Translator: Haruto

I kept training—wriggling around—as my life depended on it, and before I knew it, I had turned three.

I’m currently attempting to step up my pushup game… from zero to one.

As I set my body into motion, I hear my mother’s voice.

I turn around to face her, giving up on actually doing a push-up.

“Shuu-chan! Today will be the first time you go to the park!”

“The park?”

It seems she wants me to get used to being around other people since I’ll be starting kindergarten this year.  

Hahaha! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I’ll overwhelm the other kids around with this well-trained—and squishy—body of mine!

At the park.

Ghaa!  

“I-Impossible! I’m using Divine-Blood Strengthening! How can this be…?!”

“I shall admit my defeat… Kill me now!!”

“Stop being a dummy and go play with the other kids, Shuu-chan.”

E-Easier said than done…

It appears I underestimated the power of children…

They possess an endless supply of stamina, and innocence verging on savageness…

As a child with the mind of an adult, I’m simply outclassed.

Oh well, it is what it is. Let’s go chill in the sandbox!

Also, I’ll add increasing my stamina to my goal list.

“Stop it! Gimme back my doll!”

“Ha! This is what I do to ugly dolls like this one!!”

A silver-haired girl and a brawny kid, who could only be described as the neighborhood bully, enter the scene.

The bully is holding a traditional Japanese doll in his hands.

Sure, it’s not exactly adorable, but it’s obvious how much work was put into making that doll. It looks almost divine.

The bully messes with the girl, throwing the doll like a ball at his friends.

The girl is trying her best to take it back but unfortunately, she’s too short to reach it.

“Haha! You and your little doll are both freaking creepy! I mean, just look at that weird hair of yours!”

“I, the great Kamen Rider Yuuki, shall defeat you.”

The bully pushes the girl and lays his foot on her.

Kamen Rider Yuuki is the name of a TV show by the way.

“Ugh!”

Where the heck are their parents?! Why is no one keeping an eye on them?!

I look around but there’s no trace of an adult nearby.

After searching carefully, I see them chatting joyfully on the other side of the park and enjoying the shade of the trees.  

The problem is, a small hill located at the center of the park is obstructing their vision.

The legs of a young child can’t carry me there to alert them of what’s going on.

Perhaps I could if I used Divine-Blood Strengthening but my power would be revealed.

I have no choice but to stop them myself.

Haa, having to deal with a bully on my first day at the park… This is not my lucky day.

“Stop right there, oh heroes!”

An entrance fit for a child if I say so myself.

“Huh? What do you want?”

“I’m an evildoer, the one and only Magic Boy! I detected your holy powers and I’ve come to put an end to you!”

If the bully wants to play the hero, I’ll take on the role of the villain.

I’ll pretend to fight them for a bit and then make it seem like they’ve defeated me with a secret skill or something.

“Magic Boy?”

“Mwahahahaha! Behold my great power!”

I throw a nearby rock up in the air.

Their eyes rise to the sky.

Just in case, I poured some life energy into the rock when I threw it.

While they’re distracted, I make my way behind them.

“Wh-?! When did you…?!”

“It’s one of my spells! Instant Teleportation!”

“Damn it! That’s cheating!”

“You’ve let your guard down!”

I activate low-level Divine-Blood Strengthening and knock him off his feet with a jab.  

While I’m at it, I catch the doll and hide it in the tall grass.

“Gwaah!”

He flies about one meter away.

“Crap, you’re strong. I’ll have to use my secret skill!”

Here it comes.

“Secret Skill: Rider Beam!”

“Whaat?! Nooooo!!”

I pretend to be sent flying into the air.

“Alright! Now’s our chance! Beat him up!”

Say what?

“Hey, wait…”

Kick, kick, kick…

They beat me to a pulp.

My body is covered in bruises.

After the bullies got tired of ganging up on me…

“We defeated the evildoer!” they claimed, before heading home.

“Urk, those assholes kicked me to their hearts’ content.”

As I feel pain spreading through my body, I go look for the doll.

“U-Um, are you okay, Mr. Evildoer?”

Hesitantly, the girl talks to me.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Ah, right! This is yours, isn’t it?”

I turn around while the words leave my mouth, and…

I find an angel right there and then.  

“…!” Blush.

It’s the heroine! Himeyuri Amane in the flesh!

I didn’t recognize her from afar! Well, I guess I should have noticed right away considering not that many people have silver hair like her. But, I mean, I was convinced I wouldn’t see her until I started kindergarten!

More importantly, though, she’s freaking cute! Young Amane is out of this world!

I-I’m evolving into a lolicon!  

“T-Thank you for what you did. Does it hurt?”

“It hurts like hell.”

“Um, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t worry about it. Are you hurt?”

“No…”

“I’m glad.”

“…”

“Haa.”

I cup Amane’s face in my hands.

Man, talk about soft. I think I can stay like this forever.

“Whaa-?”

I raise her face a little.

“Alright, let me see a smile. Such a cloudy expression doesn’t suit that face of yours.”

“Smile. When things get tough, when you feel sad, a smile will help you get through it all. No matter how rough life gets, no matter how many tears you shed, you should always be smiling in the end.”  

That’s what my mom used to say in my past life.

“My mom taught me that.”

“…! Okay!” Amane says and smiles.

She really is at her cutest when she’s smiling.

“So cute.”

“Huh?” Blush.

“Ah, my bad, I couldn’t hold my tongue.”

“Pff! Ahahahaha!”

“Oh, look at you laughing.”

“I’m sorry, it was just so funny.”

“Right…! What’s your name?”

I already know it though.

“Himeyuri Amane.”

“Alright, Amane-chan it is! I’m Shimizu Shuu.”

“I’ll call you Shuu-kun then.”

“Okay, let’s go play together!”

“Yup, let’s!”

We enjoyed ourselves until late afternoon.

“Bye! Let’s play again some other time!”

“You got it. Bye!”

I had a great day.

For some reason, a smile is plastered on my mom’s face but I pretend not to notice.

“Look at you coming to the rescue of such a cute girl. My Shuu-chan is already a Casanova!”

“What are you talking about? I’ve got no idea.”

“Oh? Then, how did you get those bruises?”

“Urk.”

“I was planning on keeping it a secret from your father, but…”

“Alright, you’ve got me! I’ll tell you all about it, but please don’t say a word to him!”

“Hehehe, okay.”

I had to give her a detailed account of what happened.  

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to outsmart my mom.

Damn you, bewitching middle-aged beauty!

“You just thought something super rude about me, didn’t you?”

“…No, ma’am.”  

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