I, a Reincarnation Stream Player

Wait, could he be a playboy?

Mai glanced sideways at him, her eyes full of suspicion. But the man kept his gaze straight ahead, radiating an air of righteous dignity. He showed no sign of taking advantage of the moment.

What a strange guy. It was impossible to tell whether he was doing it on purpose or not.

The girl wrinkled her nose, an air of queenly authority radiating from her.

Whatever happened in the game was one thing, but in real life, I'm not letting him lead me around by the nose.

There it was. Her competitive streak was kicking in.

Yuki had noticed her furtive glances long ago and chuckled to himself. Just as Mai suspected, he'd planned this in advance.

Before leaving, he'd checked the calendar. Tonight was a small local festival in Kanagawa, and Temple Fair Street would be bustling. He'd figured Mai wouldn't be in the mood to pay attention to any of that.

Going from teammates to friends was only the first step. He loved making progress without anyone noticing. That applied to games—and to winning someone over.

"Senpai, there's an accessories shop over there. Want to take a look?"

"Don't you have no money?"

"Senpai could pick out something to give me. This is the first time we've met in person. Doesn't that make it meaningful?"

"Shameless..." Mai thought about it and decided that since Yuki had gone to so much trouble to keep her alive, giving him something as thanks was only natural.

"Fine, but pick something normal."

"I know, I know. No rushing things."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The girl raised her fist, and Yuki quickly dodged. It was perfectly ordinary amid all the couples on the street, and only drew a wave of good-natured looks.

Hm?

Mai Sakurajima had just reached the shop entrance when she froze slightly and turned her head on instinct. Just like Li Dan back then, she was very sensitive to people's gazes.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just thought someone's gaze was strange. Oh, there he is."

Yuki followed her gaze. A figure was walking across the alley.

He was a pale-skinned young man wearing a light yellow yukata and a Fox Mask, the kind seen everywhere at the festival. He hurried toward the depths of the alley.

It wouldn't have been strange on an ordinary day, but here at the alley entrance, it was like a single guy suddenly showing up among a crowd of couples.

The man seemed sensitive to being watched, too. Just as Yuki looked his way, he turned to look back, then quickly averted his gaze.

"Senpai, what do you think of these matching rings? Why don't we buy a pair for each other?"

"You think I'm stupid? I told you to pick something normal!"

The masked man saw only a sweet couple, and nearly got blinded by their lovey-dovey display. With a wry smile, he lowered his head and hurried on.

"What's wrong?" Mai Sakurajima felt that something was off. She looked around, but couldn't spot anything strange.

"Nothing. I've picked something. This should be fine, right?" Yuki picked up a dark, bulky object. It was a Tengu mask, complete with red cheeks, a long nose, and gray-white hair.

"You're sure? If you wear that later, stay away from me."

"If it's something Senpai bought, I'll love it."

What a strange guy.

Mai Sakurajima had lost count of how many times she'd said that today. Seeing that she couldn't talk Yuki out of it, she paid for the mask and put it in a bag.

"Let's go. After dinner, I'll find you a hotel."

"Can't I stay at your place, Senpai?"

"Don't even think about it!"

It was already nine in the evening. It was too late to catch a train, so Mai resigned herself to the situation and led Yuki out of the alley.

Temple Fair Street was even livelier now. The crowds were like a flowing river, and little pickup trucks hauling goods were stuck, unable to move in either direction. Honking horns, laughter, and conversation filled their ears.

So lively.

Her purple eyes widened slightly. She'd only attended festivals as a child. After she became famous, she was the center of attention wherever she went, so she'd stopped bothering with crowds.

And walking alongside a young man was something she'd never done before.

As the crowd carried them forward, she suddenly felt the Reincarnation Game fading into the background. It was as if Bloodthirsty Red Moon had never existed, and Yuki was simply a friend she'd happened to meet.

They each picked up a tray of takoyaki and ate as they walked. Now and then, they came across games like ring toss or goldfish scooping and stopped to play. Before long, Mai Sakurajima had accumulated so many things that she had to find a bench and sit down.

"You came here to stock up, didn't you?" Mai stared blankly at the plush toys scattered all around them.

They'd agreed to have dinner, but they'd spent most of the time playing all sorts of little games. They hadn't eaten much, but they'd come away with a mountain of prizes.

"Since Senpai paid, I had to win it all back." Yuki stretched with a lingering sense of satisfaction, then grumbled, "I knew these small-time vendors were all in cahoots. The moment they saw me coming, they started packing up."

What, did they want you to win everything they had?

Mai pressed her lips together, fighting back a smile. Then she leaned against the bench and looked up at the sky.

The full moon hung above them. Its cool light mingled with the warmth of the festival, creating a feeling of peace and happiness. She didn't even want to look away. Under Bloodthirsty Red Moon, by contrast, every time she looked up, her whole body trembled.

The girl gazed at the moon while Yuki watched her. The pure white narcissus of a girl was tinged with the moon's pale glow, her calm face illuminated by the festival lights. Then his gaze wandered lower, to her long, slender legs crossed at the knee and the pale, glistening toes in her sandals.

It was enough to whet his appetite—no, to leave him entranced.

Yuki wanted to capture the scene in a photo, but felt his photography skills were nowhere near good enough. In the end, he simply looked up at the moon, too.

"I think the Reincarnation Game has a reason for bringing us back to reality."

"Mm. To give us a chance to relax, so we don't get driven insane?"

"That's not all. There's always been more to that 'Please don't go alone' hint. I've only managed to figure out the first two layers so far."

Yuki didn't tell her what he'd figured out, and Mai Sakurajima didn't press him. He was always keeping secrets, and ordinary people could hardly keep up with his train of thought.

She glanced at the thinning crowds on the street. It was almost eleven, and the vendors were starting to pack up. Yet with the moonlight shining down on her, she felt too lazy to move a finger.

Ah—

She yawned, feeling sleepy, and patted her smooth thigh. "All right, I'll find you somewhere to stay. I need to go home and sleep, too."

"Senpai, did you have fun today?"

Mai turned her head and saw Yuki switch off his phone.

At some point, she'd gotten used to the awkward nickname "Senpai." She opened her mouth to answer, thought for a long while, then turned her head away again.

"Mm. I guess I had fun."

What do you mean, "I guess"? You're so dishonest. Your tsundere side is supposed to be pretty mild.

Yuki smiled to himself and pushed himself up from the bench. "Good. But it's not time to sleep yet. Don't look at me so suspiciously. I know we have to take things one step at a time if we want to get closer."

That sounded weird. But before Mai Sakurajima could ask what he meant, orange-red flames were reflected in her purple eyes. They were coming from deep inside the alley they'd walked through earlier.

Huh? How did a fire start?

Yuki picked up his other phone and held it to his ear. He said nothing, but a familiar woman's voice came through.

"Just as you expected, someone followed the signal here."

On the roof of an apartment building a kilometer away, Hayasaka Ai's golden hair stirred in the night breeze. She held a phone in one hand and binoculars in the other.

She could clearly see the flames in the alley, as well as a figure wearing a Fox Mask darting this way and that, narrowly avoiding the fireballs.

She glanced at the high-powered camera beside her. The screen showed nothing but a blurry shadow, and the burning building looked more like it had caught fire by itself.

"Just like we tested, players get distorted when they activate their game attributes. I just don't know if the human eye can see it."

"They probably can, but there's no way to leave behind any evidence. That's how you get all kinds of strange urban legends." Yuki saw people by the roadside pointing and whispering. Once he'd confirmed something, he sighed.

The Reincarnation Game had probably appeared within the past year or two. It was only in those years that he'd let his guard down, after running out to investigate so many false leads that he'd stopped looking into every fire or accident.

"Who's the enemy?"

Hayasaka Ai didn't answer right away. She followed the figure with her gaze as he entered another alley, where he came face-to-face with someone wearing a hood.

That shadow looked familiar.

Her pupils contracted slightly. Then she saw the two figures disappear from the alley at the same time, just as they were about to meet—as if they'd teleported away. She drew a quiet breath.

"They're players."

Chapter 7: Of Course I'm Going to Your Place (Revised)

Twenty-four hours earlier, on a rainy night.

In an alley reeking of vomit, several punks with dyed blond hair and piercings lay around groaning.

Their faces were swollen like steamed buns. Some had their clothes or pants taken off; others had all sorts of cuts across their bodies. Their blood spread with the rainwater.

In the middle of them, Yuki stood motionless in the rain. His face hidden beneath a hood, medical gloves on his hands, he methodically wiped down a scalpel.

"As expected, players are punished for harming ordinary people."

Yuki had spent the day sleeping in, then immediately gotten to work that night. First, he'd checked out the nearby police station, then headed to the bar district beside Izu University.

It was full of blond-haired guys hitting on female university students and acting out scenes straight from a porn magazine. He'd just come across one such scene and stepped in without hesitation.

After experiencing the supernatural for himself, Yuki had no plans to become a champion of justice. He'd only wanted to test a few things.

"Even doing good deeds gets you punished? Then the game's feedback to players depends on how serious and harmful their actions are?"

He'd gone to the police station first and tried to steal a gun, but backed off immediately after receiving a warning. That also explained why Li Dan's storage space was full of food and medicine. Even in Shenzhou, someone with his abilities could easily get their hands on weapons.

Of course, Li Dan had a Death Knell Revolver, so there was no need to take the risk. Even if he'd stolen something, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal—as long as he didn't go too far.

With these punks, Yuki had tested beating them up, attempted sexual assault, and intentional injury. In the process, he'd gathered plenty of information.

"Unless they have a deep-seated grudge they have to avenge after gaining power, players really have no reason to go wild."

Yuki pulled up his sleeve. His forearm was covered in knife cuts. It was a warning, but the punishment had been fairly mild—not nearly as terrifying as being erased.

"This is probably an extension of the rule against revealing the Reincarnation Game. No wonder I found out nothing, even though I'd let my guard down over the past two years."

In the United States, hundreds of people died in shootings every day. Even if players risked punishment to kill a few people, it wouldn't make the news.

"But if the goal is to keep it secret, why not just disable all supernatural powers and erase anyone who dares to talk? Why go to so much trouble?"

Yuki put away the scalpel. After thinking for a while, he came up with a few guesses.

First, the game was giving players hope. Li Dan and Thomas, for example, thought they'd become a new kind of human. It was the sort of thing they might never use, but would never want to lose.

After experiencing the feeling of being superior to ordinary people, they'd become less resistant to the Reincarnation Game. It had even awakened their ambitions, making them more focused on clearing the game.

Second, veteran players were probably valuable. Erasing them at the drop of a hat would be a waste. As for what value players had, Yuki didn't know.

Finally, if some abilities could be brought back to reality, and players had a gulf between them and ordinary people, then players were bound to interact with one another. And what would those interactions lead to?

The wail of sirens grew louder. After making sure he'd left no clues behind, Yuki left the alley, pulling out his phone as he walked.

"Hayasaka, whatever you're planning, don't act rashly. This game is more complicated than we thought. It'll create a new order."

There was silence on the other end of the call for a few seconds. Then came a dry voice.

"Information related to the Reincarnation Game should be invisible."

"Ordinary people can't see it. Their memories and understanding are distorted, too. For example, that blond guy I just let go doesn't know a thing. After the Reincarnation Game punished me, it gave him a whole story that explained everything perfectly."

"But players can notice these corrections. That's what they call an 'anomaly.'"

Yuki walked faster as a police car roared past him. Despite how suspiciously he was dressed, the officers didn't so much as look at him.

"But don't forget, there are more than three players in the world. If our expectations are right, someone encountered the game at least a year before we did. That gives them plenty of time to do a lot of things."

Anyone could be a player. They'd simply kept their identity hidden, which made Hayasaka Ai's idea dangerous.

This time, the silence lasted longer.

"What do you think we should do?"

"Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll never lose a battle. We need evidence to verify our hypotheses." Yuki pushed back his hood and closed his eyes, savoring the cold rain. Then he snapped his fingers.

"Let's start by coming up with a fishing plan."

Just as he'd expected, a new order belonging to players had gradually begun to take shape.