It had a look in its eyes like it wanted to say, Why are you still standing? As for me, I was utterly baffled as to how such a tremendous noise had come from something that I’d hardly felt at all.
I tried grabbing the rabbit by its legs, but it dodged with a nimble backward leap. It charged at me a second time, so I blocked it. Right on cue, another loud, dull noise resounded throughout the forest.
“Huh? I guess it’s nothing after all.”
After a long pause, the rabbit squeaked again.
It would take more than a rabbit to knock a grown man off his feet. That much was obvious, but for some reason, I could imagine my previous self being bowled over. Still, as you might expect, I couldn’t let myself lose to a rabbit.
“I’ll be making you my meal for today.”
I balled up my hand into a fist, then brought it down on the rabbit.
“Squeeee?!”
The rabbit must’ve sensed danger, because it instantly tried to dodge my punch. My fist only grazed it... At least, that’s what I thought, but suddenly the rabbit was spinning violently like a top at full speed.
“Huh?”
The rabbit’s momentum sent it smashing into a tree, where it slumped limply to the ground.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What was that? Did it just self-destruct?”
I’d never seen a rabbit move like that before. Then again, I was in another world. There were plenty of animals back on Earth that could spontaneously kill themselves, so maybe a rabbit that did the same wasn’t too strange here.
“It looks like it fainted, so while it’s still unconscious, I’ll capture it and—”
The moment I moved toward the fallen rabbit, I sensed another presence nearby. I turned around and saw a drooling wolf looking my way, and it appeared to be absolutely starving. This creature, which had already gone extinct in Japan, glared at me menacingly while giving off an intense, murderous air. Its gray fur was faintly dirty, and its bared fangs looked sharp enough to bite a human arm clean off. Honestly, I was terrified.
“Oh, cra—!”
I wanted to turn around and run for it, but it was likely to attack me if I did. As I panicked, wondering what to do, I noticed that the wolf’s line of sight wasn’t on me, but on the rabbit. Apparently it was trying to swipe my kill from me. Without taking my eyes off the wolf, I slowly approached the rabbit and firmly grabbed the unconscious animal.
“You’re acting more like a hyena than a wolf. But if this is what you’re after...”
I flung the rabbit over the wolf. It looked up at the flying animal in a panic, then chased after its prey. At the same time, I turned in the opposite direction and broke into a run.
“Hahh, hahh... Phew.”
After a while, I came to a stop, relieved that there was no sign of anything coming after me. Though I had sprinted as fast as I could, I didn’t feel any fatigue. But my heart was audibly thumping, and I was afraid for my life.
I looked behind me. There was just a game trail and the dense forest. “So this is what it means to live on your own...”
I didn’t want to associate with anyone—that had been the thought in my mind when making my wish to the god. I still didn’t regret it, but it seemed like there was nothing I could do about this anxiety over whether I would be able to survive.
“Oh...is it already evening?”
I hadn’t noticed because the tall trees obscured most of the sunlight, but it appeared to be when the sun set. There was no telling what kinds of dangerous creatures lived in this forest in addition to the wolf from earlier. I had no guarantee that the beasts would run away if I made a fire, so I decided to abandon my explorations for the day and return to the beach. From what I’d seen a while ago, there was a rocky stretch that could make for a good hiding spot. It seemed like a safer place to stay than the forest, anyway.
“Once it’s bright out tomorrow, I’ll definitely find some drinkable water.”
I had done a lot of walking down unfamiliar trails today, and I had even sprinted as fast as I could, and I still didn’t feel very tired. But even if this body was more efficient, there was no way I could ignore the need for water.
“Maybe it’s safe...here?”
Before it became completely dark, I found a space in the rocky area of the shore large enough for a person to enter, and I decided to make that my temporary base. There was nothing to act as a roof, so when I lay down on a hard boulder, the vast sky spread out above me.
“Wow...”
This must’ve been what people meant when they talked about a sky full of stars. Without any artificial lighting, the heavens above the island were overflowing with more stars than I’d ever seen in my life. It took my breath away. What kind of place was this island, and would I really be able to live by myself? One look at the glittering stars instantly made those worries disappear.
“Tomorrow, I’ll give it my all.”
There were, without a doubt, moments that could completely change one’s outlook on life. For me, the first had been when I died and was reincarnated. The second was right now. It made me realize that all my troubles, my sufferings, and my entire life were puny compared to the vastness of the world. In short, I was awestruck by the sight.
It’ll be all right, I thought. If I can see this view every night, then I can do my best.
“Let’s do this! I can do this! I’ll live on my own!” I shouted to the sky, louder than I’d ever been before.
I wouldn’t complain that my life was a drag anymore. I promised myself that I would lead a fun life on this island, and as I did, I shouted again and again.