The Reincarnation of a Commoner Couple - Episode 13

Even after getting lectured by Mom, being praised for my test results felt like ages ago. Two weeks had flown by since then.

The sports festival somehow ended without major incident, and the next big event was the school trip.

“Did it really go ‘without major incident’? Didn’t your competitive streak show itself?”

“Azusa, you’re one to talk.”

Thanks to the derby right before the sports festival, my money had increased. I made another 10 million yen or so and split it with Azusa. Ah, Uni**verse… the nostalgia hits hard.

Being able to see races I’d only ever watched on video live was pretty great. It was a shame knowing the outcome took some of the excitement away, though.

Anyway, I’d bumped my physical ability stat up to 50 beforehand, and yeah, even at 50, it was seriously insane.

“Feeling all those admiring stares from your classmates felt pretty good, right?”

“Not gonna deny it.”

The problem was the mixed-gender relay. Azusa and I participated in that event. Since my athleticism was already somewhat known from P.E. class, I was assigned the leg before the anchor. Azusa was running right before me… but…

When it was our turn, our class was dead last, trailing the leader by a good five lengths or so.

First, Azusa electrified the whole school. Taking the baton, she used her full physical ability 50 to blow past the two runners ahead. She couldn’t catch everyone, but she closed the gap significantly. Then it was my turn.

Using my own physical ability 50, I overtook the leader Azusa had reeled in and managed to pass the baton to our anchor in first place.

After that, our anchor, a track club member, held the lead all the way to the finish line for a dramatic come-from-behind victory. Azusa and I got a huge round of applause and cheers after the relay. We both struck a double peace-sign pose, looking smug as hell.

“I wanna do that in high school too. Those stares from everyone… hard to forget.”

“Totally get it. It’s addictive.”

Our need for recognition was thoroughly satisfied. That was the sports festival for you.

And now, we were in the middle of a group meeting for the school trip.

Don’t call it a sad event for loners. This class got along incredibly well – a warm class where loners simply didn’t exist. Group assignments were settled easily in about ten minutes.

“Kyoto, huh…”

“Haven’t been in a long time.”

I managed to get into the same group as Azusa. Everyone in class knew we were dating, so our classmates kindly made it happen. There were four others in our mixed-gender group, including Masaru, a guy I talked to fairly often.

While the other four chatted excitedly about where to go, Azusa and I murmured quietly to each other, reminiscing. Before the regression, we used to go to Kyoto about once every five years. We’d go to watch the horse races held there and do some sightseeing on the side.

“Kinda feel like we’ve been everywhere… nothing seems fresh anymore.”

“We should at least pay our respects at a shrine, right? We don’t know why, but we got to regress. Whoever the god was that made it happen, I want to thank them properly.”

True that. Once things settle down, we should visit shrines all over Japan to pray. Japan has so many gods; who knows which one sent us back? I’ll throw in plenty of offerings.

“I never really believed in gods before, though…”

“Hard not to after this, right? Experiencing this kind of supernatural phenomenon.”

“Hey, you two! Lovey-dovey is fine and all, but give us some input here!”

“Ah, sorry, sorry!”

“Apologies!”

“Damn it. This is why the pretty people get all the breaks. Even apologizing looks cool on them.”

Talking to Azusa, I got scolded by Masaru. He was glaring at me with resentment… wonder why? He was muttering something under his breath, but I couldn’t make it out.

“I’d like to go to Kiyomizu-dera.”

“Right. We can’t skip that one.”

I offered my opinion just to contribute. Kiyomizu-dera… for some reason, you just have to go when you’re in Kyoto. It’s weird. We went every single trip in our past lives too.

Lately, after school has been all about exam prep. Flush with cash, I went to the bookstore and bought tons of reference books and past entrance exams to prepare properly.

“You’re really serious about studying, aren’t you? Buying all those smart-looking books like that. Is money okay?”

“If I’m gonna do it, I gotta do it right. Don’t wanna fail. Money’s fine. Azusa and I split the cost.”

After the usual dinner. Standing by the kitchen vent, smoking a cigarette while reading a history reference book.

My Academic Ability 70 is no joke. My memory is phenomenal; I pretty much remember anything after reading it once. High school entrance exams mostly come down to memorization, so it’s a huge help.

“You ready for the school trip?”

“All set.”

Some time had passed since the group meeting, and suddenly, the school trip was starting tomorrow. My suitcase was packed and ready to go.

Of course, I still went to the races on Sundays in between. The Yasuda Kinen with Uni**verse was amazing. **-san rode well, but I think that horse is incredibly smart. It seemed like it was shaking its head to find its own path. Even knowing the result, that had me on the edge of my seat.

“Leave the cigarettes at home, okay?”

“Understood.”

Ever since Mom found out… I only smoke at home. Every time I’m at the racecourse, I get hit with the urge to smoke, but I manage to resist. Keita-kun is a good boy who follows his mother’s orders. It’s fine, it’s fine. Just two nights, three days. I’ve successfully quit smoking plenty of times before. I’ll make it work this time too.