I reincarnated into another world while keeping my memories as a Japanese person. Reincarnating into another world is something every Japanese person supposedly dreams about.
The main characters in the light novels I remember never went back to Earth. They just got used to the other world and lived there.
"-I wanna go to Japan."
But I wanted to go to Japan, so today too, I lie on the red wasteland with nothing but pebbles rolling around, grumbling while looking at the red sky with no clouds, no rain, no sun.
"I wanna go to Jaaapaaan～"
Orca tilted his round head. "'Yamato,' you still sayin' dat, huh."
"If I can't go, I'll keep saying it for thousands of years."
"How long is fousands of years?"
"Basically, until I die."
I talk in Japanese with a creature that clearly doesn't exist on Earth - a round-bodied thing that looks like a person and an orca mashed together, 'Orca.'
I was the one who taught him Japanese. Hundreds of years ago he could only make noises, but now he can handle everyday conversation just fine.
"Why is [Hell] so empty, huh?"
"I dunno. It's always been like this."
"Dat's why de only fing to do is kill each other. Just for killin'!"
"Yeah, I guess."
"......It's empty."
Having my terrible pun ignored hurts the most. Well, I haven't felt cold since I came to this world anyway.
Now then, me, 'Yamato,' talking with Orca like that - I'm not human either. Actually, there isn't a single human in this [Hell].
If I had to describe my own body, it's human-shaped, but it's like a slim black metallic power suit you'd see in sci-fi. There are no eyes where eyes should be on my face, and I don't know why I can still see.
My mouth is big, and it can open all the way to my temples. My teeth are super jagged too.
When I first saw what I looked like, the look was so demonic that I said out loud, "[Demon]," without thinking.
After that, the things living in this [Hell] became known as [Demons]. By the way, the name [Hell] also started with me.
Every time I remember that, I regret not giving it a more positive name.
Seriously, I really don't get this world. No matter how far you go, red dirt and red sky keep going without any dead end. But I've walked for decades and never looped around, so it doesn't seem round like Earth either.
There's nothing to eat, nothing to drink, nothing at all. But only us [Demons] with a sense of self exist, not doing anything in particular, and since there's nothing to do, we mostly kill each other.
This really is [Hell]-yep, there's no other name for it.
By the way, there's no sun or moon, and the sky stays red the whole time, so there's no concept of time either. When I say time, it's just a really rough way of speaking. If I say "over a thousand years," it just means "a long time ago."
-Okay, I've looked back on [Hell] and [Demons (us)] this far, so let me say it again.
"I wanna go to Jaaaapaaaan!!"
I mean, this world really has nothing! Even if I try to make something based on my memories from my past life, there's really nothing!
Among the special powers [Demons] have, there were a few that made me think we could build a civilization. But they wouldn't help me, or they got killed, or it was just my imagination - all of it failed.
Chess, shogi, and some other board games - I wasn't the type to keep playing them forever. Some [Demons] got way too into them, and that was a mess back then.
About 90% of them couldn't accept the win or loss and ended up killing each other.
I tried a lot of other stuff too, but it all ended as just playing civilization. My heart's already broken, man.
But maybe [Demons] don't have lifespans, because I can't see an end for myself. Ahh, seriously, this world really is [Hell].
"I wanna go to Japan......"
Even after spending so long as a [Demon], I kept remembering Japan clearly. That was really painful, and pretty rough.
The feeling of "going back" to Japan started to feel wrong to me somehow.
Thanks to that, I could only say I "wanted to go" to Japan, and back then I spent about a hundred years slamming my head into the ground over and over.
"Japan sounds so amazin'."
Of course it is. I say it all the time. There's good food, there's endless entertainment, and it's just full of fun stuff.
"Japan is amazin'......"
Well, compared to [Hell], anywhere feels like heaven though.
Orca's round eyes sparkle. I talked about Japan a lot, and at some point Orca started wanting to go to Japan too.
Orca isn't the only [Demon] like this. Some of them got really passionate about Japan, but......well, yeah, there's no way to get to Japan right now anyway.
So I keep shouting that I want to go to Japan in this [Hell] until I'm satisfied. Time just passes like always.
-That's how it was supposed to be, until Orca spoke up.
"......? Yamato, dere's somethin' over dere."
"Huh? What kind of [Demon] showed up? ......No, what the hell is that."
When I turned my head, the ground was glowing. Looking closer, it was a star mark surrounded by a circle - I think that's called a pentagram?
While I was staring and thinking "what the hell is this," the star mark twisted and a hole-like thing opened up.
-I smelled something nostalgic.
No, not a smell, exactly - it was the air.
I don't know if it was oxygen or carbon dioxide, but a substance that shouldn't exist here came into this empty [Hell] from inside the hole that opened.
"What is dat, I wonder? Dat fing, Yamato?"
"......Sorry, Orca. This is goodbye."
"What do ya mean?"
I was already sure. Before I could even think, my body was running toward the hole.
"I'm going to Japan--!!"
"Ah, Yamato!? ......He's gone."
It's fine if I'm wrong, fine if it's a trap, fine if I die.
With that feeling, I dove into the hole.
-Right after entering the hole, I saw a world that wasn't just red. At that point, I knew I'd come out somewhere different from [Hell].
"Is this......maybe Japan? Seriously, please, God! Even if it's not Japan, let it be Earth! Overseas, space, the deep sea, anything's fine! If it's the same world, I can just travel there!!"
Even though I'm a [Demon], I prayed desperately to God from the bottom of my heart while checking my surroundings.
It's strangely dark, or maybe closed-in - maybe I'm inside some kind of building?
"......Whoa."
I let out a sound without thinking.
The place I was in was a square block-like space surrounded by concrete walls. On those walls were tons of talismans with weird symbols on them, full of horror vibes.
"This is clearly a place that says 'we're summoning a [Demon].' Which means there should be a magic circle on the floor--"
"............"
"Whoa!? You scared me!? I didn't notice you at all!!"
Only when I looked down did I realize someone other than me was in this room.
They were sitting on the floor, looking up at me - about two and a half meters tall - and it was......a human.
".........It's a human."
A girl around ten years old, with black eyes and black hair, wearing an all-white shrine maiden outfit.
"It's a human!?"
"Eek!?"
If this body had tear ducts, I'd have been crying like a waterfall.
So humans were this warm to the touch, and looked this soft.
Ah, crap, that thought just now was way too non-human.
Whoa, wait, wait, as I suddenly yelled, she got super startled.
My looks alone would make a kid cry loudly, so scaring her more feels wrong.
Actually, this girl seems to be the human who summoned me. I need to talk to her somehow and show her I'm friendly.
-Come to think of it, can we even understand each other?
I mean, this whole look is totally Japanese!! Eh, wait, maybe it really is?
No, but if I get my hopes up and get let down, I'll be seriously crushed.
F-for now, let me assume it's not Japan. Even with this look, the language might be some space language.
"......Ah, I'm, speak, English."
"......I'm sorry. I can only speak......Japanese."
"For real!? So this is Japan, okay!?"
"Um, yes......it's......Japan."
"HELL YEEAAAHHH!!"
Earth, and even Japan - can things really go this conveniently!?
If this were a gacha, what percent is this? Isn't this beyond SSR!?
"Thank you, God--!! ......Oops, sorry. I got too excited."
Don't forget that I'm a black metallic power suit devil.
If something like that started yelling and celebrating, a kid would definitely be scared.
-But this shrine maiden girl is kind of calm, or rather, she doesn't seem that surprised. Or maybe she just doesn't really understand the situation?
Either way, if she's not scared, let me act like a summoned [Demon] should. Maybe I can figure out why I was called too.
"Ahem......so, did you call me to Japan, little shrine maiden?"
[Demons] should show dignity? Like I can do that. She might be my savior.
"......I'm sorry, I don't really......understand."
"Hmm?"
She says that, but I'm sure she's the one who called me.
When I focused, I could tell - me and the shrine maiden girl are "connected" by something like an invisible thread. And I somehow understood that if it were cut, I'd be sent back to [Hell].
I don't know if this is because of the summoning, but there's no doubt the shrine maiden girl is my contractor who summoned me.
-Then there's only one thing to do.
"Shrine maiden girl, can I ask your name?"
"Misaki."
"Misaki3, huh. That's a nice name."
I bent down as far as I could and held out my hand toward Misaki.
"I'm Yamato, a [Demon]. I'll grant any wish you have, my contractor Misaki."
What I have to do.
That is, protect Misaki no matter what, and make sure she doesn't hate me!
If Misaki dies, I go right back to [Hell], and I already hate it there, so if she breaks the contract or whatever, I'm done for.
So yeah, I'll be your servant or whatever, Misaki!
"......Anything's fine?"
"Yeah, anything's fine......if I could pick, I'd like something 'moral,' you know?"
"......'Moral'?"
"Sorry, that was a hard Japanese word! Like, I don't want a wish where you kill someone, stuff like that!"
I want to grant anything, but maybe because I still have my memories as a Japanese person, my social morals are still pretty strong.
Even after living a long time as a [Demon], that never changed. Thanks to that, my days in [Hell] where killing and getting killed was normal were nothing but hell.
When I was petting a [Demon] that was rare and got attached to me like a dog, it got killed just for fun.
The [Demon] who first showed interest in Japan also got killed just out of curiosity.
When I met a [Demon] that could make something like oil, I was happy we could build a civilization, and yeah, it got killed.
So I killed, failed to kill, started wars, but none of it ever made me feel better. I never once thought it was fun.
Man, the whole kill-or-be-killed thing really wears you down.......
Anyway, if Misaki is the type who wants to kill someone or destroy the world, I'll find a way to get her to change her wish. Well, if that ends up breaking the contract, I'll just grant it anyway.
Because I'm a [Demon] who really wants to stay in Japan.
In that case, I'll just have to grant her wish while making sure Japan doesn't get destroyed. No idea if I can pull that off, though.
"Well, for now, just tell me any wish you want."
"......Then-"
"-Oh!?" shouted one of the men entering. "The ritual actually worked!"
"Fuhaha! Now we can get payback on the Kikyo fam!"
Ah, yeah, these guys are confirmed villains. They said revenge, so there's probably some complicated backstory, but the circumstantial evidence is a bit thin, huh?
From that line just now, I guess they did a demon summoning ritual to destroy the Kikyo family.
So then, where does Misaki fit in?
Well, from the look of things, the most likely answer is sacrifice.
"Now, 'being from beyond' that we called! Accept our offering, init! Grant our main wish!"
Ugh, confirmed. Misaki really was a sacrifice.
-Man, that's depressing. Personally, I want Japan to stay peaceful, with good food.
Sure, life has its bad stuff. I barely remember it now, but before I became a [Demon], I guess I didn't live a very happy life.
But still, as a [Demon], I think appearances matter. Japan is peaceful. So let's all live so it stays peaceful, right?
And yet, sacrificing a kid is definitely not peaceful, right?
-That's just wrong, really.
"......Did you guys make this room?"
"Huh, you speak......Yeah! That's spot on!" The spokesman nodded frantically.
I picked Misaki up.
She's really quiet. Maybe these guys raised her that way.
"So, what do you want me to do? Destroy this Kikyo family?"
"That's spot on! Destroy them! We can offer more 'demon kids' as sacrifice-"
"No."
"......Huh?"
I can't see his face, but I can tell his eyes went wide and he's stunned.
Anyway, what's a "demon child"? There are other kids like Misaki?
I'm curious, but right now Misaki comes first.
"W-what did you just say......"
"Hm? Oh, sorry, didn't hear me? -I said no."
"W-why!?"
"Hmm, well, there are lots of reasons, but even if I grant your wish, it definitely won't be fun."
After I said it, I regretted not picking my words better. It's been thousands of years since I had a proper conversation with a human.
Eh, whatever, I'm a [Demon].
The guy who seems to be the top of these white robes shook his shoulders.
"D-don't play with us!? I built this place, it wasn't that brat, init-!?"
"Oh, I see. Thanks. Bye."
-Shadow burst out from under my feet, spread through the room like water, and swallowed everything.
"Gblb-!"
-[Demons] have traits called [Authority]. Well, I named this one myself, but mine lets me freely control a black shadow-like substance.
I call this 'Cloth Shadow.'
'Cloth Shadow' swallowed the white robes and kept spreading.
My vision became a pure black space. Hmm, yeah, when I spread 'Cloth Shadow' in all directions, it really looks like the world ended.
-Looks like I've "swallowed" it all now. Judging by how long it took, they were in a big building. When I put 'Cloth Shadow' away in an instant, the view had changed.
"......Outside?"
"Yep, we're outside~"
We weren't in the room packed with talismans anymore. We were standing in a forest full of trees.
We didn't move. I swallowed the white robes and the building with 'Cloth Shadow.' Right now they're inside 'Cloth Shadow.'
"Oops, at this rate they might drown."
I realized there's probably no air inside 'Cloth Shadow,' so I panicked a bit, spread the shadow, and spit out only the humans inside.
"Gah, cough, cough!?"
Whoa, ten times more people came out than were in that room. And they're all wearing white robes. Is this some kind of religious group?
From what I can see, the dead ones are......all of them are moving, good!
"Sorry. I just learned this too, but turns out there's no oxygen in the shadow."
"......W-who are you?"
He asked while shaking. He's the one who prepared that room for the summoning, so I guess I can at least tell him my name.
"I'm Yamato, a [Demon]. Nice to meet you. Hope we never meet again."
"A, a demon......?"
Oh, looking closely, I can see artificial lights deep in the mountains. Maybe there's a chance this is the Reiwa era1!
That's awesome~! SSSSSR rank~!!2
"N-no way......demons aren't real......you're proper different from the other 'beings from beyond'......"
-Hm? Right when he was about to say something that caught my attention, the white robe passed out.
'Beings from beyond,' he said it like there are other non-humans like me.
-Could it be, this isn't the Japan I know?
Trivia:
- Yamato accidentally named both [Hell] and [Demons] himself, meaning the entire setting's vocabulary is his own bad naming sense.
- The invisible thread linking Yamato to Misaki means if the contract is cut, he goes straight back to [Hell] — a quiet death flag built into the summoning.
- Orca learned Japanese over hundreds of years, which means Yamato spent centuries talking about a home he could never reach — Orca's dream of Japan was born from that loneliness.
- Yamato names his own [Authority] himself, which hints that [Demons] do not come with built-in names for their powers and that he has had a long, lonely stretch of time to label things on his own.
- The white robe leader shouts that he built the room himself, not the brat, which quietly tells you Misaki was placed there as an object, not as a person with any say.
- The white robe leader slips and says "other 'beings from beyond'" before passing out, which plants the idea that this world already has more summoned outsiders and that Yamato is not the first.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ The Reiwa era is the current period of the Japanese calendar, which began in 2019. Yamato, who has been in [Hell] for thousands of years, treats spotting modern lights as proof he may have returned to present-day Japan.
2 ↩ A joke based on gacha game rarity tiers, where SSR is the top prize and extra S letters mean something even rarer. Yamato uses it to say this era is the best possible roll.
3 ↩ Standard Japanese honorifics. Misaki is only ever called by her bare name here, and Yamato never adds an honorific, which shows how casually and possessively he treats her.
Notes:
• Yamato - A [Demon] summoned through a ritual. Retains memories and social morals from his past life as a Japanese person. Can freely control a black shadow-like substance he calls 'Cloth Shadow.' Wants to stay in Japan and will grant any wish as long as it does not destroy the country. Has spent thousands of years in [Hell] where killing was normal, and is tired of it. A former Japanese person reincarnated into [Hell] as a [Demon]. Wears a slim black metallic power suit body with no eyes and a wide jagged-toothed mouth. Spent over a thousand years in the red wasteland longing to return to Japan. Taught Orca Japanese. Accidentally named [Hell] and [Demons]. Summoned to Japan by Misaki and becomes her contracted [Demon].
• Orca - A round-bodied [Demon] that looks like a person and an orca mixed together. Learned Japanese from Yamato over hundreds of years. Dreams of going to Japan after hearing Yamato's stories. Was left behind when Yamato dove into the summoning hole.
• Misaki - A quiet young girl held as a sacrifice by a group in white robes. Small enough to be picked up. May have been raised by the white-robed group. Given the name "demon child" by them. A ten-year-old girl with black eyes and black hair, wearing an all-white shrine maiden outfit. She summoned Yamato into a concrete room covered in talismans. Soft-spoken and unsure of the situation. She is Yamato's contractor, linked to him by an invisible thread. A young girl used as a sacrifice in a demon summoning ritual. Called a demon's child by others. Her mother died from illness after being shunned for giving birth to her. Now contracted to the protagonist. Sleeps peacefully after being carried from the ritual site. Quiet and traumatized but comforted by the protagonist's voice.