Author Reincarnation – Chapter 1: Reincarnated to the Story That I Write!?

  I woke up in a strange world.

  A place I didn’t recognize.

  “Is this a dream?” I muttered.

  As far as the eye could see, there was only flat, vast land.

  A stretch of green grass extended to the horizon, with tall trees towering with brown trunks. Silence enveloped this place—so peaceful, yet it felt different—as if I were standing in the middle of an untouched world.

  I began to wonder.

  “Where is this? Is this Heaven…?”

  I paused for a moment before shaking my head.

  “I don’t think so. As far as I know, Heaven is a magnificent place filled with beauty.”

  I took a deep breath. A gentle breeze brushed against my face.

  “This place is beautiful… but if this were really Heaven, it shouldn’t feel like Earth.”

  I sighed.

  “Or maybe my understanding is wrong? I’m just a writer, not a religious scholar.”

  Standing around wouldn’t help me. So, with a bit of hesitation, I tried to get up.

  “Ugh…”

  My back felt stiff. This was too much—as far as I knew, I wasn’t that old yet.

  Could it be because I had been sleeping on hard ground for a long time? If so, that meant I had been asleep for quite a while without realizing it.

  I started walking aimlessly, like an ant separated from its colony.

  To be honest, if I weren’t an otaku who spent time reading manga, I probably wouldn’t be saying this…

  But this world feels like an isekai.

  After walking for a while, I saw a kingdom.

  In front of the towering large gate, there was a signboard that read:

  "Navern Garde."

  I stared at it in confusion.

  “Navern Garde…? That’s a strange name for a city. But… wait, is this kingdom in the modern era?”

  I thought for a moment. If this were the world I used to live in, then a kingdom like this should only exist in history books or fantasy tales.

  Could it be that I really was in another world?

  With some hesitation, I stepped into the kingdom

  As soon as I passed through the gate, I was stunned.

  “Whoa…”

  This city was vast. Houses with traditional architecture stood neatly in rows, while various races bustled about the busy streets.

  No doubt about it, this was a fantasy world.

  The more I walked, the more people I met. The residents here seemed friendly and relaxed.

  “This place feels like a marketplace… and it’s quite crowded too,” I muttered.

  A while later, I stopped near a food tavern.

  “Ah… I’m so tired.”

  I took a long sigh. I had been wandering without any clear direction.

  I glanced at the tavern’s signboard. But when I saw the image on it, for some reason, I felt a little embarrassed.

  Then, a memory struck my mind—like a sudden lightning bolt.

  Something I was supposed to have forgotten.

  A dark past… or more precisely, an embarrassing past.

  I swallowed hard, then hurriedly stepped into the tavern.

  Hoping that I was wrong.

  But…

  “No way… this is a lie, right?”

  My eyes widened in disbelief.

  I muttered, my voice drowned out by the chatter of adventurers inside the tavern.

  My suspicion was correct.

  The name of this tavern was—

  “Dragon Tavern.”

  I stood frozen. No… this must be a coincidence, right?

  But no, everything else only made the reality clearer.

  Right beside the name, there was a picture of a dragon—so horribly drawn, as bad as my first drawing when I was a kid.

  I felt my heart beating faster.

  As a child, I couldn’t draw dragons properly. That’s why I became a writer, not a mangaka—even though my dream back then was to create manga.

  It’s not that I couldn’t draw at all. I had improved a lot in drawing. It’s just that… I never revised my old drawings. I had even forgotten about them.

  If I hadn’t seen it again… I wouldn’t have remembered it.

  “Cheers~!”

  A cheerful voice echoed from the corner of the tavern.

  I could recognize three distinct voices—a soft voice of an innocent girl, an energetic voice of a tsundere girl, and a calm voice of a mature woman.

  Just a hunch, but…

  I felt like I knew who they were.

  My heart pounded harder. I swallowed hard. Slowly, I turned toward them.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “..........”

  “......EHHH?!!”

  I jolted in shock. My body tensed up, and unconsciously, I collapsed onto the floor.

  The atmosphere instantly fell silent.

  All eyes were on me.

  But I didn’t care.

  Because…

  My suspicion was correct.

  No, more precisely—I had hoped my suspicion was wrong.

  But the reality was right in front of me.

  “This… this is a lie, right…? This must be just a dream… There’s no way this is happening…”

  I muttered while clutching my head. My hand reflexively moved to the side, almost touching my glasses.

  I flinched.

  A girl approached me. Her voice was soft.

  “Are you okay, sir?”

  I turned to look.

  Her fluffy tail swayed anxiously.

  Her ears drooped slightly, showing her concern.

  I knew her.

  I knew this girl.

  Her gentle purple eyes, her innocent face, her two ears, and her cute tail.

  There was no mistake.

  She was Hiyori.

  The wolf girl I wrote in my novel.

  I lowered my head, staring at the wooden floor beneath me.

  I muttered to myself.

  My voice was so soft that even Hiyori’s wolf ears might not have been able to hear it.

  “This means… I have reincarnated into the novel I wrote…?”

  I fell silent.

  To be honest, I still couldn’t fully accept this reality.

  Reincarnating into a fantasy world was already shocking enough…

  But more than that—

  I had reincarnated into a world that I created myself.

  How could that even happen?

  Then I remembered.

  "Ah, so that’s why." I muttered.

  "It’s all because of that..."

  That day was just an ordinary day.

  A summer day in Japan, with clear skies and a gentle breeze flowing through my bedroom window.

  I was writing a novel—a romance story that was quite popular among young readers.

  Ironically, I had never experienced love myself, neither in middle school nor high school. But I knew one thing: a good formula could beat experience.

  "Alright... Time to pour all my passion into this writing."

  Or at least, that’s what I thought—until fate decided to toy with me.

  "....."

  "...Ah, damn it."

  My pen ran out of ink.

  I let out a deep sigh, staring blankly at the pen’s tip, which no longer left any ink on the page. This wasn’t the first time. Every time I found myself in a moment of peak inspiration, something always managed to stop me.

  Frustrated, I tossed the pen. The small object soared through the air, hit the wall, and landed perfectly inside the trash bin.

  If this were a sports event, the crowd would’ve shouted, “GOAL!”

  With a slight sigh, I got up and headed outside to buy a new pen.

  The streets were bustling with people. The lively atmosphere always made me uneasy, but not because I was afraid of being recognized as a “famous author” or anything—my work wasn’t that popular anyway.

  I just... didn’t like being in the middle of a crowd.

  After buying a new pen and a notebook, my eyes caught sight of a girl.

  She looked like a bookworm, with neatly tied hair and glasses resting on her nose.

  Not to be rude, but… she looked cute.

  But that wasn’t what made me stop in my tracks.

  In her hands, she was holding a book—my first novel.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  It was a story about heroic girls, originally inspired by S*ilor Moon, but I had blended it with darker fantasy elements.

  I looked at her with a small smile on my face.

  Without hesitation, I walked up to her.

  "Do you like that book?" I asked in a friendly tone.

  "Ah, y-yes!" The girl seemed a little nervous, but her eyes sparkled. "I read a bit from my friend’s copy, and I thought it was really interesting!"

  She started talking enthusiastically—especially about her favorite character.

  "I really love Hiyori! She’s sweet and polite… I like the way she talks!"

  I listened with a smile. Honestly, I wanted to tell her that I was the author.

  But I held myself back.

  A few minutes passed, and I returned to the cashier, paid for my things, and walked out.

  At that moment, I thought, "Yeah, today wasn’t so bad after all."

  But then, I saw her.

  That girl.

  She was crossing the street with a small smile, focused on the shopping bag in her hands.

  She didn’t notice the danger approaching.

  A truck was speeding towards her.

  My heart stopped.

  Why is it always a truck!? Is there some kind of company dedicated to eliminating people this way!?

  I didn’t have time to think further.

  My legs moved on their own.

  “WATCH OUT!!!”

  I shouted as loud as I could, running as fast as possible.

  I pushed the girl out of the way—but, I didn’t have time to dodge myself.

  "Ah... So this is how it ends."

  I was thrown back, my body hitting the ground hard.

  I could feel blood flowing out, warming my skin.

  My vision started to blur, but I could still see the girl.

  She was running towards me, her face filled with panic.

  But the last thing I saw—

  That book.

  My first novel.

  The beginning of my journey as a writer.

  I let out a faint chuckle.

  "Looks like... I have no regrets..."

  But if I could ask for just one thing—

  I wish I could live a little longer.

  "I want to finish that story."

  However, I never thought my prayer would be granted in this way.

  "I want to finish that story."

  That was the last thing I said.

  But that didn’t mean I wanted to live inside the world I wrote myself!

  I only wanted to continue the story—not become part of it!

  "Are you alright, sir?"

  That gentle voice snapped me out of my confusion. A girl was looking at me with a worried expression.

  Oh god, how sweet she was. Her way of speaking was so polite, even using 'sir' to address me.

  If I could slap myself right now, I definitely would. How could I make such an adorable girl worry about me?!

  Of course, doing that would just make me look weird.

  Anyway, this girl was Hiyori Koyomi. She had fluffy ears and a small tail wagging nervously behind her. Yes, she is a werewolf.

  "Sir?" she asked again, her voice growing more anxious. Her innocent face looked even cuter in concern.

  I snapped out of it and hurriedly replied, "A-ah… yes. I'm fine."

  Before Hiyori could say anything else, someone approached with quick steps.

  Her eyes were ruby-red—filled with passion and confidence. Her long blonde hair was tied into twin tails, swaying as she moved.

  "You should’ve just answered right away, idiot!" she scolded, "Because of you, she ended up making that face!"

  Despite her harsh words, I knew she only cared about her friend. There was kindness behind her rough attitude.

  I guess… someone like this is called a Tsundere?

  This girl was Sena Hayama, the only human in this group.

  "Ara~ Ara~ that's not very nice, Sena-chan~"

  A soft, teasing voice interrupted. I turned to see a woman with long white hair and emerald green eyes that shone like jewels.

  Her gaze was graceful, her smile alluring, and her tone filled with calmness.

  Yuki Sagiri.

  Unlike the two girls before, she had pointed ears—a clear sign that she was an Elf.

  She had a more mature figure compared to the others. With her 'assets' standing out, she was clearly not a teenage girl.

  However, even though she had a youthful face, she had lived for over a hundred years.

  Sena clenched her fists and faced Yuki.

  "Stop teasing me, you damn old Elf!"

  "Ara~ what did you just say… 'flat-chested'?"

  A critical strike!

  With a sly smile and an enticing gaze, Yuki had landed a clean hit!

  "F-Flat?!" Sena gasped, her cheeks turning bright red.

  "I-It's still growing! Besides, an A-Cup that's almost a B-Cup can't be called flat!" she protested with a pout.

  So adorable. But… she picked the wrong opponent.

  "S-stop it, you two!" Hiyori panicked, trying to stop them.

  I could only sigh.

  This was truly nostalgic.

  In the story I wrote, Sena and Yuki always fought like this—like oil and water or fire and ice.

  But there was only one person who knew how to stop them.

  Me.

  I stood up and interrupted their argument with an interesting piece of information.

  "By the way, I just heard about a dungeon containing ancient treasures."

  The atmosphere instantly shifted.

  Sena and Yuki stopped bickering, their eyes lighting up with curiosity.

  "Seriously?!"

  I nodded.

  They might not get along in many things, but they shared one common trait—a love for adventure.

  But the problem was…

  I just lied.

  I never wrote about a dungeon with ancient treasures in this world.

  I just said it randomly to stop their argument.

  And now… I had just dug my own grave.

  "We have to go there!" Sena declared excitedly.

  Crap. If she found out I was lying, she'd hate me.

  But, I still had one way out of this.

  I just needed to mention a random place, then not go. That way, they’d leave without realizing my lie.

  "Yeah. You guys just need to go to—"

  "Will you be coming as well?"

  Hiyori suddenly cut me off!

  "E-Eh? Me?"

  Oh god, I just fell even deeper into my own trap.

  "That's right! You have to come too! You know the way!" Sena insisted with enthusiasm.

  I swallowed hard. I had no choice.

  If I refused, they would definitely get suspicious.

  I could only nod with a forced smile.

  I just hoped I wouldn’t die at Sena’s hands once she realized that this ‘Fake Dungeon’ was something I made up on the spot.

  "Ah, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Hiyori."

  "I'm Sena!" she grinned.

  "Just call me Yuki~" the Elf said with a playful smile.

  Well, I already knew their names. But, I should just play along.

  "My name is Hiroki Natsume. Just call me Hiroki."

  Sena raised her right hand enthusiastically.

  "Alright! Let’s go explore the dungeon!!"

  This was a strange encounter.

  Or perhaps…

  This was a fated meeting.

  Hiroki Natsume, a 21-year-old writer—reincarnated into the world he created himself.

  From here, my new life begins.

  —To be continued.