6. Nice to meet you, I’m Emi!

* * *

Yoo-hoo everyone, hello~!

My name is Emi! A 5-year-old girl! In my previous life, I was a plain high school girl named Aihara Runa, but after various events, I reincarnated into this otherworld called Ardyst, together with “The Vessel,” whom I call Extra!

In this life, I live in a small, cold village called Fenoben… Yep, living as a normal (I’d like to think) village girl! I have black hair and black eyes, and though I’m just a village girl, I’m pretty fair-skinned and, not to boast, but I’m quite a beautiful little girl! Ehehe!

Ah! There’s the farmer next door, Uncle Rand!

Hello~~!

“…Tch! Hey kid! Don’t come near my fields!”

Uncle Rand picked up a small stone at his feet, swung it back… and threw it! I quickly hopped to the side to avoid it.

Geez, that’s dangerous~!

Is Uncle Rand in a bad mood? Normally, who would throw stones at a 5-year-old beautiful girl? Of course, such a weak throw wouldn’t hit me! I provocatively hop side to side.

“You little brat!!!”

Ah, crap, Uncle Rand’s really pissed! He’s chasing me with a scythe! Time to retreat~!

* * *

“Huff, huff…! Damn… where did that cursed child go!?”

I’m up here, on top of your head, in the tree. Following Extra’s advice, I’ve been training quite a bit? Stealth actions are my specialty! I can easily avoid a middle-aged man starting to gain weight! Go away!… He’s gone. I smoothly climb down from the tree and proceed to my destination.

Really, Uncle Rand is such a troublemaker, isn’t he? He arbitrarily brands me a potato thief!? I’ve never done such a thing! Even when I’m starving, I’d rather eat the roots and grass in the forest. And to think, in Fenoben Village, my family is the poorest, so wouldn’t it be nice if he could spare a potato or two?

Ah, by “cursed child,” they mean me. Around here, having black hair and eyes is rare (neither of my parents have black hair or eyes. Maybe it’s a recessive gene?), and because I’m always wearing rags and look dirty… Plus, in this life, it seems my facial muscles are dead; I’m expressionless and not used to interacting with people. I’m quiet because when I want to talk, I just talk to Extra in my mind, which probably didn’t help!

Anyway, for these reasons, I’m quite feared by the adults in the village! So, they call me “cursed child,” a derogatory term I don’t quite understand!

Look over there! Can you see the village children playing? I reincarnated in this world, so I thought I’d make lots of friends this time around… But the adults who dislike me prevent the other children from getting close to me. They’ve been spreading slander about me to their children, saying things like “Don’t go near her, or you’ll be cursed.” How rude! Moreover, there’s always an adult accompanying the children, watching to make sure nothing dangerous approaches them… And it seems I’ve been categorized as that “dangerous thing,” so I’m physically blocked from getting close!

For instance, that boy with red hair playing in the center of the group… I think his name is Torch. He’s the same age as me, so young that he probably doesn’t even recognize my existence.

Yeah.

By the way, I think you’ve probably realized from the flow of the story so far, but my family is actually quite poor. Next, I’ll introduce my family to everyone! Look! You can just see it coming into view, that dilapidated shack on the outskirts of the village… That’s my home in this life, technically.

I’ll erase my presence and peek inside quietly… there he is.

“Gaah… ghghgh…”

That man snoring away in the middle of the day, drunk on alcohol, is my father in this life, Cody! As you can see from his unkempt bearded face and the trash-strewn mess of a house, he’s a terribly sloppy adult! Apparently, he used to work as an “adventurer,” earning money by defeating monsters! He retired after injuring his leg, but since he’s still more capable than the average person, he acts (so to speak) as the village’s guard! Though, it’s so peaceful that I’ve never actually seen him work! The villagers secretly call him a “good-for-nothing”! Poor guy!

Eh? My mother? She was also an adventurer and quite beautiful! She came to this village with my retired father, but right after I was weaned, she left with a handsome traveling merchant brother who came to the village, leaving me behind!

Die.

…Oops, my bad. I can’t let my uncontrollable urge to kill show! I must hide it, hide it! Fortunately, with Extra inside me, I’ve been able to survive by following her advice on what’s edible! Actually, in this world, there are quite a few highly nutritious insects available from various places! Since no one else knows about it, the insects in the village and the nearby forest are all mine to eat! Thanks to that, I’m actually quite confident in my nutritional status despite being poor! Extra is really something!

Ah, maybe Uncle Rand thinks I’m a potato thief because he saw me digging up and eating worms (or something similar) in the fields?

Anyway, that’s beside the point. Let’s accomplish my objective while Cody is still asleep.

Quietly, quietly… Avoiding the trash scattered around the house, I move silently towards the kitchen, where flies (or something similar) are swarming.

…Found it! I’ve discovered the salt!

These kinds of seasonings can’t be found in the forest, you know. Since Cody can hardly cook for himself anyway, I might as well take some. Just enough so it won’t be missed.

Actually, I’m not really living in this house anymore; I’ve made a base in the nearby forest and live there! Cody doesn’t try to take care of a child in such a state, he hits me when our eyes meet, and the villagers treat me as an ominous presence, making it hard to stay in the village…

Basically, I live off hunting and foraging in the forest, self-sufficiently. That’s me, a 5-year-old (with a straight face). Ah, but this is only possible with Extra’s advice, plus a somewhat developed personality and knowledge from my previous life, so regular 5-year-olds definitely shouldn’t try this! Even I’ve almost died several times. Normally, you would die.

…Well then, that concludes what I had planned for today. There’s still time before it gets dark, so maybe I’ll head back to the forest early and do some hunting!

This is what my life in the otherworldly Ardyst is like! There are plenty of hard times, but I’m living with all my might! Every day is incredibly fulfilling! I’ll keep doing my best to survive~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

…What the heck is with this survival childhood!!! Is my situation even worse than my previous life!!!

I cried my heart out internally. But as usual, my facial muscles are dead.