Chapter 2 – The Girl in the River

Darkness.

That was all Suzu could feel.

No sound.

No warmth.

No ground beneath her.

Just an endless, empty darkness.

For a while, she simply floated there.

She couldn't tell whether she was awake or asleep.

Then slowly...

She remembered.

The road.

The rain.

The little girl in the yellow raincoat.

Her notebook.

The words she had written.

MYSTIC TALES OF ETERNIA.

Suzu's thoughts became strangely clear.

...Oh.

She remembered everything.

I died.

There was a long silence.

I actually died.

Another silence.

Wow.

For some reason, her first reaction wasn't fear.

It was annoyance.

That's seriously unfair.

She remembered finally starting her story after years of struggling.

She had finally written the title.

She had finally figured out how the beginning should feel.

And then...

She died.

"Seriously..."

Her voice didn't come out.

She couldn't even tell if she still had a body.

I finally started writing and immediately got a game-over screen.

She imagined herself crossing her arms.

What kind of terrible author does that to their main character?

Then another memory surfaced.

A much older one.

A sunny afternoon.

A tree.

A toy medical kit.

A little girl smiling at her.

Can you save me, Doctor?

Suzu's thoughts suddenly became quiet.

Her imaginary smile disappeared.

"...Aoi."

The name escaped her mind.

For the first time since her death, she felt something warm.

She remembered the girl who had stayed beside her when they were children.

The girl she had promised to save.

The girl she couldn't save.

Aoi.

Suzu remembered her smile.

Her voice.

Their silly games.

Their little doctor routine.

And the photograph she had kept for all those years.

"I wish..."

Her thoughts trembled.

"...I could have seen you again."

Then—

Something changed.

A faint warmth touched her face.

Suzu froze.

...Huh?

The darkness began to disappear.

Something bright appeared above her.

Blue.

A vast, beautiful blue.

Suzu slowly opened her eyes.

And the very first thing she saw was—

The sky.

"..."

She blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The sky remained.

Blue.

Cloudy.

Huge.

Suzu stared at it.

...The heck?

She tried moving.

Her body responded.

Barely.

She raised one hand.

Or...

What was supposed to be a hand.

Suzu stared.

Tiny fingers.

Very tiny fingers.

She froze.

"..."

She tried moving her other hand.

Tiny.

She tried moving her legs.

Tiny.

She tried lifting her head.

She immediately became exhausted.

Wait.

Her thoughts began racing.

Wait wait wait.

She tried looking down.

All she could see was a tiny body wrapped in cloth.

Her clothes were completely different.

She couldn't recognize them.

She couldn't recognize anything.

Suzu's brain slowly connected the pieces.

No.

She blinked.

No way.

She tried speaking.

"Ah—"

What came out was a strange little noise.

Suzu froze.

"...Eh?"

She tried again.

"Ba..."

She stopped.

Her eyes widened.

WHAT WAS THAT?!

She opened her mouth again.

"Ba! Ah! Buh!"

Her voice sounded ridiculously small.

Suzu's mind went completely blank.

Then one horrifying realization hit her.

That was me.

She stared at her tiny hands.

That was MY voice.

She tried screaming.

"AAAH!"

What actually came out was:

"Waah!"

Suzu's eyes widened.

WHY DO I SOUND LIKE A BABY?!

She began panicking.

She tried moving again.

Her tiny arms flailed.

"Waah! Waah!"

Someone explain what happened!

But there was nobody around to explain anything.

Only the sky.

And...

Water.

Suzu felt herself gently rocking.

She looked around as much as her tiny body allowed.

Wood surrounded her.

A woven basket.

Water flowed beneath it.

The basket moved slowly with the current.

Suzu stared at the river.

Then at the basket.

Then back at the river.

Her thoughts became very, very quiet.

...Am I in a basket?

The river carried her farther downstream.

Why am I in a basket?

She looked around.

There was no house.

No person.

No road.

No bridge.

Nothing.

Suzu's tiny face somehow managed to look offended.

Did someone abandon me?!

She looked at the basket.

Wait.

Was I thrown away?!

Her imagination immediately went wild.

What kind of parent throws their child into a river?!

She paused.

Actually...

She looked at the current.

This is probably a really bad time to complain about my childhood.

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The basket bumped gently against the water.

Suzu's tiny body bounced.

"Uwah!"

She grabbed the side of the basket.

HEY! CAREFUL!

She looked toward the sky.

I literally just got reborn! Can I at least get five minutes before my next disaster?!

The river continued carrying her.

Suzu sighed internally.

Okay.

Stay calm.

Think.

She tried remembering everything.

She was Suzu Ayanami.

She had died.

She remembered her entire previous life.

And now...

She was a child.

In a basket.

Floating down a river.

In a world she didn't recognize.

Suzu stared blankly at the sky.

...This is not how I imagined reincarnation.

A short distance away, someone was walking along the riverbank.

A woman dressed in simple religious clothing carried a bundle of freshly washed clothes in her arms.

She had been returning toward the village after washing them in the river.

The path was quiet.

The afternoon breeze moved gently through the trees.

She walked peacefully.

Until—

"Waah!"

The woman stopped.

She turned her head.

"...?"

Nothing.

She continued walking.

Then—

"Waah! Waaah!"

She stopped again.

Her expression changed.

"...Was that a baby?"

She looked toward the river.

At first, she couldn't see anything.

Then she noticed something floating in the distance.

A basket.

The woman's eyes widened.

"Is that..."

She stepped closer to the riverbank.

The basket drifted around a bend.

Then she heard it again.

"Waah!"

Her eyes widened.

"There is a baby!"

She immediately dropped the bundle of clothes onto the grass.

Then she ran.

Inside the basket, Suzu was having the worst day of her new life.

Okay.

Maybe someone will find me.

She looked around.

Preferably someone competent.

She heard footsteps.

Then a woman's voice.

"Hold on!"

Suzu's eyes widened.

Someone!

She tried to shout.

"Waah!"

The basket continued drifting.

"Please hold on!"

I AM HOLDING ON!

Suzu grabbed the side.

The basket bumped against the riverbank.

The woman reached down.

"Got you!"

She carefully pulled the basket out of the water.

Suzu's body bounced slightly.

"Uwah!"

The woman immediately looked inside.

There she was.

A tiny girl.

Red hair.

Small hands.

Big eyes.

Completely confused.

The woman stared.

"...A baby."

Suzu stared back.

Yes.

Obviously.

The woman looked around.

She searched the riverbank.

"Is anyone there?"

Nothing.

She looked toward the trees.

Nothing.

She checked the path.

Nobody.

She searched farther along the river.

Still nothing.

Her expression became worried.

"Where did you come from?"

Suzu stared at her.

Excellent question.

The woman looked at the basket.

Then the river.

Then the baby again.

"Did someone leave you here?"

Suzu's eyes widened.

THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING!

She waved her tiny arms.

"Ah! Buh! Waah!"

The woman blinked.

"...You're quite loud."

Suzu froze.

Excuse me?

The woman smiled gently.

"I'm sorry."

She carefully lifted Suzu from the basket.

The moment she was held against the woman's chest, Suzu stopped moving.

The warmth was comforting.

She could hear the woman's heartbeat.

Slow.

Steady.

Safe.

Suzu's tiny body relaxed.

The woman smiled.

"There you go."

Suzu blinked.

She hadn't expected that.

...Warm.

For some reason, that simple feeling made her chest ache.

She didn't understand why.

The woman gently wrapped the cloth around her.

"You must have been frightened."

Suzu looked up at her.

The woman had kind eyes.

Suzu didn't know her.

But somehow...

She felt safe.

"Wa..."

Her voice became quieter.

The woman smiled.

"That's better."

She picked up the bundle of clothes again with one arm and carefully carried the baby with the other.

Before leaving, she looked at the river one more time.

Still nobody.

No footprints nearby.

No abandoned belongings.

Nothing that could explain where the child had come from.

She sighed.

"We'll have to bring you to the village."

Suzu stared at her.

Village?

The woman started walking.

Suzu rested against her shoulder.

Okay.

At least I'm not floating anymore.

She paused.

That's progress.

The journey took some time.

Eventually, trees began giving way to houses.

Suzu's eyes widened.

The buildings looked nothing like the modern streets she remembered.

Wooden houses.

Stone paths.

Small market stalls.

Carriages.

People wearing clothes that belonged in a history book.

Suzu stared.

...What?

A man walked past carrying a large sack.

Another person rode a horse.

A group of travelers stood near the road.

One wore heavy armor.

Another carried a long staff.

Someone else had a sword hanging from their waist.

Suzu's eyes sparkled.

Wait.

Are those adventurers?!

She nearly forgot that she was supposed to be confused.

She stared at the armored traveler.

Then at the staff.

Then at another person carrying a bow.

Her tiny mouth opened.

"Ah..."

The woman carrying her glanced down.

"Something caught your attention?"

Suzu couldn't answer.

THIS IS REAL.

She had spent years drawing people like this.

Knights.

Mages.

Adventurers.

Travelers.

Fantasy cities.

And now she was actually looking at them.

She wanted to scream.

I DID IT.

I ACTUALLY GOT INTO A FANTASY WORLD.

Then she remembered her current situation.

She looked down at her tiny hands.

...As a baby.

She mentally sighed.

Of course.

A wooden sign appeared ahead.

The woman walked beneath it.

Suzu tilted her head.

She couldn't read everything from her position, but one name stood out.

Willowbrook Village.

Suzu stared.

Willowbrook...

The name felt strangely familiar.

Not like something she remembered from her old world.

More like a word she had once written somewhere.

She couldn't remember where.

The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.

The woman continued through the village.

People greeted her as she passed.

"Good afternoon!"

"Welcome back!"

"You're back already?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

Suzu quietly observed everything.

The village wasn't enormous.

But it was peaceful.

Children played near the road.

Merchants prepared their stalls.

Farmers carried baskets of vegetables.

A blacksmith worked near a small forge.

Somewhere nearby, she could smell freshly baked bread.

Suzu's stomach made a tiny noise.

"..."

She froze.

Did my baby body just betray me?

The woman looked down.

"Are you hungry?"

Suzu immediately began waving her arms.

"Waah!"

The woman laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Good.

At least this body has priorities.

Eventually, they reached a large stone building.

A symbol was carved above the entrance.

The place looked like a church.

But there were also children playing in the courtyard.

Some were carrying wooden toys.

Others were running around.

One child noticed the woman first.

"Sister Elena!"

Several children turned.

"She's back!"

"Welcome back!"

The woman smiled.

"Hello, everyone."

Suzu's eyes widened.

So she's a sister.

The children crowded around her.

Then one of them noticed the baby.

"Who's that?"

Another child pointed.

"Is that a baby?"

"Where did you find her?"

"Why is her hair red?"

"Can I hold her?"

The woman laughed softly.

"One question at a time."

Suzu stared at the crowd.

This is a lot of people.

She hid her face against the woman's chest.

The children giggled.

"She's shy!"

"She's hiding!"

The woman smiled.

"She's probably tired."

A moment later, the large wooden doors of the church opened.

A man stepped outside.

He wore simple priestly clothing.

He looked toward the courtyard and smiled.

"Welcome back, Sister Elena."

The woman smiled.

"Thank you, Father Aldrich."

Suzu's eyes moved toward him.

Father?

He approached.

Then he noticed the baby in Sister Elena's arms.

His expression changed.

"Is that..."

Sister Elena nodded.

"I found her by the river."

Father Aldrich looked surprised.

"By the river?"

"She was drifting in a basket."

The children immediately gasped.

"A basket?!"

"Like a treasure chest?"

"Was she floating?"

"Did you rescue her?"

Sister Elena laughed.

"Yes. And fortunately, she was unharmed."

Father Aldrich looked at the baby carefully.

He crouched down.

Suzu stared at him.

He smiled.

"Hello there."

Suzu stared.

Hello.

She couldn't say it.

"Ah..."

Father Aldrich smiled.

"She's awake."

One of the children leaned closer.

"She's looking at you!"

Another whispered loudly.

"She has red hair."

"She's cute."

Suzu's face became slightly warm.

Stop staring at me.

She looked away.

The children laughed.

Father Aldrich stood again.

"Did you find anyone nearby?"

Sister Elena shook her head.

"No."

"Any belongings?"

"Nothing."

"Then we have no idea where she came from."

Sister Elena looked down at the baby.

"No."

She gently adjusted the cloth around her.

"But I couldn't leave her there."

Father Aldrich nodded.

"Of course not."

He looked toward the church.

"We'll take care of her."

Suzu blinked.

Take care of me?

She didn't know what that meant yet.

But something inside her loosened.

She had spent the last part of her previous life feeling alone.

Now...

She was surrounded by people.

Children.

A church.

A kind woman.

A priest.

She still didn't know where she was.

She still didn't know why she had been reborn.

She still didn't know who her parents were.

But at least...

She wasn't alone anymore.

Later that evening, Sister Elena sat in a quiet room inside the church.

The baby rested safely in her arms.

Father Aldrich sat nearby.

They had spoken about the situation.

There were no clues.

No parents had come looking.

No one in the village recognized the baby.

And no one knew where the basket had come from.

Father Aldrich looked at Sister Elena.

"If no one comes..."

Sister Elena looked down.

The little girl was already falling asleep.

"Then she'll stay here."

Father Aldrich smiled.

"I think the children will be happy."

Sister Elena chuckled.

"They already are."

The baby moved slightly.

Her tiny fingers curled around a piece of Sister Elena's clothing.

Sister Elena looked down.

Something about the child made her heart ache.

She had found her alone.

Cold.

Drifting helplessly down the river.

Yet even after everything...

The baby had stopped crying once she was held.

Sister Elena gently touched the girl's red hair.

"You're a brave little one."

The baby opened her eyes slightly.

Sister Elena smiled.

Father Aldrich watched quietly.

After a moment, he spoke.

"She needs a name."

Sister Elena looked at him.

"A name?"

"Yes."

He smiled.

"You were the one who found her."

He nodded toward the baby.

"Perhaps you should be the one to give her one."

Sister Elena became quiet.

She looked at the tiny girl in her arms.

The baby stared back at her.

For a moment, Sister Elena thought about everything that had happened.

The river.

The basket.

The frightened crying.

Those tiny red strands of hair.

And the way the child had calmed down when she was finally held.

Sister Elena smiled.

"Then..."

She gently held the baby closer.

"I'll call you..."

She paused.

The name came naturally.

"Mina."

The baby blinked.

Sister Elena smiled.

"Mina."

The little girl made a tiny sound.

"Ah..."

Father Aldrich smiled.

"It seems she likes it."

Sister Elena laughed softly.

"Welcome to your new home, Mina."

Outside, the sound of children playing slowly faded as evening settled over Willowbrook Village.

And somewhere far beyond the village...

A story that had once been written in a lonely girl's notebook had finally begun.

Not on a blank page.

Not inside a dream.

But in a world of its own.

And the girl who had once been called Suzu Ayanami...

Now had a new name.

Mina.