1 Chapter-1: The Start

In the midst of a bustling crowd, one could spot a man with spiky hair, black eyes, and a well-built physique. However, at present, he looked a bit disheveled, clutching his stomach as he wearily traversed a narrow street between two buildings. His destination? A small shop owned by his best friend's father, where he could usually get an affordable dinner. In these advanced cities, life could be challenging for those without parental guidance. Fortunately, he was fortunate to have a supportive friend and his friend's caring parents.

As he approached the street, a sudden, piercing screech emanated from his left, startling him. Trying to locate the source, the sound seemed dangerously close. Then, darkness enveloped him—complete blackness in front of his eyes, or were they even open? Ears ringing, distant sounds echoing in the background. Something had happened, but his body felt numb. A compelling urge to sleep overcame him, and as he succumbed, everything fell silent.

After an indeterminate amount of time, he awoke to the blaring of an alarm clock. Swiftly stopping it, he rose and mumbled, 'What a bizarre dream. I shouldn't skip my morning meals; otherwise, nightmares might haunt me.' Abruptly halting his morning stretch, he noticed everything in the room had changed—no online-purchased wallpapers, no gaming setup he had invested his savings in. As panic set in, his ears started ringing.

Rushing to the door, he opened it, revealing a small hallway and stairs leading downward. Spotting a shadow, he hastily closed the door. It was 6:30 in the morning, and he strained to hear any approaching footsteps.

Kidnapping crossed his mind, but the comfortable room and bed didn't align with such a scenario. A sudden realization struck him: 'Could it be...?' Moving towards another door resembling a connected bathroom, he entered. Facing the mirror, he beheld the reflection of an entirely different person—or rather, a boy not older than 18. The world spun, and he sank to the bathroom floor, attempting to regain composure. However, pain and dizziness overcame him, and he fainted.

After who knows how long, he opened his eyes again, still on the same bathroom floor where he had fainted. Now, instead of confusion, a complicated look crossed his face. He remembered everything, every single moment of the boy whose body he now inhabited, as if he himself had lived those moments. It was weird, yet not at the same time.

Suddenly, a rush of footsteps echoed, and he heard a knock on his door. He tried to answer subconsciously, the memories of the body—or was it his own—playing with his thoughts. Before he could respond, the door swung open with the swift sound of small footsteps, and he instinctively knew who it was. Hastily, he stood up, not wanting to cause concern for the owner of those tiny footsteps.

The person's steps paused for a moment before hurrying toward the bathroom door. A knock followed, and he heard a cute and immature voice saying, "Jimmy, hurry up! We promised to watch my favorite movies today, and you also said you would bring ice cream for me before we do that. Don't be late, okay? I'm waiting in the living room, then we'll go and buy it." With that, she rushed out of the room as swiftly as she had entered.

Then he started doing morning chores, brushing his teeth and all, as he realized he was in this situation and felt a little confused by it all. However, his subconscious was telling him not to worry about the situation, and he tried to recollect everything that happened. He felt that his memories from his previous life were a little blurry.

He was confused but also somewhat relieved, as he now felt more connected to the boy's life than the man's in his previous existence. Or was it the awakening of memories? He did not know, but for now, he ignored it to avoid worrying his sister and mother.

He then attempted to recall details of his current life, realizing that the only things he remembered from his previous existence were his death scenario and unrelated aspects like movies, songs, and school knowledge. As he processed this, he muttered, 'Thank God whoever gave me these memories, or did I get them back? Either way, now I don't have to worry about studying that much until the end of college.' With this realization, he felt a sense of relief, thinking that he had a foundation from which he could improve, rather than starting from scratch. It made him feel a bit more calm about the situation.

Realizing he got sidetracked, he attempted to recall details of his current life's family. However, his memories were a bit jumbled up, likely due to the introduction of new memories or the blending of old ones.

In this life, he has a mom and a six-year-old sister, the sweetest angel of the family. His mom works as a beautician and runs her own salon with a few workers, or as she calls them, beauticians. 'I mean, she says that, but they are still learning, as she started it just four months ago, upgrading her beauty parlor to a salon now'. Initially, she only had women and girls as customers, but now she also has a business partner, an aunt who can handle both. However, due to the workload, my mom handles female customers, while my aunt takes care of the male clients.

And now, his lovely sister, currently in 1st Grade, stands as the little angel of their family, the daughter of his mother's brother in reality. Unfortunately, they had an accident when she was little and with them during that tragic incident, resulting in the loss of her parent's lives. Despite not sharing the same biological connection, that is, having the same mother and father, he has always regarded her as his little sister. He never allowed her being his aunt's daughter to hinder the perception of her as an integral part of their family.

As he thought of these things, he started making his way towards the door of his room, having completed the morning activities. Now, he had to fulfill his promise to his sister. Despite all the upheavals, he couldn't just stop living his life. After all, only his friend and his friend's father would remember him from his previous life, if anyone ever did. He knew they would get over it because life is unpredictable, and life and death are just phases a human has to go through. Why waste his new chance by stressing out on these topics? I will sort them out at free time or night when no one's around.