Chapter 1 "Still lying, Aki."...
These days, it's quite common to die suddenly from overwork. It seems acceptable to be reborn into another world after dying suddenly, since it was quite popular a few years ago to be hit by a big truck and then go to another world. So it seems that you are a bit lucky to be reborn into another world while preserving the integrity of your body.
However, once you realize that the world you've been reincarnated into is a world of high magic and martial arts, social unrest, and a complete lack of legal awareness, you'll have to take back what you said earlier.
Good news, you've been reincarnated with parents, which is much better than being an orphan at the start of your life.
The bad news is that when you were six years old, they all died because their enemies came knocking on their door.
Fortunately, before they died, they found you a good family to whom you were entrusted with your orphanage.
You have been entrusted to the Uchiha family, or more precisely, the Uchiha Fugaku family. He has two sons; the younger son has just learned to crawl, while the older son is already killing for missions.
Hahaha—this world is even more of a mess than you imagine, you laugh helplessly to yourself.
Because it was so quiet the whole way, even Fugaku Uchiha was worried that you might not be able to accept the fact that your parents had died. Men are not good at comforting, so he patted you on the back and then handed you over to his wife, Mikoto.
When a woman's soft, warm embrace surrounds you, you have to admit that you are indeed a little sad, but only a little. You've been a corporate slave for too many years in your past life, and you've become somewhat numb to emotions.
"Mingxi—Mingxi, good boy, you're our child now. I've always wanted a daughter." Mikoto's gentle voice rang in your ear.
If you're in a sweet romance novel, then following the usual tropes, you're bound to meet a doting older brother who spoils his younger sister, and then a series of youthful love stories unfold. However, you've already seen through the truly awful nature of this world.
Sweet romance is absolutely out of the question.
But you can hide in Mikoto's warm embrace for now.
Your little son, Sasuke, who has just learned to crawl, crawls up to you, his round eyes smiling as he looks at you.
“Look, Sasuke likes you too,” Mikoto said softly.
You didn't speak. On the third day after you arrived at this house, you finally met Itachi, the eldest son whom Fugaku often mentioned. He was a few months older than you, so he was your older brother. But you were an adult at heart and didn't have the habit of calling a child "brother." So from the first moment you met him, you called him by his name.
Itachi's appearance combines the best features of his mother Mikoto and father Fugaku, making him delicate and refined, like a beautiful porcelain doll.
Although beautiful, he is also dangerous. You've heard that he can sever an enemy's carotid artery with a kunai in just a few seconds.
"This is Mingxi, she'll be your little sister from now on," Mikoto introduced.
Adults often have a misconception that children of similar age will definitely play together, even though they themselves grew up from childhood.
Children's views on choosing friends are very strange. If you stand in front of Itachi and examine him with the mind of an adult, he will politely extend his hand to you, greet you, and then ask you if you are getting used to living here.
A child who acts like a little adult will be praised by adults for being sensible and polite.
But you sensed the coldness and arrogance beneath his polite exterior.
As expected, geniuses are all arrogant. You can understand that. After all, if you came back from a long trip and found a child about your age at home, you would definitely feel annoyed. So there's no need to create more trouble. You cooperated and held his hand, "Nice to meet you. Please take care of me."
"Oh my, the two of you look like little adults. You should get along well in the future," Mikoto teased with a smile as she sat to the side.
You couldn't quite manage a smile, but in the end you managed to force one at Itachi, a dry, lifeless smile, like a sliced radish that'd been dried for two or three days.
You withdrew your hand, and from then on, you and Itachi kept to your own devices. Although you lived under the same roof, you rarely interacted. This was a result of your own actions, and you were quite satisfied with it. You preferred to play with Itachi's drooling younger brother, who hadn't even learned to walk yet, rather than with the arrogant genius.
The opportunity for improved relations came from an attack. Don't let your casual tone fool you; the scale of the attack was nothing short of a natural disaster, especially since it happened at night, which made everyone even less wary. When the disaster struck, you had just finished washing up, changed into your pajamas, and opened your bound system panel, pondering your next move.
Itachi suddenly opened your door without knocking, which shows how urgent the situation was. He was holding his younger brother Sasuke in his arms, and his expression was unusually anxious. He pulled you and ran outside, saying, "The Nine-Tails attacked Konoha. We have to get to the shelter quickly!"
You were dragged along by him for a while, and his parents went to evacuate the crowd, leaving only the three of you children at home.
I rushed out of the room and onto the street. In the distance, buildings were smashed by the giant fox's claws. In an instant, rubble flew everywhere. The rubble looked small from a distance, but when it fell, it was like a shooting star.
As the pebbles fly towards you, for a fleeting moment you wonder, if you die this time, where will you be reborn?
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Itachi shattered the boulder and immediately pulled you to the shelter. As soon as you sat down, Sasuke started wailing again. Itachi held him and comforted him for a long time until he finally fell asleep. Then he sat down next to you and asked calmly, "What were you thinking just now? Were you deliberately not moving away?"
He was talking about how you were stunned just now, and you said nonchalantly, "Um... I was so startled, I didn't react in time."
Itachi saw right through you: "You're lying."
"This is the most acceptable answer," you shrug.
"But I won't accept it."
If you don't want to accept it, then you don't have to accept it. It's none of your business, is it?
But you forgot one thing: arrogant people often have a stubborn and meticulous side. Perhaps it was his mother Mikoto's admonition, or perhaps something else, such as a sense of responsibility, that was at play. In any case, he included you in the scope of his protection, saying, "But my duty is to protect you."
The lights in the shelter flickered due to the ground shaking, and then went out. But Itachi was still watching you, watching your indifferent face, watching your nonchalant attitude.
Rumble—
The ground shook again, and this time the lights came on.
You forced a smile and said, "Thank you so much."
After this incident, Itachi and you became much closer. You mean, it was a one-sided closeness between you. When Mikoto saw you two getting along well, she would always smile and say, "You two are so close."
I don't think so at all. Itachi's relationship only makes you feel a bit troubled. You shift your attention to the system you're bound to. Yes, you're also bound to a... well, it's called a management system, but you think it's more appropriate to call it a big capitalist system.
After all, if it's a management system, it should at least give you some initial funds, right? Instead, it shows "[funds frozen]" right from the start, and you have to invest a lot of money to complete each task issued by the system, and you can lose money if you don't do it well.
If this isn't a system for big capitalists, then what system deserves that title?
In order to accumulate initial capital, you go to great lengths to earn money. The opportunities for children like you to earn money in this world are few and far between. You also have to avoid Mikoto and the rest of your family when you try to earn money. Of course, some people may ask, why don't you take the initiative to ask them for money?
The reason is simple: after spending time with the Uchiha clan, you've discovered their personality traits – they tend to overthink. So, to avoid causing yourself more trouble, you're secretly taking odd jobs to earn money.
Occasionally, he would take out some spare change to buy snacks, saying they were for Sasuke, but in reality, he would eat them all himself.
Children who haven't learned to speak yet are perfect scapegoats.
But your affair has been exposed. Regardless of whether that's the right word or not, the situation is very wrong now.
You sit in front of Itachi, wondering what this guy wants this time.
Unexpectedly, the first thing he said was, "Don't go out to do odd jobs anymore."
You really have to thank him for being so straightforward; otherwise, you would have had to guess for a long time. Not letting you do odd jobs is cutting off your source of income, isn't it?
Although your deceased parents left you a large inheritance, it won't be easy for you to get it because you're not old enough. After all, you're only six or seven years old and have no legal capacity. You've decided that once you turn eight, you'll try every means to get your hands on the inheritance.
Seeing that you didn't speak, Itachi continued, "Is it because we don't give you enough security... that you feel uneasy?"
Huh? What's bothering you? You're not feeling well?
"No." You took a bite of the three-colored meatballs he bought, and the sweetness was so intense it made your brain spin. You rubbed your cheeks.
"Still lying, Aki."
You're telling the truth, but he doesn't seem to have listened at all. He just moves closer to you, hugs you, and gently pats your back. That gesture feels strangely familiar. You remember now, that's what he does when he's comforting Sasuke. Is he treating you like a child?
“I will treat you as family, so… so there’s no need to feel uneasy anymore.” His voice was soft, somewhat like his mother Mikoto’s.
This scene seems heartwarming, but when you think about his subtle desire for control, you don't find it so heartwarming. He just... thinks you should be protected by him, and his protection is often mixed with control.
“I am not uneasy.”
"That's good. Let's live a good life together from now on."
He's talking to himself again.
However, considering that he will share a portion of his task rewards with you later, you should let it go for now.
A note from the author:
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Mingxi: I'll reluctantly put up with it for the sake of the money. [Eye roll]
[Another recommendation for the original pre-order novel "The Guide to the Elves"]
Shirin transmigrated into a world that blends science fiction and fantasy, called Sentinel.
In the future world, elves with endless life occupy the ruling class of society. Humans once suffered a sharp decline in numbers due to a historical infectious disease, and were once on the verge of extinction.
Although the elves' bodies did not suffer from the disease during that plague, the virus tormented their souls, and the surviving humans awakened the ability to soothe their souls.
Centuries later, elves dominated the development of society. They called themselves the protectors of mankind, but in reality, they kept them as pets.
Every human undergoes numerous pairing checks after birth, with the coming-of-age ceremony being the most thorough. Generally speaking, a human guide is best suited to only one partner.
Shirin's transmigrated identity was that of an ordinary person from the lower class of society. On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, she went for a check-up, and saw the doctor in charge of the examination change his expression over and over again.
She stole a glance at the monitor in front of the doctor.
—Number of optimal matching pairs: ?
Xilin: What does this question mark mean?
Doctor: Hmm... Although this is rare, you seem to be a very rare and versatile guide.
Shirin: ?
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