Chapter 1 – Awakening

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Short Shoutout:

I recommend reading the WN first. This novel is one of the cases where the WN is its own story, but it helps to avoid the LN so as not spoil yourself too much. Well, it’s up to you. I will finish the WN first, then work on the LN. As such, the release of the LN will remain a bit slower for the time being.

You can find the WN over here.

I couldn’t have had a worse time waking up. My dozing, muddled consciousness was forced to work by an intense pain. And just as I woke up to escape the nightmare of pain and agony, I remembered that the pain assailing my body was part of reality. Even though I regretted waking up, I had been tormented by the same miserable experience inside my dreams as well, so it didn’t make much of a difference whether I was awake or asleep.

Today was the third day since my consciousness had woken up to this reality. I spent those last three days in bed, tortured by pain and nightmares in tandem.

If I remember correctly…a woman has been nursing me. That woman is…

Has it already been three days since I accepted the unbelievable fact of my existing inside this body?

The terrible pain assaulting me the second I woke up had vanished as if it never existed once my thinking started to work. It wasn’t as though the pain was gone entirely, but this much wouldn’t stop me from moving my body.

“Yuuta-sama!”

Moving my ailing body, I sat up on the bed and checked the situation around me. No sooner than that, a woman opened the door while calling my name, her voice full of surprise.

I know this woman…

The bespectacled face belonged to an intelligent beauty, but her black hair, usually kept in a prim medium-bob, was disheveled. She wore a white blouse and a short, black skirt. She approached me while her chest, which was big enough to make one worry that it’d pop off the buttons of the blouse, shook quite conspicuously.

“Does your body not hurt anymore?”

As soon as she reached my bedside, she placed the towel in her hand on the side table and put that hand on my forehead. Her palm was cold. She must have cooled the towel earlier. The coldness of her hand felt comfortable, seemingly alleviating some of the pain plaguing me.

“It’s fine…Hayaka-san.”

Her name was Hayaka-san. At least the memories inside me told me so.

“Please don’t force yourself and remain in bed for now.”

Apparently sensing my pain seeping out from my voice, Hayaka-san gently pushed me back down on the bed.

“The color in your face has improved, I think. I’m more than certain that you will fully recover if you rest for a few more days.”

“Okay…umm, what date do we have today?”

“Today is April 13th.”

“April 13th…the classes for third-years have already started, haven’t they?”

“Yes. Yuuta-sama…you collapsed two weeks ago. Do you remember?”

“I collapsed…?”

“You lost consciousness and collapsed on March 31st. Afterwards, you remained unconscious for ten days. On April 10th, you regained your consciousness, but at that time your consciousness appeared to be still hazy…so I was surprised when I found you up and about.”

“I see…”

I was unconscious for ten days, huh? But, it’s true that my memories suddenly cut off….before I woke up. I recall that Hayaka-san told me I’d be a third-year at the Intermediate Academy, starting tomorrow. And since I have no memories beyond that, I must have collapsed afterwards, right? But I feel like I just slept normally… Has Hayaka-san been nursing me not only for three days, but actually thirteen days?

“The best doctor of the Nihon Kingdom examined you while you were unconscious. Given that your body showed no signs of being ill or injured, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Okay. It sounds like I have troubled you quite a bit.”

“A-Absolutely not!”

Ah, this was wrong, wasn’t it? I abased myself a bit too much there, didn’t I? It wasn’t the usual attitude a man of Nihon…of this world would demonstrate towards women.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, please.”

Once I took the cup with cold water from her, Hayaka-san smiled happily. She looked best when smiling or laughing. The clock’s hand pointed to nine. Outside the window, it was dark, so it had to be 9 p.m. right now.

“Do you think you will be able to take a meal?”

“Let’s see. I do…feel hungry.”

“I will go and prepare a porridge that is easy to digest. Please wait for a bit,” Hayaka-san pressed the towel against my forehead. It felt nice and cold. “I will be back right away.”

She bowed and left the room. Right afterwards, I could hear her briskly walking down the corridor. She must be hurrying to prepare my porridge as soon as possible.

Now then. Given the opportunity to be alone, I should grasp my current situation. After having had nightmares for three days, I’ve realized that this here is my new reality, but thinking it over once again, I still cannot believe it. I’m alive and kicking. The memories of a 『previous me』 exist inside my mind. The 『previous me』 collapsed on March 31st, and for some reason, it resulted in the 『current me』 awakening.

The 『previous me』…let’s call him Yuuta-kun for convenience…has become a third year at the Intermediate Academy this April. Surprisingly, he’s a problem child who lived like a NEET since his first year at the Intermediate Academy.

As for why he’s been secluding himself at home…

“Ouch!”

A headache assaulted me. But why? Why all of a sudden…? I…

“Ouch!”

Another headache. Why…? I can’t remember… What is going on…?

The headaches lasted an instant, disappearing as quickly as they came. Still, I couldn’t remember why I was living at home as a NEET. …For the time being, I should shelve this issue.

But, if Yuuta-kun is the previous me, who is the 『current me』? My name is Kinosaki Yuuta. I’m a 28-year-old scientist who participated in Japan’s Noah’s Ark project in Tokyo. But, for several reasons, my body should have served as raw material without it ever entering Noah’s Ark. Very likely, my body was frozen and stored away. According to the regulations of the Noah’s Ark project, the people chosen to live in the underground facility would have their bodies frozen and used as raw material in case they died.

My father also participated in the project as a scientist, but he suddenly passed away after getting involved in an accident during construction work. On top of that, my fiancée betrayed me. Surrendering myself to the ensuing despair, I stopped entering Noah’s Ark and offered my body as material.

So how did I wake up inside Yuuta-kun’s body?

Yuuta-kun collapsed on March 31st. Did he die on that day? Was my brain, which had been stored in a freezing chamber by someone, transplanted into Yuuta-kun’s corpse?

A technology to transfer a brain’s memories into another brain hadn’t been developed in Japan during my lifetime. Research on transplanting a brain was already ongoing, but it hadn’t reached a level where it could be put into practical use. And I don’t know what level of neuroscience and medical technology the current Nihon Kingdom possesses.

Did they resurrect my frozen brain to transplant it into Yuuta-kun? Or did they transfer my memories into Yuuta-kun’s brain?

No, wait. A brain transplantation would be weird. If Kinosaki Yuuta’s brain was transplanted into Yuuta-kun, why do I have Yuuta-kun’s memories? In the end, the transfer of Kingdom Yuuta’s memories into Yuuta-kun’s brain is the most feasible alternative.

Yuuta-kun has been relatively active inside this apartment while secluding himself. The apartment is exclusively reserved for Yuuta-kun. Because the apartment building has a gym, Yuuta-kun took a liking to working out. Of course, now, after staying in bed for thirteen days, my body’s muscles have degraded somewhat. I’ll retrain myself in the gym once my body stops hurting.

Yuuta-kun didn’t attend his classes at the Intermediate Academy, but he properly kept up with his studies via homeschooling. I shouldn’t have any issues with the knowledge and common sense expected of a young man of this age.

Back when Yuuta-kun was a student at the Lower Academy, he was something like a leader in his class. Still, he hasn’t met his classmates in two years, eh? I wonder what they’re thinking of me, who has secluded himself in his room all this time.

———— End of Part 1 ————

I’m living in the Special Male Ward of Nihon’s 『Toukyou』. The Kingdom of Nihon has very few men. Yuuta-kun doesn’t know the reason, though. The gender ratio on Noah’s Ark should have been fifty-fifty. So why are there so few men around? It’s said there’s one man in 10,000 women. There are eighteen boys, including me, in the class at the Intermediate Academy. All of those guys are the same age as me and live in Toukyou.

The Baby Academy, Lower Academy, and Intermediate Academy each had one boys’ class where we all studied together. The school building is reserved for our grade, so there are no older or younger students around.

Other than Toukyou, 『Hokkaido』, 『Kyouto』, and 『Fukuoka』 have Special Male Wards. The ocean sprawls in Toukyou’s south. It seems Nihon has become an island country in the shape of a triangle due to changes in Earth’s crust. Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu are sticking to Honshu. Hokkaido, Kyoto, and Fukuoka all built underground facilities as part of the Noah’s Ark project. Other cities also did so. I don’t know how long it’s been since the final war, but those four areas might be the only ones to have survived in their underground facilities.

“Yuuta-sama, sorry for making you wait.”

As I was pondering all these things, Hayaka-san carried the meal over with a big smile on her face. She was likely happy that I had regained my consciousness. My eyes were inevitably drawn to her swaying, voluptuous chest.

“Please enjoy your meal slowly.”

As I ate the slightly watery porridge, I could sense warmth spread across my body. Somehow, power seemed to be well up in me. While I was thinking about all sorts of things by myself, the pain had mostly subsided. Now I felt so energized that I couldn’t believe I just recently managed to sit up.

“Mmh…thanks for the treat. Somehow, the pain in my body is gone, and I feel extremely fine.”

“Oh, you ate up everything!”

Rejoicing over the fact of me having eaten all of her porridge, Hayaka-san shook her body cheerfully. Her ample breasts swayed…

‘Thank you very much! I’m full of energy!’ if I said something like that in Japan, I’d be labeled as a simple, perverted brat, but Nihon was different. In this country, with its few men, it was very desirable for men to hold an interest in women. Education on 『women』 and 『sex』 starts as early as the sixth grade of the Lower Academy.

However, it’s not like a guy can have a huge harem of his choice just because there are 10,000 women per man. In the first place, it’d be impossible for a single guy to partner up with 10,000 women. Besides, Nihon requires its men to have a specific sort of sincerity, too.

“Your complexion has improved significantly. Can you move your body without pain now?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all. The pain I felt when waking up is now completely gone. I feel in perfect shape.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. U-Umm, Yuuta-sama…”

“Yes? What is it?”

As I was pondering about my situation while closely staring at Hayaka-san’s big chest, she spoke up, fidgetting restlessly with her face slightly red, “How about taking a bath, now that your body doesn’t hurt anymore? Of course, only if you like.”

Come to think of it, I haven’t taken a bath for thirteen days, huh? Do I possibly stink!?

“R-Right! I will! There’s nothing I’d like to do more!”

“I will get everything ready, so please wait for a bit.”

Hayaka-san lowered her head once more and headed to the bathroom. When I sniffed my armpit, I didn’t think I smelled badly. But why that reaction then?

For the time being, I stood up and stretched. It felt nice to hear my joints cracking. The pain in my body was truly gone. While Hayaka-san was preparing the bath, I reaffirmed my current situation while moving my body a bit.

Yuuta-kun’s problem…the biggest current problem for me is how I haven’t done any 『Service Activities』. Once a boy becomes an Intermediate Academy student, they begin accepting service requests from women and attending to them. Having a man accept their service request is a woman’s chance to meet a man for the first time. Especially 『Commoner』 women won’t ever be able to meet a man in their life, unless they have one accept their service request. The women of Nihon are divided into 『Royals』, 『Nobles』, and 『Commoners』. More than 99% of the women are commoners, meaning that fewer than 1% belong to royalty or nobility.

A man’s Service Activities are mainly targeted at commoner women. After all, commoner women cannot get in contact with men in any other way than Service Activities. The ones able to interact with men ordinarily are noble women. The women of the royal family run the government and dabble in politics. The women referred to as nobles are those who became a man’s wife through marriage. Those wives are granted a 『Family Name』 by the man. This family name is then used for their noble family. Girls born into noble families are given the chance to interact with boys, starting with the Intermediate Academy.

Men don’t build huge harems. Instead, they will start socializing with noble girls at the Intermediate Academy and eventually choose their partners from that pool. If a noble woman manages to marry a guy, she will serve as an intermediary for commoner women to put in requests for Service Activities.

However, it’s not like men aren’t allowed to build harems. The woman who becomes the first wife is called 『Main Wife』. All wives after her are called 『Branch Wife』, but there exists no limit to how many branch wives a man can have. Still, it’s a bad idea to increase the number of wives without carefully considering the relationship with the main wife. It’s no problem to turn women who have been acknowledged by the main wife into branch wives, but welcoming women who share bad blood with the main wife as branch wives will only worsen a man’s relationship with his main wife. One can rightfully say that deciding which noble woman a man marries will set the course for the rest of his life. For this reason, socializing with the girls in the Intermediate Academy is very important for boys.

Although Yuuta-kun was greeted by the girls on the first school day as a first-year student, he didn’t interact with them at all afterwards, as he became a shut-in. Moreover, he only did one Service Activity. Given that he didn’t meet the required Service Activities quota per school year, his Male Rating is stuck at the bottommost rank among the ten available ranks, making his situation rather precarious.

After he finished the first Service Activity during his first year at the Intermediate Academy, Yuuta-kun began his life as a shut-in. It wasn’t as though there had been a particular problem with that Service Activity either. He simply played games with a noblewoman named Suzune-san.

Service Activities are mainly offered to commoner women, but this only really starts after a man marries. The Service Activities during their Intermediate and Upper Academy time are regarded as training periods, intended to allow the boys to gain experience by having Service Activities with noble women. Yuuta-kun’s partner during his first and only Service Activity was a noblewoman without a husband. He enjoyed playing games with Suzune-san, but when he suddenly became a shut-in right afterwards, Suzune-san grew worried and sent him a letter, apologizing and wondering whether she had done anything unbefitting. However, it wasn’t her fault at all…

Ouch! Another headache…

“Yuuta-sama, forgive me for making you wait.”

Apparently, the bath was ready. Leaving his bedroom for the first time in a while, I headed to the bathroom. My eyes were inadvertently drawn to Hayaka-san’s plump, charming booty, hidden beneath a tight miniskirt, as she walked in front of him.

“Yuuta-sama.”

“Ah, yes!”

As Hayaka-san suddenly turned around, I quickly raised my line of sight.

While fidgeting, she asked me, “A-Are you going to take your bath by yourself?”

“Eh?”

By myself? Umm…is she going to enter the bath with me? What did Yuuta-kun do? …Ah, he entered the bath himself. There’s no way he’d have entered it together with Hayaka-san anyway.

“Y-Yes. I will bath by myself…ouch!”

“Yuuta-sama!”

What…just now…I felt like I was about to recall something.

“Does it hurt somewhere? Let’s give up on the bath and go back to your room.”

“N-No, I’m fine. U-Umm…”

Entering the bath…with whom? Did he enter the bath with someone? …Oh, I remember. It was Tomoka-san.

Tomoka-san, who used to be my main caseworker, had asked me whether I’d take my bath alone as well. Back then, Yuuta-kun answered that he would go in by himself…I remember how Tomoka-san looked somewhat sad when she heard that.

“I suddenly recalled Tomoka-san.”

“Yuuta-sama…you’re also kindly remembering Tomoka-san, huh?”

Hmm? Also? Kindly?

“Ah, no. Y-You see, Tomoka-san must be worried about you as well, so I will inform her about your awakening.”

It sure would be nice to meet Tomoka-san once more. I wonder whether she’s doing fine.

“Y-Yuuta-sama! I’m too worried to let you bathe alone. Won’t you give me your permission to assist you in bathing!?”

Yes, it’d be my pleasure.

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