Hiro had been an ordinary salaryman.
Unremarkable. Nothing special. Just… ordinary. He’d get up at six in the morning, take the crowded train, work in a gray cubicle for nine hours, come home exhausted.
Then, one night on his way back from work, a white truck had run him over.
He wasn’t even crossing the street. He was on the sidewalk. Perfectly sober, just tired from the day. The truck had mounted the curb without warning.
Boom.
Black.
Then… light.
Crying. Warmth. Giant hands lifting him.
A baby. I’ve become a baby.
At five years old in this new world, the memories of his past life had come flooding back. Like flipping a switch. All at once.
And the system had appeared.
[Welcome, Player]
His brain hadn’t been developed enough before. That’s why he’d spent his early years as an ordinary baby, babbling and learning to walk. Then slowly, his intelligence had grown along with his body.
He’d never known his biological parents in this world. His first real memories were of Lena’s family—warm, loving, who had raised him like their own son.
And as he grew up, he’d noticed something strange.
He looked exactly the same as in his Earth life. The same black hair. The same eyes. The same plain face.
Even his name was the same.
Hiro.
It’s like the universe copy-pasted my existence.
---
WHAM.
The last thug still standing slammed into the wall, eyes rolling back. He slid to the ground, unconscious.
Hiro lowered his foot, surveying the twenty bodies scattered around him. Not dead—just… out of commission.
The thugs who could still move—about five of them—staggered to their feet and ran.
“WE WEREN’T READY!” one yelled, blood streaming from his broken nose.
“WE’LL BE BACK!” another screamed. “WE’LL TRASH THIS PLACE! YOU’LL REGRET THIS!”
Hiro watched them go.
I’ll deal with them later. Before they come back with reinforcements.
The innkeeper approached, trembling, tears in her eyes. “Young man… thank you. Thank you so much.” She looked around in disbelief. “And you were careful… not a single table broken. Not a single chair. You… you really took care of everything.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Hiro gave a small bow. “I know how much this place means to you.”
The customers murmured nervously in the corners.
“It’s dangerous now…”
“The inn’s a target for local thugs…”
“I’m asking for a refund.”
“Wait!” Hiro turned to them, hands raised. “You don’t need to leave. I’ll personally make sure this gets resolved.”
One customer—a portly merchant—frowned. “How can we trust you, kid? How do you plan to handle it?”
“He still took down twenty thugs by himself,” a woman whispered. “That’s impressive.”
“But gangs don’t let things go. They’ll come back with more men.”
The innkeeper placed a hand on Hiro’s arm. “I thank you for defending my establishment, truly. But you don’t have to do this. It’s dangerous.”
Hiro smiled—a simple, sincere smile. “I like this place. The service is impeccable. You welcome everyone warmly.” He looked around. “I’d be sad if this place got in trouble because of bad people.”
The innkeeper sniffled, wiping her eyes.
From the shadows of the staircase, Cassian watched silently.
She turned discreetly and headed back to her room.
I don’t want any complications tonight.
---
The next morning, Cassian entered Hiro’s room after searching downstairs and finding no one.
Hiro, Lena, and Lucia were sitting around a table—covered in steaming dishes that smelled divine.
“Cassian!” Lucia smiled brightly. “We were just about to let you know breakfast is ready. Come, sit down!”
Cassian eyed the food. Freshly baked bread. Scrambled eggs. Grilled sausages. Colorful fruits.
Looks normal. Completely normal.
Her gaze shifted to Lena. “Who cooked this?”
Lena raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just answer the question.”
“We bought it downstairs and decided to eat up here.” Lena crossed her arms. “What’s your problem?”
Cassian only half-believed her. “Prove it. Take a bite.”
Lena stared at her, incredulous. “Are you kidding me?”
“PROVE IT.”
Lucia giggled into her hand, finding the situation amusing.
Lena grabbed a spoon, scooped up a huge spoonful of scrambled eggs, and shoved it into her mouth, staring Cassian right in the eyes the whole time.
She chewed. Swallowed.
No suspicious reaction. No blushing. No moaning. No trembling.
Just… normal food.
“Satisfied, PARANOID?”
Cassian sat down slowly, still wary. “It’s your fault. After what happened last time…” She shivered. “It was so weird. So strange. Why did the food do that to us?”
Hiro—cheeks full, chewing happily—swallowed before answering. “Lena’s family has a secret ingredient they put in their food. It makes their dishes taste… unimaginable.” He smiled nostalgically. “Even after growing up with Lena, I still don’t know the secret ingredient. But I’ve gotten a bit used to the effects.”
“The ingredients aren’t that hard to find,” Lena added. “It’s all about the quantity and dosage.”
Cassian remembered the taste. Divinely good. Absurdly good.
Part of me wants to try it again.
NO. Delete that thought. DELETE IT IMMEDIATELY.
Lena leaned forward, her tone turning serious. “By the way, Cassian. Last night, some people came looking for you. They really seemed to have it out for you. What happened?”
Cassian froze, her fork halfway to her mouth.
Shit. I wasn’t expecting that question. But it makes sense they’d be curious.
Her mind raced.
I’m screwed. I can’t hide that I have no money. Might as well tweak my story a bit.
She set down her fork, lowering her eyes with a perfectly calculated vulnerable expression.
“I… I don’t have my money anymore.” Her voice was soft, slightly trembling. “That’s why I didn’t buy anything yesterday. I didn’t want to worry you.”
Hiro sat up straight. “What?!”
“I knew you trusted me.” Cassian looked up, making her eyes slightly misty. Come on. Cry a little. Make it convincing. “I didn’t want you to worry about me.”
“What happened?” Lucia asked, concerned.
“Someone stole my money.” Cassian took a shaky breath. “I did my best to get it back. But no matter how much I called for help or begged… no one helped me.”
“That’s horrible!” Lucia placed a hand on Cassian’s.
Hiro frowned, clearly upset.
It’s working. Keep going.
“Eventually, I found my money. But it was in the hands of intimidating thugs. In a dark alley.” She lowered her eyes again. “I was scared. But I couldn’t give up now. So I went into the alley.”
“You’re really brave,” Lucia murmured.
Hiro nodded. “Incredibly brave.”
Lena watched them all, frowning. Something’s off. The way she’s telling it… it’s weird. But I can’t prove anything.
Cassian obviously didn’t mention beating up the thugs. She skipped straight to: “Guards showed up. They said they’d keep my purse safe. But after… after helping… they left.” She blinked, releasing one perfect tear. “I don’t know how to get my money back now.”
“The guards protected you?” Lena asked, skeptical.
“They beat the bad guys. Then they took my purse to keep it safe.”
Hiro, Lena, and Lucia exchanged looks.
“They clearly stole your money,” Hiro said finally.
“And the thugs want revenge,” Lena added. “Because they got beat by the guards. They think it’s your fault.”
Lucia squeezed Cassian’s hand. “It’s so unfair.”
Perfect. They bought the whole story.
Cassian wiped her eyes with a perfectly timed sniffle.
Hiro scratched his chin. “The thugs probably belong to a bigger group. A local gang. I’ll have to deal with it before it gets worse.”
The conversation gradually shifted to another topic.
“By the way,” Lucia said, “since Cassian’s part of our group now, she needs to register at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
Hiro and Lena sat up simultaneously. “SHE’S NOT REGISTERED YET?!”
“Uh…” Cassian blinked. “Is that important?”
“IMPORTANT?!” Lena nearly spilled her juice. “If you’re not registered, you can’t officially be in the group! We can’t share quest rewards!”
Lucia nodded. “There are seven ranks in the Guild. S is the highest. F is the lowest.”
“Our group is C-rank,” Hiro explained proudly. “We’ve been adventurers for a while. We’re doing our best to climb the ranks.”
S, A, B, C, D, E, F.
“So it’s an alphabetical ranking system,” Cassian said. “Easy to understand.”
“Exactly.” Lena stood up. “Come on, finish eating. We’re taking you to the Guild.”
---
Outside, the sun shone high in the sky. The streets of Leefside bustled—merchants shouting, children playing, horses pulling carts.
Hiro stopped at a crossroads, turning to the girls. “You take Cassian to the Guild. I’ve got things to do.”
“What kind of things?” Lena asked, suspicious.
“Stuff to handle.” He smiled vaguely. “I’ll catch up later.”
Before anyone could protest, he headed off in a different direction, vanishing into the crowd.
Lena sighed. “He always does this.”
Lucia took Cassian’s arm. “Come on! The Guild’s not far.”
