The Tale of A Man Who Believed That His Reincarnation Had Granted Him A Japanese Sword And The Greatest Battle Sense, Only To Have The God Finally Inform Him "Huh, I Didn't Give You Any Combat Sense… That's Scary…" - Episode 20

I had a dream.

It’s a dream where I am still in that familiar world from my past life, the one I was in before I suddenly died.

In my dreams, I would wake up at the company as usual, attend the morning meeting, prepare documents, wash the car, clock in, do sales, do sales, do sales, clock in again after returning to the office, and then sleep on the floor… it was a life that made me want to smile wryly.

Looking back at my life for the first time in a while, I realized that if I kept living like this for several years, it was only natural that I would drop dead. Thinking back, I only had a health checkup once in the year I joined the company, and after that, I worked through Obon, New Year’s, Christmas, and even Valentine’s Day without a break.

Is this vivid dream sent from a first-person perspective a passing glimpse of my life, or is it a scene that appears after experiencing a second death? While my boss in the dream was handling the unauthorized movement of a client’s stocks and covering up the resulting losses, I was pondering such things.

What I see is the familiar old desk where I once worked while passing bl00d in my urine, the outdated desktop PC, the night view from the 23rd floor of a high-rise building in Sendagaya, Shibuya Ward around 2 AM, and a kimono-clad beauty with straight, sakura-colored hair, as beautiful as a doll.

Hmm, wait a minute, something unfamiliar mixed in at the end. As I shifted my gaze to the side while sitting on the uncomfortable, creaky chair, I locked eyes with a beautiful girl in a kimono who was also sitting on a creaky chair, staring at me.

“Jii, at your service.”

“…………”

“Staring at you intently.”

“…………”

It’s a dream. This has to be a dream. No matter how you look at it, it has to be a dream. Dreams are where unrelated, absurd, and bizarre things happen. In other words, if there’s a beautiful girl in a place where there shouldn’t be any sign of women from my corporate slave days, it wouldn’t be strange at all. Yes, perfect~. Flawless logical thinking.

“Hmph, my lord. Even though I am gazing at you so earnestly, you do not react at all, and it makes me so sad. Oh dear, Hashihime is so very sad.”

“Huh, Hashihime? … Did you just say Hashihime?”

“Oh, my dear! You finally spoke to me, I’m so delighted! Snuggle snuggle~♪”

When I inadvertently spoke to the girl with cherry blossom-colored hair upon hearing the word “Hashihime,” she turned to me with a bright smile like a sunflower. Without any hesitation or reservation, she approached me, making a clattering sound with her shoes, and snuggled up to me.

Wow! The kimono fabric is way stiffer than I expected! Plus, it’s thick and sturdy! Ah! If I keep rubbing, I’ll end up like a grated daikon radish!

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! It shouldn’t hurt this much in a dream! My kimono is getting dirty, and I’m bleeding too, so please stop rubbing!”

“W-w-wait! I-I am so sorry, my lord. I was so overwhelmed with joy at finally meeting you that I clung to you like a lovesick puppy.”

The kimono-clad beautiful girl, sticking her tongue out while saying “Oops, my bad.” While gently touching my stinging cheek, I threw a question at her.

“You mentioned Hashihime earlier, but could it be that you have some connection to the katana I received from the gods when I was reincarnated? That sword had the characters ‘Hashihime Ichimonji’ inscribed on it.”

“Yes, our relationship is so deeply intertwined that it can’t be severed no matter what. After all, the sword you possess is—my very self.”

Whoa, an unexpected answer came back. Myself…? So, does that mean the sakura-colored long straight-haired kimono beauty I met in this mysterious place is actually the very katana she always wields?

No, no, no, that’s just too much. If that’s true, then I’m the one who’s turning this cute girl into a bloody mess every time, like a DV and emotional abuse husband in a splatter movie.

I catch a glimpse of the kimono-clad girl. She nods in agreement.

“Is it really you?” he double-checks like a construction site worker. She nods, confirming.

After a brief pause, I will check with her again.

“Um, just to confirm again… the katana that I always joyfully swing around and use to cut down various people… is that you?”

When I asked her again to dispel the splatter suspicion, her eyes sparkled, she gripped her hands tightly, and she began her rapid-fire chant, a standard skill for otaku.

“Yes, indeed! After chasing after you, my soulmate, for countless years, I finally thought I could reunite with you, but it was short-lived as I lost my life. To follow you to another world, I threatened the gods to become a katana, becoming Hashihime Ichimonji so I could be with you in both shadow and light!”

No, wait, I wanted you to explain, but starting a high-speed chant all of a sudden is really confusing. It’s like when I told my friends I was recovering and hungry during my college days, and they brought me ramen and porridge.

Well then, where should I start listening to the story? Should I ask why it took the form of a katana, or should I ask about the part where it became a soul companion, or should I ask about the part where it threatened the god?

By the way, the kimono-clad beauty with hair as beautiful as sakura mochi, who has a fast-paced chant skill, seemed to interpret my being taken aback and going silent as “wanting to hear more, so I’m staying quiet,” and with stars in her eyes, she kept on talking more and more.

“The days spent in this world with you have been an overwhelming happiness and fulfilling days for me, who had been drifting alone in the mortal world for a long time.”

“I noticed several women flirting with you, but that’s that. If you are my partner, it is only natural for them to flock to you like moths to a flame. As your lawful wife, I have a generous heart and choose not to curse them, so consider yourself lucky.”

While holding my head in my hands, I’m desperately trying to understand the words being thrown at me. Wait, what? She calls me her soulmate, and somehow, she threatened the god who reincarnated me to attach me here in the form of a katana… and as long as I’m used as a katana, she doesn’t mind too much…?

No, first of all, what is this place? Is it a dream, or can I accept it as a dream? Or is it something else, like a special space? Ah, this is no good. I don’t understand anything anymore.

“Uh, so, you mean… you’re going to be my wife?”

“Wow! Oh, it makes me so very happy to hear you say that from your own mouth, my dear♡. Who would have thought that you, who have stubbornly refused to acknowledge me as your wife, would now say it so clearly and obviously from your own lips…♡”

I just said it to confirm, not to acknowledge the fact. Hey! Are you even listening? Don’t squirm and blush like that. Seriously, don’t give me reactions that force me to keep making retorts.

I’m feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of information, words, and reactions piled up. My stomach is already churning…

The kimono-clad girl happily circles around me as I sit in the company’s cheap chair, peering into my face with a smile over and over again. Looking at her face, which I shouldn’t know at all, for some reason, I start to feel somewhat calm. Well, if she’s happy, I guess it doesn’t matter, and my thoughts come to a conclusion there.

Then, the vision began to wobble, and the edges of the field of vision turned black.

“Oh, it seems like it’s about time for your body to wake up.”

The girl who referred to herself as Hashihime stood in front of me, wearing a sad smile. Her hands tightly grasped her kimono, and although she tried to cover it up with a smile, her face revealed an unmistakable sadness and sorrow.

“It was a long-awaited meeting after many years, so I feel very unsatisfied, but as the principal wife, I understand that a good wife should walk three steps behind her husband, so as not to tread on his shadow.”

The moment she tried to step back a little, my body moved unconsciously. As I stood up from my chair, I naturally grabbed her arm as she tried to pull away. She seemed genuinely surprised, her body jolting, and then she looked at me with a happy expression.

Long, beautiful sakura-colored hair that dances in the spring breeze like falling cherry blossom petals, cute drooping eyes and eyebrows that give an impression of being somewhat vacant yet exude boundless kindness, and lovely cheeks with a touch of red on fair skin. I don’t know her, but at the same time, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I know her from somewhere.

Words come out naturally.

“It’s okay, ■■. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon. I promise.”

It was my voice, but at least it wasn’t my words. The name “■■” also came out naturally, but I had no idea what it was about.

Her eyes widened, and then, as if recalling something nostalgic, they narrowed with tears.

“Yes, Mr./Ms. ■■■. We are always looking forward to your ■■■■.”

My consciousness wavered, and her figure gradually receded further away. However, within my heart, there was something fulfilling that I couldn’t quite understand. Holding onto that something, my consciousness surfaced from the fleeting moments of our rendezvous.