Ch.2 Getting Banished
I ー Shiraori Aria ー was furious.
I prayed to the heavens that something would happen to that bastard acting like a tyrannical king.
I don't know what that bastard is thinking. Actually, I don't want to know.
I am an illegitimate child born from a love affair.
Shortly after I was born, I was stuffed with a cloth and a stack of bills and then dumped in front of the orphanage.
However, when I turned seven years old, he selfishly took me away, saying, "Since the legitimate child has passed away, I will acknowledge you after all. You can go in right away (rough translation)."
Thus, I changed jobs overnight, from an orphan to a distinguished young lady.
If people heard this, many might envy it as a Cinderella story.
However, the lady education that began from that day onwards became a realm of domestic violence.
As you can see from the fact that they dumped me to the orphanage, they have no interest in human feelings.
Every day, from morning to night, being pushed around by a schedule that is planned down to the minute.
I can't count how many times I felt like I was going to lose my mind.
The fact that tears were spilling even though I wasn't trying to cry made me think that this was really bad.
I continued living like that for eight years.
Just as my ‘lady act’ has settled and I'm used to put on a smile and said "how do you do?" the situation suddenly took a turn.
To put it simply, it looks like this.
-Hya! The wife is pregnant hya! (rough translation)
-What?! And the baby in her belly is a boy?! (rough translation)
-Then, I don't need you any more uhyoo! (rough translation)
-Ah, but I wouldn't mind having you as a mistress! Hyaaa! My son is so big! (rough translation)
Is there really such a crude trend or what???
I thought he had been looking at me strangely lately, and sure enough, it was true.
It's true that I have a really attractive look among men, though!
Long, lustrous, silvery white hair spreads out like a soft cloud around my back.
A black headband with a rose corsage resting on my head.
Large eyes the color of amethyst and long eyelashes, giving off a mysterious impression.
Small, plump, cherry-colored lips.
A beauty that is so unlike that of a Japanese woman that even idols would not even stand a chance.
The ultimate body that sticks out where it should and is tight where it should be (viscously).
It may sound like I'm bragging, but I look like the exact embodiment of a man's desires.
A mysterious atmosphere that is out of this world.
A pair of voluptuous breasts that are delicate yet full enough not to be too vulgar.
Beautiful legs, slender and with seductive curves.
It was full of man's desire to a frightening extent.
It's like a happy meal set.
You can trust me since I'm a former man myself.
Not only that bastard, but even the gazes of the servants who looked after me since I was a child were weird. Men are always like that huh!?
Well, half of it is my own fault, though.
As I've said many times before, I was originally a man.
I know very well the kinds of gestures that men like.
Although I find the gazes of males quite disgusting, being the center of attention still feels really good.
There is a squelching sound as the desire for approval was being satisfied.
Anyway, “Become a mistress or return to the orphanage, choose whichever you like hya! (rough translation)” or so I was told, so of course I chose the latter.
There's no way I'd ever be embraced by a man.
No to BL!
Having said that, it's not right to resort to yuri either.
Just like in my previous life, I have completely given up on love.
If there was anyone who could seduce me―it would probably be a hypnotizing uncle.
(Eww, what is that, Hell?)
"...What should I do now?"
A pure white breath melts into the night air as i sigh.
Today is December 31st.
It was New Year's Eve and snow was falling heavily.
It was a special day for everyone, a day to celebrate the past year with our families and to mark a turning point and get the momentum to work hard again next year, but I was alone, standing in the cold, feeling at a loss.
In my left hand was a carry-on suitcase packed with the bare essentials.
Yes, I had just been kicked out of the mansion where I had lived for eight years.
That scum really has no heart, abandoning me on a day like this, at a time like this, in this kind of weather just because I refused to be his lover.
Just you remember.
I have no intention of letting this go.
It has been my motto since my previous life to give appropriate retribution to those who behave disrespectfully.
One day, I'll spread the confidential and illegal information I've been collecting little by little out to the world.
If I spread them all right now, people will be suspicious.
I'll act when the time is right.
“So cold…”
I shivered from the biting cold air.
The snow touching my cheeks hurt, so I raised my scarf up to the tip of my nose.
The scarf, warmed by my breath, feels very comfortable.
Even if I wanted to go back to the orphanage, it's in Shikoku.
I decide to head to a coffee shop or an internet cafe first.
No matter what you do, the most important thing is to stay warm.
The sound of stepping on the snow is crunching.
I can't hear any other sounds.
There was no one else around.
The residential area was filled with silence, as if the entire world except for me had been frozen.
“It's really quiet…”
The houses on either side of the house had their lights on on the first floor.
I'm sure right now they are spending time together as a family, watching a special end-of-year program in the warmth of their living room.
I picture a group of strangers laughing together, without any barriers in sight, and then I shift my focus to myself, walking alone through the cold night air.
I feel like crying a little.
…Haaa.
Being blessed with good relationships has been something I've been proud of since my previous life and the life before that.
Now I've come to this point and drawn a terrible curse.
Could this be due to accumulated debt?
"Speaking of my previous lives, today's supposed to be my birthday..."
It's also the anniversary of my death.
I wonder what the odds are for dying on the day someone celebrates their birthday.
By the way, how long am i going to keep speaking politely?
"There's no need for the lady roleplay anymore, so it's okay to go back to normal, right?"
Because my gender and position have changed so much, I think there are about three different ways of speaking.
Of course, in my first life I spoke in a masculine tone.
In my previous life, I also spoke in a masculine tone at first, but after being corrected I began to speak in my current tone and also started using the first person pronoun "I (私)".
After being born to this final form, I become an honorific-speaking character.
"Is everyone doing well right now?"
For the first time in a long time, I recall the faces of my family from my first life.
After I was picked up to that house, I didn't have the time to indulge in such feelings.
It has been twenty years since I passed away.
At first, I wondered if the timeline wouldn't add up if I took into account my age in my previous life. If so, wouldn't that mean I only lived for five years in that previous life? My previous life was in a different world, though.
That's why the timeline can sometimes be a bit off.
Twenty years...twenty years, huh?.
This means that both my brother and sister are now in their late thirties.
I'm curious. I'm really curious.
"Okay, I've decided."
Let's go see them. It's much closer than the orphanage.
If I were to go back, it would definitely be better to go there than the orphanage.
Of course, there's a good chance that things won't go well.
From their perspective, it was like an incredibly beautiful girl who was completely different in gender, age, and everything else, suddenly showed up and started claiming to be a family member who had died twenty years ago.
You'd normally think that it was a dangerous thing to do.
It wouldn't be surprising if they yelled at me, saying that I was insulting the dead.
However, I have a secret plan.
I'm glad I collected my family's dark history to kill time.
I guess this is just an old trick.
◇◆◇
"You have arrived!"
I paid the driver and got out of the taxi.
Right in front of me was my family's home - Hm? something felt off.
Huh? Are you kidding me?
...Ah, I see. It's been expanded. What a surprise.
I checked the nameplate just to be sure and felt relieved.
If they'd moved away, there's nothing I could have done. Thank goodness.
I also confirmed that the lights were on in the living room.
It seems like they're at home, so I'll just ring the doorbeー
The outstretched fingers stop.
I know it's a little late to say this, but this isn't actually a parallel world, a timeline where I ...don't exist, right?
If that's the case, then I'm completely screwed.
I don't think I'd be able to recover if they replied with a straight face, "Who? We don't have someone like that," but it's okay, right?
"...Eyy, just do it!"
Ding dong~
Please please please please please.
After waiting for about ten seconds, there was a click of the lock and then the door opened.
Light shone outside, and a girl about my age appeared.
“Yes, who is i-”
““.......””
I was stunned and speechless.
But for some reason, the same was true over there.
The girl froze as she saw my face, then her eyes started to roll,
“A-ai kyanotto supiiku japaniizu!”
“?? ...Then, how about English?”
“―――――!”
A girl's strange voice echoed through the night sky on New Year's Eve.