Kaito Asami drifted within his consciousness, surrounded by endless darkness that stretched in every direction. It felt as if he were sinking deep beneath the ocean, where no light could reach and the cold seeped into his very being. The silence was heavy, leaving him alone with nothing but his thoughts.
"Where… am I?"
He tried to recall what had happened, forcing his mind to piece together the events that led him here. At first, everything felt like a mess and unclear, but slowly, the memories returned.
The image of a blade piercing through his stomach resurfaced, followed by the face of the man who had held it. Mizuno Ryunosuke, the author of Psychic Love, had been the one who killed him. The realization settled heavily in his mind, leaving no room for doubt.
"…So I'm dead."
A bitter feeling rose within him as he thought about how everything had ended. Being killed by the very person who wrote the story he loved felt absurd and unfair. His expression tightened as frustration resurfaced, refusing to fade completely. That guy's the real problem, he thought.
If he think back to the message he had sent, replaying it in his mind without regret. Compared to the ending the author had written, his words did not feel excessive to him. In his view, the author deserved far worse than what he had received.
"And he kills me over that? Crazy guy,"
After a while, the anger began to lose its edge, replaced by a dull sense of resignation. Kaito let out a quiet sigh as the tension in his body eased slightly. There was no point holding onto anger when everything had already ended.
"I Guess that's it."
Even so, a small part of him still clung to one last thought. If nothing else, he hoped that the author would face consequences for what he had done to him. The idea brought him a faint sense of closure, though it did little to change his situation.
As that thought settled, a sudden light appeared above him, cutting through the darkness. Kaito instinctively turned his head away as his eyes narrowed from the sudden brightness. The cold void around him began to shift as the light grew stronger.
"W-What is that…?"
The light spread rapidly, consuming the darkness that surrounded him. Panic rose in his chest as the space he floated in began to disappear. The overwhelming brightness made it impossible to focus, forcing him to shield his eyes.
"Wait… is this it?"
The thought of completely disappearing crossed his mind, bringing a sudden wave of unease. Despite everything, he realized there were still things he had wanted to do. His life had ended too abruptly, leaving him no time to prepare.
"I still had things I wanted to do…"
Among those thoughts, one stood out more than the rest. The ending of Psychic Love resurfaced in his mind, as frustrating as ever. Even at the edge of what he believed was his final moment, it refused to leave him alone.
"…I can't believe I'm thinking about that now."
A faint smile formed on his face as the light finally reached him. The darkness vanished completely, leaving nothing behind. In the next instant, his entire being was swallowed by the brightness.
At a hospital in Tokyo, a baby was born inside one of the delivery rooms. The doctor let out a relieved sigh as the procedure concluded successfully. Nurses and staff quickly gathered around, offering congratulations and support to the exhausted mother.
The woman lay weakly on the bed, her breathing uneven as she tried to recover her strength. "M-My baby… where is my baby?" she asked as she looked around weakly. One of the nurses approached carefully, holding a bundle wrapped securely in soft cloth.
The baby was gently placed into the mother's arms, and she held him close with a warm smile. The room softened as the doctors and nurses watched the moment unfold. A quiet sense of joy filled the space as the newborn rested peacefully.
As if sensing the atmosphere, the baby slowly opened his eyes. The mother's expression brightened further as she looked down at him. "Welcome, my sweet baby boy… to your new life."
The baby stared at her blankly, his gaze unfocused yet strangely aware. Within that small body was a consciousness that did not belong to an ordinary infant. It was Kaito Asami, now reborn into a life he could not yet understand.
"Uh…?"
"Uhm, who are you…? And what do you mean by a new life?" he tried to say, but only soft, incoherent sounds left his mouth. His thoughts were clear, yet his body refused to respond properly. The disconnect left him struggling to grasp the situation.
He attempted to move, but his limbs felt weak and unresponsive. Even turning his head required effort, as if his body had never been used before. The unfamiliar sensation only added to his growing confusion.
Looking around, he saw doctors and nurses watching from nearby. Their expressions were calm and satisfied, completely unaware of the thoughts racing through his mind. Everything around him felt real, yet impossible to accept.
"Don't tell me…"
"I... got reincarnated?"
Before he could process it further, a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over him. His thoughts slowed, and his vision began to blur once again. No matter how hard he tried, he could not resist the overwhelming pull of sleep.
His eyes grew heavy, and his consciousness faded quietly.
***
Five years had passed since Kaito Asami's reincarnation. Now living under the name Tsukishima Akihiro, he had gradually adapted to his new life. The transition had not been easy, especially during his early years when he struggled to accept his situation.
During the first two years, he found it particularly difficult to accept being breastfed by a woman he could not yet acknowledge as his mother. The experience felt deeply uncomfortable, clashing with the memories of his previous life. However, as time passed, he endured it and eventually grew used to it until the day it stopped.
At first, Akihiro believed he had simply been reborn into the same world. Everything around him resembled Earth, especially since he was once again in Japan. However, small differences began to appear as he grew older and more aware.
Familiar brands carried strange variations, with names like Nike becoming Nice, YouTube turning into MeTube, and Google appearing as Grogle. Even Facebook had changed into PalmBook, along with many other subtle differences. These inconsistencies confused him at first, making him wonder if he had entered a different version of Earth.
That confusion remained until one particular night when he was three years old. It was during a late-night broadcast that everything finally began to make sense. What he saw and heard that night left a lasting impression on him.
In the kitchen, his mother, Tsukishima Hoshiko, stood with her arms crossed while watching her husband closely.
"Kotaro, that is already your thirteenth cup of coffee today," she said, her voice firm with concern. "You are going to ruin your health if you keep this up."
His father, Tsukishima Kotaro, sat at the table holding another cup, clearly caught off guard.
"I-It's fine, really… I just needed to stay awake," he replied, forcing a small smile. "There's no need to get so worked up."
"That is exactly what you said after your tenth cup," Hoshiko answered, her tone sharpening slightly.
Kotaro let out a nervous laugh, raising his free hand as if to calm her down.
"I will stop after this one, I promise," he said, trying to ease the tension. Though his voice remained gentle, the slight stiffness in his posture betrayed his unease.
While his parents continued their exchange, Akihiro sat quietly on a clean rug in the living room. Small toy cars and building blocks were scattered around him as he pretended to play. In front of him stood a large television screen, appearing enormous from his small perspective.
Behind him, two girls sat on a gray couch, watching the news with focused expressions. They were his older sisters, Tsukishima Haruka and Tsukishima Kotone. Both shared similar features, with black hair and dark eyes that made them resemble each other closely.
Haruka, the eldest at seven years old, had long hair that flowed down her back in a slightly wild manner. Kotone, who was five, had shorter hair that reached her neck, along with bangs that framed her forehead. Each of them had a distinct mole, with Haruka's placed beneath her right eye and Kotone's beneath the left side part of her lips.
Akihiro had grown used to their presence, though not without some difficulty. Haruka, in particular, often took care of him and treated him with overwhelming affection. While it came from a place of love, it frequently left him feeling embarrassed.
In his previous life, he had never experienced a proper family, making such attention unfamiliar. Especially being treated like a baby by someone mentally younger than him only made it worse. The situation became even more humiliating whenever they teased him over things he could not control.
There were times when they would laugh after noticing he had soiled his diaper. On other occasions, they would casually change his clothes while making playful remarks. Though they meant no harm, the embarrassment he felt was very torturous.
Despite everything, he eventually grew accustomed to it. The warmth of a family slowly replaced the discomfort he once felt. What had been strange and awkward gradually became something he could accept.
As the television continued playing, Akihiro's attention shifted toward the news. Unlike before, he had developed a strong curiosity about this world. Since he rarely went beyond occasional outings with his parents, the television became his main source of information.
The broadcast was discussing something related to a school, though the details were not immediately clear. Akihiro focused more intently, wondering what kind of institution would be important enough to appear on the news. Amd also, if he thought about it, this was one of the first times he paid close attention to such a report.
As the segment continued, the name of the school was finally mentioned.
"The National Institute of Psionic Studies."
Akihiro froze, his small body going still as the words sank in. A faint sound escaped him, a confused reaction that he could not suppress. "Eh…?" he uttered softly, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard.
In that moment, everything clicked.
The strange brand names, the unfamiliar details, and now the mention of psychic studies all pointed to a single truth. Akihiro realized, with growing certainty, that he had not been reborn into a different version of Earth. He had been reincarnated into the world of Psychic Love.