New Life

(All characters in this book are adults. Apologies for any OOC portrayals.)

"Stupid healer, I—"

The moment the words left his mouth, Kiryu Yume realized something was wrong and abruptly opened his eyes.

The bus went quiet for a second or two. Someone in the front turned around, someone in the back laughed, and several girls across the aisle huddled together and whispered, one covering her mouth.

Heat spread from Kiryu Yume's neck to the tips of his ears. He took a breath and forced out a smile. "...I was thinking about something. Sorry." Then he placed both hands on his knees and sat up properly.

There was a piece of paper in his pocket. He took it out—it was an acceptance letter. The paper was thick, its gold-stamped school emblem impeccably printed. At the top were the words "Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School," with the school motto and educational philosophy below. He did not read them closely, staring blankly at the school's name for several seconds.

He did not remember the final moments of his previous life clearly. The game results screen on his computer, his teammates cursing over voice chat, him opening his mouth to retort, and then a sharp pain in his chest—after that, everything cut off.

When he opened his eyes again, he was on this bus. He had no wallet, no phone, and only this piece of paper in his pocket. Even now, he had no idea why something like transmigration had happened to him, but the facts were right in front of him. He had no choice but to believe them.

The school brochure said that room and board were included. For him right now, if he did not attend, he could only beg on the streets. He folded the acceptance letter and tucked it back into his pocket, leaning against the seatback.

Outside the window, rows of cherry blossoms sped backward. The pink-and-white petals were a little dazzling beneath the sunlight. The April breeze slipped in through a crack in the window, cool against his skin.

The bus grew more and more crowded. Passengers packed the aisle shoulder to shoulder, and the hanging straps creaked as they were pulled. Some people were on the phone, some rummaged through their bags, and a child babbled in his mother's arms.

The bus pulled into a stop. The doors opened, and an elderly woman with graying hair boarded. Her back was slightly hunched, and she carried a basket of vegetables on her arm.

She looked around the bus, found no empty seats, and reached for a hanging strap. Her thin, wrinkled fingers gripped it tightly. When the bus swayed, her body swayed with it.

Kiryu Yume saw her and stood up out of habit.

A dark-blue-haired girl beside him stood up as well. She wore the same burgundy uniform as him, and her pleated skirt swayed lightly as she rose. Noticing that someone had already given up his seat, she sat back down with a gentle motion.

"Please, sit here." Kiryu Yume pointed to his seat, his voice not particularly loud.

The old woman thanked him as she walked over, settled into the seat he had given up, placed her vegetable basket by her feet, and looked up at him with a smile. "What's your name, dear?"

"Kiryu Yume."

The old woman nodded and did not ask anything else, turning to look out the window.

Kiryu Yume stood in the aisle and held the strap above his head, his body gently swaying with the bus. He glanced to his left—the dark-blue-haired girl from before was staring at him without blinking.

Her blue-violet eyes looked deep beneath the bus lights, carrying little warmth. It was not an appraising look, but a quiet, unabashed gaze.

Kiryu Yume felt a little creeped out by her stare and tried shifting his gaze out the window. The feeling of being watched remained. He turned back again and met her eyes for two seconds before giving in first.

"Kiryu Yume." He pointed at himself.

The girl blinked, her lips moving slightly. "Morishita Ran." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. Then she turned back to the window and continued looking outside, as though those few seconds of staring had never happened.

The bus announcement sounded. "Next stop: Advanced Nurturing High School. Passengers getting off, please prepare."

Kiryu Yume instinctively adjusted his uniform collar. No matter what, first impressions were important—though that shout of "stupid healer" had probably already ruined his first impression.

A crisp notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding—Wa Junior detected. System loading..."

"Ding—System loaded successfully. The Mom-Recognition System is at your service."

Kiryu Yume froze. A system? Back when he read web novels in his previous life, he had always hoped to transmigrate with a system. Yet when he really transmigrated, there had been nothing, and he had already forgotten about it. Well, now he had a late-arriving cheat. It was a little late, but better late than never.

The bus doors opened. He followed the crowd off and stepped onto the petal-strewn pavement.

When he reached the foot of a cherry tree beside the school gates, he turned his back to the crowd, covered his face with his right hand, and planted his left hand on his hip. He could not hold it in any longer.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The surrounding gazes swiftly converged on him. Students passing by all glanced his way, their eyes filled with curiosity, disdain, and even a hint of pity. Someone muttered, "Is that guy okay?" and another person shook their head.

Kiryu Yume was laughing so hard that he did not notice people had already begun automatically walking around him.

A finger poked his waist.

He spun around. Morishita Ran stood beside him, tilting her head as she looked at him. Her expression had not changed, but there was obvious interest in her eyes.

"Kiryu-kun, are you that happy to be starting school?"

"Ha, hahahaha... I don't lack anything anymore."

Morishita Ran fell silent for a moment and quietly took a step back. Then she turned around and quickened her pace as she blended into the crowd. Her back looked perfectly calm, but her steps were much faster than usual.

Kiryu Yume took a deep breath and wiped the smile from his face. The gazes around him had not fully dispersed, so he lowered his head and hurried toward the school building.

As he walked, he summoned the system interface. A translucent panel appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.

[Mom-Recognition System]

[Host: Kiryu Yume]

[Current Moms: None]

[Bonds: None]

[System Description: The more moms you have, the more bonds you have. Bonds will unlock upon your first mom recognition.]

Kiryu Yume's smile froze. More moms meant more bonds—the logic was sound enough, but what exactly counted as "recognizing a mom"? Did simply calling someone Mom count? Or did the other person have to acknowledge it?

He could not exactly walk up to someone and say, "Be my mom," could he? That would make him look like a lunatic. He turned the question over and over in his mind but could not come up with an answer. Forget it. He would take things one step at a time.

He reached the school building. He followed the corridor to the first-year floor and checked the nameplates one by one. Class A was on an upper floor, and the hallway was quiet. His shoes made faint sounds against the floor while light streamed in from one side of the corridor, casting strips of light and shadow across the ground.

The classroom plaque read—Year 1, Class A.

Kiryu Yume pushed open the door and walked in. Several gazes landed on him at once: curious ones, indifferent ones, scrutinizing ones, and a few that carried pity—probably from people who had seen him at the school gates earlier.

Pretending nothing had happened, he searched for the nameplate with his name on it. Second to last row, by the window.

He walked over, set his bag beside the desk, and sat down. Cherry blossoms still drifted outside, and sunlight poured through the window, falling golden across the desktop. From this angle, he could see the athletic field and the woods in the distance. The view was nice.

Small groups chatted throughout the classroom. It was the first day of school, and most of them did not know one another yet. They talked about introductions, where they came from, and similar topics.

At a window seat near the front, a short silver-haired girl quietly flipped through a hardcover book. A slim white cane rested beside her hand. Her violet eyes remained fixed on the pages, and she never once looked up.

She had a small frame and was nearly half-hidden by the desk and chair back as she sat there, yet her back was perfectly straight, carrying a composure no one else around her possessed. The noise seemed to flow around her without ever touching her.

Near the aisle, a bald boy was speaking quietly with someone beside him. He was far bulkier than his peers, with broad shoulders, and he sat there like a small fortress. His expression was solemn and his voice deep, while several people nearby listened intently.

In the corner, a long black-haired girl leaned against the wall. Her black hair was usually tied into a side ponytail, and her bangs lightly pressed against her eyebrows. She had a small face, fair skin, and unremarkable features, giving off the overall impression of someone "not easy to remember."

Kiryu Yume withdrew his gaze, lay facedown on his desk, and buried his face in his arms.

The moment he did, he felt another poke at his waist.

He turned his head. At some point, Morishita Ran had taken the seat behind him and was poking his side with one finger. Her lowered blue-violet eyes were fixed on him, and her expression was as calm and unreadable as ever.

"...You sit here?"

"Morishita-sama's seat is behind yours." Morishita Ran withdrew her finger and placed her bag on the desk.

Kiryu Yume looked around. They were the only two people in this row. He did not think much of it and lay back down on the desk. The soft rustling of someone searching through a bag came from behind him, followed by silence.

Cherry blossoms continued falling outside. The sounds in the classroom rose and ebbed like the tide. Someone laughed, and someone else immediately hushed them. There was no teacher at the podium, and the blackboard was blank.

The first class had not started yet. Kiryu Yume closed his eyes and went over the system panel in his head. Recognizing moms. The more moms, the more bonds. Something about it felt off, but he could not put his finger on what.

He buried his face deeper into the crook of his arm. Sunlight shone through the window and fell across the back of his neck, warm and cozy.