A kaleidoscopic lantern flows. My life plays back before my eyes. Attending school, graduating, and then finally working.
An ordinary life went by in a matter of seconds. Which led to this moment. When the truck plowed into my body, breaking it.
☆☆☆
“Time to get up, Callus. Wake up.”
My body is shaken by someone. I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling and an unfamiliar woman.
“Finally you’re awake. Quickly now, get up and get ready. Today is your important ceremony of adulthood. The priest will get angry if we’re late.”
“……”
“What’s the matter?”
“Where am I? Who are you?”
“Stop saying such foolish things.” The woman hit me.
“Are you half asleep and have forgotten the face of your own mother?”
“Mother?”
I could not believe it. This woman in front of me is claiming to be my mother. That can’t be, without a doubt, it simply can not be.
All of my parents and grandparents are 100% j.a.panese, and against all odds, this woman in front of me has the skin and hair of a foreigner.
“You have to wake up early, and get dressed. Come down once you change your clothes. Because we are heading to the church together.”
Said the woman, who promptly left the room. For some reason, I wasn’t able to understand, but for time being I did as I was told.
☆☆☆
The church service was in progress. My mother led me to the priest who was performing the ceremony. Though I was unable to understand, he prayed, and splashed water with a tree branch.
“In the name of G.o.d, I lift the Level Lock on Callus Blade, and bestow upon him his first job.”
Huh.
“You have received your first job cla.s.s from G.o.d.”
At that moment, my body began to shine. Furthermore, words began to appear in my mind. Ninja Level 1
“What’s this?”
“Is it over? Callus.”
“Umm…….”
“Is the job cla.s.s related to the words floating in my mind? If that’s the case, then it’s ninja.”
“Ninja?” The woman looked at the priest in amazement.
“Is there some kind of mistake?”
“G.o.d can not make mistakes. He has attained an extremely rare job cla.s.s.”
“So…….”
I don’t understand what’s going on. Is being a ninja bad? The woman looked slightly complicated, and crossed her hands in prayer.
“Thank you, G.o.d.”
☆ ☆ ☆
“What do I do from here, Mom?” “In this village, there is a sage named Wilf-sama. Now that you are an adult, and the level lock is removed, attend his cla.s.ses to learn more about your job and level up.”
“huh……”
I looked around the village while walking with my mother. It is definitely a village out in the countryside. Every time we met someone, mother would stop to chat. It seems that everyone knows everyone else out here in the countryside.
It looks like a good place to relax. Though it’s a good place, just where exactly am I in the first place? Until yesterday I was a j.a.panese man who commuted from home to work on a daily basis.
The present me is a 16 year old boy named Callus Blade, who has just partic.i.p.ated in his adulthood ceremony. I really don’t know what’s going on anymore. In the meantime, we arrived at our destination.
It was an ordinary house on the outskirts of town. Standing in front of the door, my mother knocked.
“Hyes.”
I heard the voice of an old man from inside of the house. I entered with mother. Inside was a room with a great quant.i.ty of books piled up, and one old man sat on a rocking chair.
“Oh! What is the matter today, Blade-san?”
“Because my son has come of age, I wish for him to come study here.”
“Well then, I give my congratulations.”
“Thank you very much.” Said mom as she looked at me.
“Callus, learn from Wilf-sama properly.”
“O-okay.”
With that, my mother nodded and left. Inside the house, it was now just me and the old man. Umm…..
“Um….. Wilf……sama?” I timidly asked the old man.
“Hyes?” (TN Note: Wilf seems to be speaking in a manner where his ‘yes/hai’ is p.r.o.nounced with an ‘f’ sound. I’ve tried to come up with something that fits here.) The old man tilted his head to the side in puzzlement.
“Well, who are you?”
“Eeeeeee? Just now I was introduced. I’m Callus.”
“Hyah…. What business do you have here?”
“Eeeeeeeeeeee?”
Even though mother said this man was a sage, he seems to be showing signs of senility. Is this man really all right?
“Um, It appears that I have come of age today, and my mother wishes for me to be taught by Wilf.”
“Oh, you wish to attend my cram school, is that it?”
It’s a cram school? I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into, but for the time being, “Yes,” appears to be my pa.s.sing move.
“Huh, ummm…..”
“If that’s the case, then wait for a little while, there is another scheduled to come.”
“Well, is that so?”
Other than me….. there’s more 16 year olds who have undergone the ceremony?
“Anyway, who are you again?” “I’m Callus! A 16 year old level one ninja who is applying to attend your cram school!”
I grandly quipped. Then the old man’s eyes changed color.
“Oh ho, a ninja?”
“Eh?”
Wilf’s eye color changed again.
“An extremely rare job cla.s.s. I recall that its skill-based growth is slower, but not necessary for any job changes. When one changes jobs, there is the problem of level limit. That was a problem the predecessors faced as well.”
“Um……. Wilf-sama?”
“You’re starting as a ninja, then you should move onto swordsman or martial artist. You have an affinity for both. That–”
The old man began to talk clearly with me. He keeps talking like that. It sounds like more and more like some sort of game. It’s getting to be a little confusing.
“Just a moment, Wilf-sama. I’m having trouble keeping up with you.”
“Uh huh?”
“Could you speak more clearly or slowly?”
Wilf stared at me. “Dear me, who are you again?”
“I’m Callus!” I said loudly.
What’s with this old man? He switches between senility and clarity, and I don’t know the reason as to why.
While I made such an exchange, a knock came from the door. A girl entered. A slightly timid teenage girl.
“Dear me, who are you again?”
“Arrgghhh….”
“I’m Claire Arnel. I was told to study with the sage, so I came.”
“Oh my, Arnel-san. We’ve been waiting for you. Come, come, please enter.”
“Yes, excuse me.”
“Please, sit over there.”
The two of us, Claire and I, sat down to listen to the old man.
“Well, then I shall take a attendance. Claire-kun.”
“Yes.”
Claire answered modestly. I remember from my youth, this was not answering the neighbourhood auntie, but when I attended cram school, when attendance was taken. To see clouds, what was this really? I took that into consideration.
“Umm…. Who were you again?”
“I said I’m Callus!”
“So, so Callus. Callus-kun.”
“….Here.”
Because the concept of taking a attendance seemed ridiculous when there were only two students here, I answered unwillingly at first. At that moment. I rose to Ninja level 2. Words appeared in my head. I levelled…. By taking attendance?
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