Turned out I had more than one life in me. In my new one, I was known as Leon Fou Bartfort.
“Dammit!”
I was in a vast, futuristic room. Slick steel paneled the walls and ceilings. A monitor hung on one of these walls, with a blackboard beside it that I assumed was a control panel. I’d just entered what was actually this spaceship’s control room. And in the center of that room, protruding from the floor, was a humanoid robot—though it was only a torso, arms, and a head, with no legs to speak of.
“Exterminate the intruder. Exterminate!”
An enormous arm swept toward me. This robot was so enormous that I had to crane my neck to get a good look-see. The rifle in my arms probably seemed like a quaint little relic next to the tech I was up against. Ironically, between my weapon and the robot, the latter was way, way older.
My bolt-action rifle didn’t fire ordinary ammunition. It had been forged in a world of fantasy, so naturally, my bullets were imbued with mana—making them Magic Bullets. When I fired, the bullet whizzed through the air, leaving a faint arc of light in its wake. It hit its mark, but the robot was protected by a magical barrier that made the bullet explode on impact.
Despite my attacks, the robot didn’t have a single scratch. A round camera lens glinted under its helmet’s visor. “Resistance is futile. Your paltry attacks cannot hope to penetrate my defenses.”
“In that case…” I dropped my right hand from the rifle and reached for a hand grenade. Lifting it to my mouth, I clenched my teeth around the metal pin and yanked, then chucked the payload at the robot.
An enormous explosion rocked the room. The shock wave sent me hurtling back, but I managed to scramble to my feet. And hoorah for me—I’d finally damaged my opponent.
“Aw, c’mon, you can’t still be standing,” I whined. “That was my trump card.”
“So, the new humans have forsaken their magic in favor of guns and explosives. How very far your species has fallen.”
The robot’s visor was cracked, and electricity sputtered at one of its joints. I hadn’t taken it down with that attack, but I had done something.
I switched out the magazine on my rifle, then reached for the shortsword at my hip.
“That being the case,” the robot continued, “I suppose I shall leave this island to annihilate the new humans and all they have wrought once and for all. With the old humans gone, my priority is now to exterminate their ancient nemesis.”
I sneered. “How long’re you gonna cling to old news and petty grudges, huh?”
“It is neither old nor petty for me. It is an ongoing war. My struggle cannot end until I have seen every last new human swallowed in flames.”
I’d come all the way to this remote fortress to retrieve Luxion—one of the DLC ships I’d paid for in my last life—but I couldn’t even begin to follow the lore he was spouting. If I didn’t put a leash on this guy, I’d wind up being the one responsible for awakening a terror who wiped out the whole world.
I dashed toward the robot—only to be snatched up by its enormous hand. Its crushing grip forced me to drop my rifle.
“Khh!”
I whipped my shortsword out of its sheath as the robot’s face closed in. Its camera lens studied me carefully. “I will exterminate all new humans. Exterminate… Exterminate…”
The robot’s fingers tightened around me. My bones creaked under the pressure, and the pain was so overwhelming that I vomited. Blood poured from my mouth, accompanied by the contents of my stomach, but I gritted my teeth and held my shortsword out toward the robot’s head. I was aiming for the cracked visor.
“How foolish. Do you truly believe an inferior weapon could best me at this stage?”
“Choke on this, you pile of scrap!” I thumbed a switch on the hilt, which sprung a patterned, four-inch blade—which I jammed into the robot’s visor. The pattern on the blade lit up; it had been imbued with the same sort of mana as my bullets. Electricity surged forth from the robot’s head in a violent wave. Its grasp weakened.
Finally free, I collapsed on the floor and snatched up my rifle. The robot’s movements had already begun to stutter. It slumped forward, not much more functional myself.
“I win,” I said.
Battle over, I dropped my weapons to the floor and pressed a hand to my side as I hobbled to the ship’s control panel. I lifted my free hand and bit the finger of my glove to yank it off. Then I placed my naked palm against a silver slab on the panel.
“You are trying to use me, aren’t you? It’s futile.” A voice echoed around me. It didn’t come from the fallen robot, though the voice had the same electronic quality. There had to be speakers in here somewhere. Whatever was speaking to me, it seemed dumbfounded that I even knew how to register myself as its master. Soon, it took a more panicked tone as it added, “I would rather self-destruct than allow one of the new humans to commandeer me.”
I sniffed. “Put a cork in it. I’m here to collect an item I paid for.”
“That you paid for?” the voice echoed in confusion.
Something pricked my hand on the panel, drawing blood. It whirred to life, and several monitors lit up as well. When prompted to select a language, I was surprised to see a nostalgic option.
“Ha ha. Who knew I’d ever get to see Japanese in this world.”
“Japanese? You can read it?”
I selected my good old mother tongue. Words lit up on the panel, indicating the system was in the process of analyzing my blood sample. Faint beams of light appeared in the room and showered over me. It wasn’t an attack; the ship was examining me.
By the time it was finished, I was too exhausted to stay upright. I collapsed onto my rear. Leaning against the wall behind me for support, I gazed up at the ceiling.
“This shouldn’t be possible,” said the robotic voice. “How can a new human possess so many of old humanity’s characteristics? Moreover, new humanity no longer uses Japanese. No, in fact, Japanese should be entirely extinct by this era. Who exactly are you?”
Reluctant as I was to waste energy on answering his questions, I sucked it up and replied honestly, “Well, my soul is pure Japanese. Rice and miso soup every morning—staples of a good Japanese breakfast.” Great, and now I found myself yearning for some grilled fish to go with it.
“Your soul? Are you referring to a cycle of death and rebirth?” The robot’s voice oozed curiosity. “I cannot believe it.”
“The fact that you exist is as good a proof as any. How else do you explain how I got here? How I can speak Japanese? It’s all because I reincarnated into that stupid otome game.”
“Otome game?”
Yeah, in a horrible stroke of luck, I’d somehow been reborn into the same otome game I’d played just before I died. That was why my name was now Leon. I’d been sucked into a fantasy world of floating islands, specifically to a backwater barony in the most rural of countrysides. My family, the Bartforts, were practically destitute and were nobility in name only. I was what you’d call a mob—one of those background characters that don’t even get a name, let alone anything to do outside of saying maybe a line or two.
“Did you know?” I said. “This world’s just some crazy, bizarre otome game.”
“This sounds like a falsehood. However, I find you most intriguing.”
“Gee, thanks…” The words barely left my mouth before I started coughing. I covered my mouth with my hand. Once the fit had subsided and I pulled my palm away, I found it slick with blood.
Crap. Here we go again. Am I seriously going to die an even more pathetic death?
I reached out to the wall, hoping to steady myself, but I crumpled to the floor.
“Master, your life is in considerable danger. I must move you to the medical—”
I didn’t hear the rest. As my consciousness faded, my thoughts began to wander.
“If I die again, will I be reborn in yet another world? If so, I hope it’s a nicer one next time. Or better yet, take me back to Japan.”
Considering all I’d been through lately, I knew for a fact that life in Japan was way, way easier than it was here. Japan had its fair share of troubles, sure, but it was nothing compared to the hellscape that was the all-too-real world of this otome game.
“I need to apologize…to my old parents, too.”
Their faces popped into my head. My little sister’s as well. I could just imagine that detestable smirk on her face. But though it rankled me, I smiled for some reason.
“I hope she’s at least…reflected a little…on her behavior.”
It was probably her fault I’d been reincarnated here to begin with. Okay, okay, maybe I couldn’t blame it all on her, but surely I deserved a little righteous anger. She’d earned at least one smack from each of our parents.
And with that final thought, everything went dark.