 

　The story is about a poor old couple who can't afford to buy rice cakes at the end of the year and go to a town to sell their hats in the snow.
However, no one cares about their old rural hats, so they go back to their house.
On their way home, they find five snow-covered Ojizo-sama, and the old man takes pity on them and gives them some of his unsold hats and a hand towel to one of them who is short.
At night, when the old couple was sleeping, they heard a noise.
They peeked in the doorway and found a pile of boxes containing bales of rice, vegetables, fish, koban, and fabrics.
They were gifts from Ojizo-sama to the kind-hearted and good-hearted old couple.

 

　”The grandfather and the grandmother, who had given a blessing to the departing Ojizo-sama, were able to celebrate a wonderful New Year in this way.
And they were very happy.”

　”Hmmm.”

 

　When Shiro finishes her story, Akane, peering at the illustrations in the book as if peering into the book, asks her new family.

 

　”Shiro-oneechan.
From this house.
There's Ojizou-sama statue a little ways away from here.”

　”Is that so?”

 

　Akane's sudden words made Shiro look a little puzzled as she asked back.
She still did not fully understand the geography of the area around the orphanage.

 

　”Yeah.
So…
Next time.
I'd like to make a cookie.
In winter.
When it snows, if I give it to Ojizou-sama, will He give me food like in the story?”

　”Umm…
I wonder if that's true…?”

 

　Akane, who was already like a little sister to her even though they had known each other only for a short time, said something that even Shiro could not clearly say back.
The fox girl was a good person, but in the back of her mind, she knew that the story she had just told was just a story.
Because she already knew it.

 

　(That's right.
Helping…
no matter how nice or good they were…)

 

　However, even though we didn't bother anyone.
Just living a quiet life with my mother, cultivating the fields on the outskirts of the village! And yet…
and yet…!!

 

　(No one came to help to us.
Even though we did good things…
Even though we didn't do anything bad.
That's right…
that's why I'm…)

　”Shiro-oneechan?”

　”Huh? Uh, um, I'm sorry.
Akane.
I was kind of fuzzy from the heat…”

 

　The fox girl comes back to herself at the sound of Akane's voice and answers evasively.
At the same time, she herself wondered what she had been thinking.

 

　(Could that have been, just now…?)

 

　She does not know because she does not remember, but it seems to her that this was the element that controls the basis of her existence.

 

　(In the first place, who am I? No…
what am I?)

 

　She has no memory and cannot remember where she was born.
She can read and has nightmares.
Such things do not seem to be unrelated and independent factors.
And some of the contents are clearly disturbing.

 

　”……”

 

　At this thought, Shiro fears it inwardly.
The orphanage is important to her.
A place where she felt safe and at peace, even if her time there was short.
She did not want to put the place and its people in danger because of her.

 

　”…Uhh, Shiro-oneechan.
I…
I love rice cakes.”

 

　After staring at Shiro, Akane suddenly speaks up.

 

　”Rice cake (Mochi), is it?”

　”Yes! It's so delicious in soup! And also! Anko (red bean paste), kinako (soybean flour), and ah! Sato shoyu is also delicious!”

 

　With a slight twinkle in her eyes and drooling at the corners of her mouth, the young girl talks about the deliciousness of rice cakes.
In this world where white rice is still precious, rice cakes are also a luxury item, and at the same time, rice cakes are a food that is concentrated with the flavor of rice.
If one considers the value of white rice to be a feast for the common people, the value of rice cakes can be understood.

 

　”I-Is that so…?”

 

　Akane's joyful tone slightly turned her off, but Shiro urged her to continue the conversation.

 

　”Yes.
But…
Last Oshogatsu (New Year)'s…
Everyone ate rice cakes, but only mother didn't eat any.”

 

　Akane looked sad as she spoke those words.

 

　”You know.
Mother always shares her food with us.
Even though she's bigger than us and has more work to do.”

 

　After saying that, Akane stared at the book again.
Then she snorted and declared “That's why I'm going to make a cover for her for the next Oshogatsu (New Year)!” She said.

 

　”And, we're going to eat lots of rice cakes! So, let's eat it on the next Oshogatsu (New Year) together, Shiro-oneechan!”

 

　Akane's words, uttered with a carefree smile, made the fox girl gasp.
She understood that the younger sisterly girl in front of her was speaking out of concern for her.
And moved by the fact that she said she wants to live with her from now on, Shiro's heart burns deep in her chest.

 

　”Yes…
That's right.
I wish we could all be together.”

 

　So Shiro answers.
And she affirms it.
Because she, too, sincerely wishes it.

 

　At this moment, the girl who had almost lost everything was indeed happy.
At the same time, she had made up her mind as a child to protect this small but warm and precious happiness.

 

　…But this happiness is not long-lasting.
It never lasts.
The hour of doom, the hour of despair, the moment of the tragedy was almost upon them.