Chapter 4

"Rikka!"

"Eh!? W-What!?"

Suddenly, a young girl hugged her, and Rikka let out a loud cry.

"Wait! Hold on! Hold on, hold on!! What!?"

Trying to gently push her away rather than shake her off, Rikka found her body wouldn't move properly. She was covered in a sheet, and her body had become that of a child, so it was only natural that she couldn't move as she wished. However, the sudden, excessive embrace from the girl left no room for calm thought. Who could laugh at Rikka's awkward struggles?

"Ha! Hahaha!"

The woman who had been sitting in a chair next to the bed, talking to the girl earlier, couldn't hold back her laughter. She was hitting her knees and clapping her hands, looking quite unrefined. After thoroughly enjoying Rikka's awkward struggles, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and spoke to the girl.

"Phew... My stomach hurts. Roretta, could you let go? P... Haha... Rikka is having trouble."

"...But."

The girl called Roretta didn't seem to want to let go of Rikka. Rikka could hear her sniffle, and realized the girl was crying. Finally, Rikka began to calm down and tried to understand this abnormal situation.

(...Roretta? And Rikka? Given the context, Rikka must be me.)

She tried to understand, but it was too much. Rikka, who was at a loss, suddenly felt a warmth from the girl's embrace that seemed familiar. It was frustrating that she couldn't remember it clearly. It felt like something that should always be there was missing. Something that should have been there, but she couldn't remember what it was. Or, it was that feeling of knowing someone's face but not their name, that vague, frustrating sensation. Then, suddenly, a flood of "information" connected in her mind. It was as if a broken circuit had been reconnected, and the current flowed smoothly. She suddenly had access to a large amount of previously closed information.

"......Big sister, can you let go?"

Still confused, but even more so by the new information, Rikka decided to try to resolve the situation. She probed her "memory" and chose her words carefully to avoid sounding unnatural. She shook her head and, giving up on trying to get Roretta to let go, decided to take a different approach.

"...Sister Rady."

She called out to the woman in the nun's habit, silently pleading for help. Rady, who had been watching the touching family scene with a smile, now looked a bit troubled but seemed willing to help.

"Roretta, can you check if Rikka is feeling better? Is there anything wrong with his body? Any pain or discomfort? Tell me anything."

Rady thought for a moment and decided to start with a medical examination rather than trying to persuade Roretta. She thought that if Roretta could properly assess the situation, she would make the right decision. As Rikka started to think, "Hmm...," Roretta began to move restlessly. She let go of Rikka and moved to stand next to Rady. She wiped her tears, but her eyes were still red. Rikka felt a pang in her heart, but there was nothing more she could do. Her dear brother wasn't there; instead, it was Rikka. She tried not to think about Roretta and focused on answering Rady's questions.

(...When she says "any physical abnormalities," well, there's nothing but abnormalities. An adult suddenly becoming a child overnight. There can't be a more abnormal situation.)

But she knew they weren't asking about that, so she tried to think if there was any physical pain.

"...Not right now. I think I'm okay for now."

"That's good. Can you eat something? It would be best to eat, but don't push yourself."

"Ah, I'm hungry."

When Rikka said this, Roretta immediately tried to leave the room but stopped with her hand on the doorknob, saying, "Ah!"

"What's wrong, Roretta?"

"I was going to prepare Rikka's meal, but I need to tell Mom that Rikka is awake. She must be very worried..."

Roretta was at a loss, but Rady stood up briskly.

"I'll tell Amalia. Rikka seems to be fine now."

"But...,"

"I only have to go to the church this morning. It's fine to take a little detour to the factory. Roretta, prepare Rikka's meal. Otherwise, he'll faint from hunger again."

Rady chuckled and headed for the front door.

"Thank you, I'm sorry."

Roretta bowed politely and saw Rady off to the front door.

***

Lying in bed, Rikka decided to think about the current situation and the new information she had obtained. Roretta was preparing the meal. It was probably vegetable soup and bread, which would be ready soon after being warmed up. She didn't have much time, so she decided to quickly organize the basic information.

The owner of this body is Mika Noisheim, a 7-year-old boy. The girl called Roretta is Mika's sister, and there is also a beautiful mother named Amalia who looks a lot like Roretta. Most of Mika Noisheim's memories are related to these two, and it's clear that he was very well-loved. There seems to be no information about his father. He might be dead or working far away, but he hasn't seen Mika for at least a few years. The woman in the nun's habit is Rady, called Sister Rady, who lives in the village church.

The reason she has this information is because it's Mika Noisheim's own memories. The reason she didn't have these memories when she arrived in this world is probably because there was no trigger. Memories are connected in various ways, and recalling one can bring up related information. However, unrelated information doesn't usually come to mind. Since memories are stored in the brain, it's not surprising that Rikka could recall Mika Noisheim's memories, as this body is Mika Noisheim.

What's truly strange is why Rikka's consciousness is here and why she is in this world. These are the two main questions. No matter how much she tries to guess, she can't figure it out, and there's no way to prove it. Memories are stored in the brain, so Rikka's memories should be in Rikka's body. Even if souls exist and could swap, once in Mika Noisheim's body, the consciousness should be Mika Noisheim's, as the brain only contains Mika Noisheim's memories. It's as if the ancient philosophers who thought "thinking is done by the heart (soul)" were right, which is an absurd situation. For Rikka, who grew up in a scientifically advanced world, this is an impossible phenomenon to accept.

(What am I supposed to do with this?)

It's obvious that calling the police to get home won't work. If she tells anyone about this situation, they won't believe her and might even think she's possessed by a demon and try to deal with her. This world seems to have a culture where such things are possible. Faced with this harsh reality, Rikka writhed in bed, groaning.

"...Mika, are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

Seeing Rikka in distress, Roretta asked worriedly.

"Um... I'm just really hungry..."

"Really, Mika."

Roretta finally smiled. She had been worried that if Mika didn't wake up, something bad might happen. But seeing him back to his usual ravenous self, she finally felt relieved. Roretta brought a tray with soup and bread to the bed.

(Oh, this is breakfast in bed.)

A luxury she had only seen in movies, never expecting to experience it herself. She found herself in an unexpected situation. The soup in front of her was, as expected, vegetable soup. According to Mika's memories, the Noisheim family's soup is mostly this. Made with cabbage, onions, broccoli, soybeans, and tomatoes, seasoned with a little smoked pork and salt. The vegetables change with the seasons, and there are many types, but the amount of ingredients is small. Comparing it to the hearty soups in her own memories, this might be just right for a 7-year-old Mika. Given her recent state, this was a very welcome meal. She said a quick prayer and took a sip of the soup. It was a good soup, with a mild saltiness and the rich flavors of vegetables and smoked pork. She had forgotten how hungry she was, and once she took a sip, she couldn't stop.

"Mika, you're not even praying!"

Roretta, watching from the side, said in exasperation. Rikka quickly drank the soup and then started on the bread.

"Do you want a second helping?"

Surprised by her speed, Roretta asked if she wanted more soup. Rikka, with her mouth full of bread, couldn't speak, but she silently handed the soup bowl to Roretta. Roretta, though complaining, seemed pleased and went to get more soup.

(This bread is so hard and dry. It's taking all the moisture out of my mouth.)

Even with a second helping, Rikka couldn't swallow the bread. She took a sip of soup to moisten her mouth and chewed.

(I've heard about this, but it's really something!)

She had heard that in the past, bread was so hard that it had to be soaked in soup before eating. It seems this is also the case in this world. According to Mika's memories, he used to soak his bread in soup before eating. She tried it and found that the soup's flavor and saltiness made the bread much more delicious. She finished the second helping of soup and finally felt satisfied.

(Phew... I'm full.)

Rikka felt the meal was small, but for Mika, it was enough. In fact, the extra serving made her stomach a bit uncomfortable.

"You really seem to be feeling better."

Roretta, half exasperated and half relieved, cleared the tray. She sat on the bed next to Rikka and looked at her straight in the eye, smiling.

"So, Mika."

At Roretta's gentle voice, Rikka reacted, feeling a shiver run down her spine and goosebumps on her skin.

(...What is this?)

Confused by the unfamiliar sensation, Rikka listened as Roretta continued.

"Why did you go to Coton Tesse alone?"

Seeing Roretta's gentle but serious expression, Rikka realized something.

(Ah, this must be a conditioned response for Mika.)

Mika's subconscious was warning her. This voice is serious. It's dangerous; run away. To Rikka, it sounded gentle, but Mika's brain and body were detecting a danger signal.

"Mika."

"Um...,"

Rikka frantically searched Mika's memories. What is Coton Tesse? She didn't even know what the problem was. As she searched, she realized that the actions leading up to her becoming Mika and the actions after were the issue.

***

That day, Mika was helping in the fields with the neighborhood children. It was near the road where Rikka had woken up, a bit away from the village. Helping in the fields was normal, but during the work, Mika spotted a wild rabbit. Wild rabbits weren't rare; they were common and even loved as food by the common people. However, this rabbit had an unusually white and fluffy coat. The fur colors of rabbits in this area varied—white, black, gray, and brown—but a single color was rare. Most were mixed colors. As wild animals, they were naturally dirty and had weeds tangled in their fur. But this rabbit was completely clean and truly white. It seemed to have touched Mika's heart. He let out a "Wow!" and became so captivated that he started chasing it. Wild animals naturally run when chased, and Mika pursued the rabbit, moving further and further away from the fields. The fields had changed from vegetable gardens to cotton fields for the textile factory, but Mika didn't notice. After chasing for a long time, he suddenly heard a buzzing sound. It was the unpleasant sound of a large bee, called a red wasp. They weren't particularly aggressive, but they were quite large, about the size of an adult's thumb. Even if they weren't aggressive, they would attack if provoked or if someone entered their territory. It seemed Mika had entered their territory. Several wasps flew out of the nest and started to warn him. The fear was so intense that even Rikka, just searching the memories, shuddered. The large, brightly red wasps made a loud, unpleasant buzzing sound. Mika, terrified, started crying and running away as fast as he could. He fell several times but kept running through the fields and onto the road. In this world, it's unknown how bees behave, but in the world Rikka came from, bees were wary of fast-moving objects and loud noises. Mika, crying and running, was a prime target for the red wasps. They chased him for a considerable distance. Perhaps they were just maintaining a safe distance and observing him, but Mika, overwhelmed by fear and confusion, finally collapsed where Rikka had woken up. Ironically, his immobility seemed to calm the wasps, and they eventually returned to their nest.

For Mika and Rikka, the unfortunate part was that he had run in the opposite direction of the village. The place he ended up was apparently a town called Coton Tesse. Whether he had lost his sense of direction while chasing the rabbit and being chased by the wasps, or simply in a state of confusion, he didn't think about it. If he had run towards the village, the people in the vegetable fields might have noticed and helped him. Rikka might have seen the village or the fields when she woke up. But it was too late to think about that now.

***

However, the fact that he would have reached Rish Village if he had walked in the opposite direction made Rikka feel even more depressed.

(If I had a 50% chance of getting it wrong, I really have no luck.)

If she had chosen to move away from the mountains, she would have likely reached Rish Village before collapsing. At the very least, seeing the village would have given her hope. The despair of walking for so long with nothing and no one around was truly intense.

(Well, even a 90% chance of getting it wrong is my luck. Maybe I should set a rule for when I'm in doubt.)

If she had a rule to always do something, even if she got it wrong several times, the results would eventually be close to the probability. ...or so she hoped. The best thing, of course, would be to never be in such a situation again.

"Mika?"

While Rikka was thinking about unrelated matters, Roretta called out to her, concerned. Seeing her silent, Roretta might have thought she was reflecting or sulking.

"...I'm sorry."

Rikka sincerely apologized. She had searched the memories and understood the situation. Objectively, a 7-year-old child had walked over ten kilometers alone and collapsed on the road. It was natural for Roretta to scold her. Additionally, she wanted to avoid making things worse with a poor excuse. She couldn't tell the truth, so apologizing was the best option. The image in her mind was of a press conference she had seen on TV, where several important figures bowed and repeatedly said, "I'm sorry," while dodging the core issues.

(Well, I'm not that devious, of course.)

Rikka had simply made a wrong choice due to a lack of information. She wouldn't have chosen to walk to her death. If she had known there was a village nearby, she would have gone there happily.

But that wouldn't be a valid excuse. Even if she had been suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar place, her actions had caused worry for Mika's family. A 7-year-old child had collapsed on a road far from home, bloody and unconscious. Rikka couldn't even imagine how worried the family must have been. Bowing her head, Rikka listened as Roretta explained what had happened after she collapsed, speaking gently and clearly so a child could understand.

"......I'm sorry."

Hearing Roretta's story, Rikka felt truly sorry