Alright……target's in sight……ready to go in for the kill.

  Hi, my name is Kuro, and I'm a fifteen year old assassin.

  And right now, I was on the top of one of the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, my assassination target a few floors below me in the other tower.

  I got him in the sights of my sniper rifle, preparing to fire.

  Guns aren't usually my thing, I typically prefer a combination of a dagger and short-sword……but in this location, with so many potential witnesses around the target, I didn't have a choice but to take him out from a distance.

  I blinked……

  and found myself staring up at a wooden ceiling……

  dafuq?

  I sat up quickly, rapidly scanning my surroundings, almost losing my balance. Woah, my body felt smaller……what the- it is smaller!

  And my complexion……has it gotten lighter?

  And what's with my hair, it's kinda……see-through, sort of like black glass paper.

  I was on a bed, inside a small room……there was a little kitten sleeping on my lap. I slowly lifted it off and placed it back down on the bed.

  There wasn't much inside the room. No wiring, electronics or, well……anything. There was an old oil lamp, and a few clothes, but that was about it……

  where the heck am I?

  Was I kidnapped?

  No, I don't feel any pain or grogginess, so I hadn't been knocked out either physically or by gas or tranquilizer. And besides……I wasn't restrained, not to mention that the key was on the door.

  What the hell was going on!?

  The door suddenly swung open, I instinctively sprang back, reaching down for the hidden blade I usually keep in my boot, before looking down and realizing that I was wearing normal, plain clothes and carrying no weapons.

  "H-hey, calm down! I'm sure you're confused, but let me explain," Said the person who walked in.

  It was a girl.

  Wait, were those……cat ears? And a tail? The tail was moving……am I at some kind of Comic Con or something? No that makes no sense, I don't hear a crowd anywhere nearby, and it doesn't explain why my body is smaller or why my skin was a different complexion.

  I don't sense any bloodlust from this girl……I suppose it wouldn't hurt to hear her out.

  Besides, I was hesitant to act without having at least some grasp of the current situation. This was all so bizarre. I still can't get past this smaller body.

  "Okay, why don't you sit down?" She suggested with a smile, sitting on the bed and patting the spot beside her.

  "No, that's okay……," I replied cautiously, keeping my distance.

  She was being way too nice……what was she after?

  Also……she was really pretty, it was sort of distracting. As were the cat ears and tail. They looked so lifelike……

  "Hm? Okay, suit yourself. What's that look for, is something wrong?" She asked, leaning forward and tilting her head with a smile.

  My heart skipped a beat, and before I could think, I instinctively jumped back, biting my bottom lip to get my breathing under control.

  Did she do that on purpose?

  "You're so jumpy……it's kinda cute," She giggled.

  What is with this girl?

  Also, hold on a sec……is this my first conversation with a girl who isn't a client or target? Actually, it might be my first conversation with a person who isn't a client or a target or Lagusa. I had never spoken to someone around my age before, let alone a girl my age……well, mental age, anyway.

  Assuming that talking to store cashiers, taxi drivers and airport clerks don't count.

  Focus, keep your wits about you……I don't think she means me any harm, but I wasn't about to let my guard down.

  "Who are you? Why are you being so nice to me?" I inquired suspiciously.

  "Oh, right……my name is Persia. And……well, it's a bit complicated, but basically you don't have all your memories right now. Um, just bear with me for a bit……this might be hard to believe……"……

  It definitely was.

  According to the girl, Persia, I was going to die in about four years time……or well, technically I had already died, and I had reincarnated in another world with magic……which was where I currently was.

  Apparently, I pissed off the wrong person, and they turned back time on my body and memories for ten hours in retaliation. But because I hadn't lived a full life in this world, my current body and memories weren't synced at the right age.

  Well, that explains why my body feels twelve while I was- or rather, according to my current memories, I was fifteen.

  It was all so far-fetched and hard to believe……I would have probably dismissed it immediately if not for the current state of my body.

  "So you're saying……magic is real? I can't quite wrap my head around that," I frowned, furrowing my brow.

  "This might help you with that," She replied, as a breeze began blowing out of her hand, before she pointed to my mouth, "You bit your lower lip earlier, it's healed now."

  Huh? Holy shit, she was right.

  "Woah, what the-!?"

  "Oh and by the way, this Healing Factor is something that only you seem to have in this world, at least as far as I know."

  For real? That was pretty coo……wait, I'm getting distracted, I need to be on my guard!……

  on guard for what though? I was having a hard time processing this whole situation, I was really unsure about how to proceed. None of my training had ever prepared me for something like this.

  "You know……," She said, leaning in close and staring at my face, "You're so cute as a twelve year old, Kuro!"

  "I-I'm fifteen! H-hey, cut that out!" I stuttered, as she began ruffling my hair with a happy grin.

  It felt so……comforting, but also extremely embarrassing. Her cat ears then twitched, catching my attention.

  "U-um, hey?"……

  what was with that tone of voice? I had never heard myself sound like that before.

  "Yeah, what is it, Little Kuro?" She asked, continuing to stroke my hair.

  It was seriously distracting how nice this felt.

  "Uh……are those……real?" I asked awkwardly, nodding up at her ears.

  "Oh, that's right……you told me that, er, 'cat girls' didn't exist in your old world. Yes, they're real……wanna touch them?" She leaned in close and whispered teasingly in my ear, before nibbling on my earlobe.

  "H-huh, wh-wha-! Wh-what are you doing!? A-and, n-no……why w-would I want to d-do that-!?" I stuttered, stumbling back.

  I don't think I've ever been this……flustered.

  "What's wrong……you always enjoyed playing with them before. Hm, maybe you had different tastes when you were younger?"

  "H-hey, quit messing with me! I don't know what kind of person I am in this world, but-!"

  "That doesn't matter, you're still the same person, just with a few less experiences. That's all that matters to me, it doesn't change the fact that you're still Kuro."

  "Huh……I still go by just Kuro in this world too?"

  "Well, not quite……you made up a last name for yourself when you had to register yourself for an Identification Card."

  Hey, now that piqued my interest.

  "Oh? So, what's my full name?"

  "Kuro Black."

  "……"

  "……"

  "Y-you're kidding, right?"

  "Uh, no……why?"

  "I-I seriously picked that out for myself? Wha- what the fuck was future me thinking!?"

  "Is it because both names mean the same thing? You did mention that Kuro was the word for black in a language in your old world. You did seem embarrassed when you told me about that. I don't see what's so embarrassing about it though."

  "Ugh, kill me, now."

  "So, anyway……what do you want to do for now? You still have over an hour and a half left at this size and age, and then another eight hours after that before you're back to normal. Is there anything you want to see or do?"

  "Hey, why are you being so nice to me, anyway? I can't figure out your motive or why you're doing this," I inquired, genuinely confused.

  "Hmm? Oh, that's simple. I'm your girlfriend," She smiled, flicking the tip of my nose……

  wait……

  what?

  "Y-you're just fucking with me, right?"

  "Well, I have literally……but I'm not right now, it's the truth."……

  I'll ignore the first part of her statement.

  "B-but……!"

  "Hm, but what?"

  "……you're so pretty."

  Crap, I blurted that out before I could think!

  A look of surprise spread across her face before she grinned and ran her hands through my hair.

  "Aw, thanks! You're so sweet!"……

  this was so embarrassing……but strangely not unpleasant.

  "Q-quit it! U-uh, what was your question again……um, something I want to do right now……oh, I know……I want to try using magic," I said the first thing that came to mind.

  Regardless of whether I believed this whole thing or not, as long as I was here, I suppose I might as well make the most of it.

  "Is there like……somewhere I could fight? Also, how does magic work? Do I have to chant or something?"

  "Huh, chant? Uh, no……um, let's see, I'm not sure how to explain it, you just……feel it, I guess? You have Lightning Magic, try to create some sparks or something. It should come to you naturally, try to feel your Mana flow."

  Okay……that wasn't very helpful.

  "Wow, how informative. Well, I guess it won't hurt to give it a try," I shrugged, raising a hand.

  Hey, actually……now that I'm focusing, I can kinda feel something flowing inside me, it felt different to blood flow……I could move it around, through a sort of network of circuits inside my body. This must be Mana.

  Alright……let's try moving it to my palm.

  As I did, an orb of electricity crackled and formed in my palm, slowly growing as I pooled more Mana into it.

  "Here goes……," I said, discharging it from my hand……, "Woah!"

  The orb shot out in a bolt of lightning, blasting a hole in the door to the bathroom.

  "Holy……fuck," I said slowly, my eyes widening, before I grinned, "Hey, that felt good! I'm gonna try agai-!"

  "M-maybe we should go outside and find an empty place to do this!" Interrupted Persia, grabbing my hand.

  Normally, I'd instinctively attack anyone who grabbed me like that……but for some reason, I sort of felt at ease with her now. It was a strange feeling……

  can't say I disliked it though.

  "O-okay……lead the way," I mumbled in reply.

  She walked next to the bed and squatted by a floorboard, and lifted it, taking something out.

  "This is where you usually hide your weapons and equipment when you're not using them. Well, they might be a bit big for you though," She said, taking out a black leather armored battle gear set, a couple of pouches, and a pair of blades, a short-sword and a dagger.

  I took them from her, and spread them out on the bed, scanning the contents.

  The outfit was kinda big, but it had straps and belts all across it, so I could tighten those and roll up the trouser legs a bit to make it fit. The pouches contained needles, a few bottles with various liquids to soak them in, throwing knives, a handful of kunais, and very thin but very strong metal wire.

  Hey, not bad, future me!……

  or wait, since I'm past me, then it's technically present me.

  Eh, whatever.

  I picked up the blades and drew them out of their sheathes, my eyes widening as I got a glimpse of the metal.

  "Oh wow, the blades are black! These are badass!" I exclaimed, checking them out closely.

  These were some seriously fine blades……

  "I gave them you on your birthday, you reacted the same way back then too," She smiled, stroking my head.

  "Wh-what's the deal with you constantly messing with my hair?" I muttered, refusing to admit that I was liking it, "Hey wait, you said birthday? I don't have a birthday, I just usually decide to consider myself one year older at a random time in the new year. When's my birthday in this world?"

  "Oh, it's the 20th of April."

  "The 20th of……oh, 420! Nice."

  "You said 'nice' like that back then two, what does it mean?"

  "Hm? Oh, uh……it's……wait, is weed a thing in this world?"

  "Oh, you mean……this?" She inquired, lifting up another floorboard and pulling out a bag of……weed, along with a sheet of thin paper and a box of matches.

  "……I'm a stoner in this world?"

  "You told me you tried it your world, actually that's the reason you tried it when we came across it on a Quest in this world, and got us to try it too."

  Weed, huh……I was never interested in alcohol or synthetic drugs, but weed has always intrigued me.

  "……I think I want to try some," I blurted out loud.

  "I don't know……you're body is that of a twelve year old, I feel weird about letting a kid smoke," She replied uncertainly.

  "Hey, I'm fifteen mentally……well, that's still pretty young, but you said I have a Healing Factor, right?"

  "Um……I guess so? Oh, you said you can't get high unless you suppress your Healing Factor, otherwise it just undoes the effects almost immediately."

  Suppress it? How?

  "I guess I need to first get a feel for how this Healing Factor feels and works. Here goes……," I said, picking up a kunai and cutting a straight horizontal line in my palm, "Ow! That was a bit deeper than I meant to……this small body is throwing me off."

  She looked at me in surprise.

  "That's……the first time I've heard you exclaim in pain. I've seen you lose your limbs, get big holes in your stomach, you even cut off your hands for one of your attacks, saying something about getting rid of the bottleneck. You really take full advantage of that Healing Factor."

  "Seriously? Ahh, the healing process hurts more than the wound did! I'm……impressed, future- or rather, present me. Alright, let's try again, this time I'll try to suppress it."

  I carved another small cut on my palm, waiting for the healing to begin.

  Oh, if I focus, I can slow down the healing……and if I really focused, I can completely stop it.

  After I figured it out, I healed the wound.

  Man, that really stung……

  I turned to her with an inquiring look……

  "Fine……one joint, and then we go, okay?"

  "Deal!"

  Wait……did I just indirectly……ask permission? I……don't think I've ever done that before.

  She proceeded to roll the weed in a strip of thin paper, then used a match to light it.

  I suppressed the Healing Factor as best I could, and then took a puff, a slight sour taste entering my mouth as the warm smoke filled my lungs. As I exhaled, a mild relaxing sensation washed over my body……

  Five minutes later, I was sprawled on the bed on my back, staring at the ceiling as it spun. I felt really relaxed, and my head felt like it was floating……this was really pleasant.

  "Alright, shall we go?" She inquired, standing up and stumbling slightly.

  Her eyes were slightly red, but she didn't seem to be that high.

  Hm……I don't think I can move as sharply as I usually do in this state.

  "Nah……I'm fine right here."

  "Are you sure? If it's because you feel like you can't fight properly while high……just stop suppressing your Healing Factor."

  Oh, right……this whole magic thing was hard to get used to.

  I stopped restraining the Healing Factor, my body sobering up in seconds. Alright, now……

  "Guess I should change first……"

  "Mhm, go ahead."

  "……"

  "……"

  "……do you mind?"

  "Hm? What's the big deal, I've already seen you naked, you know," She shrugged with a straight face, before biting her lip to keep herself from laughing.

  She was enjoying making me squirm. I'd never dealt with someone like this, she was really throwing me off.

  "Quit messing with me already……," I sighed, grabbing the battle gear and slipping under the covers of the bed to change.

  I took off the t-shirt on me as I heard her giggle, rolling my eyes.

  Huh, what's this?

  "Uh……why is there a marble in my chest? Is this……normal?"

  "Oh, that……it's kind of a long story, let me try to summarize it as best I can……"

  She explained what it was……apparently it was some dark power than very few people could use, and I was the only one who had achieved it by shoving a marble, or technically known as a Mana Orb, into my chest to contain it after……Zombie bites injected it into my body?……

  what?

  Anyway, I finished changing as she explained, tightening the belt and straps to make the outfit fit the small body I was in.

  "Hey, how do I usually position these blades?" I inquired, looking for a spot to strap them onto.

  "You keep the dagger horizontally on your lower back, with the handle to the left, since you use it with your left hand. And you place the short-sword vertically behind your right shoulder, you usually use it with your right hand," She explained, walking over and helping me strap them on, "Let's go!"

  Huh, guess the me in this world positions his weapons the same way I do. Man, it feels seriously weird talking about myself like I'm a different person……

  As we left the room and shut the door, the kitten made herself comfortable on the middle of the bed and went to sleep.

  Looks like the me of this world lived in an inn, I noticed as I followed her out. As we exited onto the streets, Persia held out her hand towards me.

  "Uh……what?"

  "Well, you don't want to get lost, do you, Little Kuro? Hold my hand."

  "Please stop calling me that. And I'm fine……I'm not a little ki- well I guess I technically am, but I'm not some ordinary innocent kid, you know."

  "Suit yourself……but if you change your mind, let me know," She said, running her hand through my hair again.

  I walked behind her as she led me to……well, I didn't actually know where she was taking me.

  Her swaying tail then caught my attention, as I followed its movements with my eyes. I wonder how it feels……?

  Before I could think twice about it, I found myself reaching for it and grabbing it.

  "Eek! Wha-? Oh, you startled me……," She sighed, exhaling slowly.

  "Uh, sorry……my hand kinda moved on its own," I replied apologetically.

  Huh……did I just say sorry, and in a non-sarcastic, actually-meant-it kind of way?

  I……don't think I've done that before either.

  "It's okay, I don't mind……you just caught me by surprise, that's all," She replied with a small laugh, "You can hold onto it if you want."

  "N-no, that's okay."……

  After walking for a bit, we soon reached a large building, and headed inside.

  "Where are we?" I inquired, as I looked around.

  "The Adventurer Academy. I'll ask if we can borrow one of the training halls, it should be fine since it's a weekend and hardly anyone else is around," She replied, as we headed inside.

  A man with a messy mop of brown hair and glasses was half-asleep at the front desk.

  He jolted awake as we approached him, blinking with a slightly dazed look.

  "Ah……Miss Persia Gerit, right? And this young man is……? Hm, you look familiar……," He squinted at me, scanning my face.

  "Hey, Mr Nisane. Um……it's Kuro. It's kind of a long story, but basically, he sorta pissed off Miss Elina," She explained, "Anyway, is it okay if we use one of the training halls for a bit?"

  After he gave us permission and handed us a key to one of the halls, we walked through the large building towards it.

  "You know, I just realized……before I met you, I would have never been able to talk to someone like that without stuttering and stammering. I've really opened up a lot more than I ever would have imagined possible, and……it's all thanks to you."

  "……"

  I wasn't sure how to respond, this version of me had no memories of what she was talking about. Still, it was strange to think that I had helped someone……I was only used to killing people, not saving them.

  On the way, we bumped into a guy with black hair with a few white streaks……sorta like a zebra pattern, except there was more black than white.

  "Watch it-! Hm? What the……? What am I looking at here?" He inquired, staring at me with a bemused look.

  "Ragiu. Excuse us, we're in a hurry," Replied Persia, sounding irritated.

  "Hold on……this is interesting," He looked at me with intrigue, his expression turning into one of amusement, "Let me guess……this is the work of that shrimp of an S-Rank? Hah, this is too good-!"

  He reached down at me with a smirk, with a hint of hostility……my instincts immediately took over as he did, as I suppressed my emotions and immersed myself solely in pure bloodlust……

  In a swift motion, I grabbed his arm with my left hand and used it pull myself up towards him, as I drew out the sword and began to swing it across, my sights locked on his neck.

  Hm……this body may be small, but that also meant that it was light and nimble.

  Before I could slash his throat, Persia grabbed my arms and pulled me away, my bloodlust dispersing as she touched me.

  What the-?

  Normally, I surely would have reflexively attacked her for doing that, but……my desire to kill had almost completely dissipated as she grabbed me.

  Maybe it's some form of muscle memory in this body……considering how much she knew about me, the me in this world probably trusted her.

  "Hey, take it easy, Little Kuro," She stroked my head, as I felt my heart rate return back to normal and calming down, "As for you……he's not just shrunk, his memories are rewinded too, which means that was his reaction to you even as a total stranger. Just leave, surely even you wouldn't stoop so low as to attack a kid."

  "Hey, brat……want to fight me? Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you, in fact I won't even use Lightning Boost. We can even use one of those safety barriers if you like. Don't you want a rematch……I did defeat you, after all."

  I don't know what it was about this guy, and I may not have my memories of him, but if there was one thing I was sure of right now, it was the fact that……I didn't like him.

  "Bring it on, I'll kill you- hey!" I began reaching for the dagger, before Persia grabbed my hand and dragged me away.

  The guy shrugged and walked away, after throwing an infuriatingly obnoxious smirk my way.

  I wanted to kill him so fucking bad……!

  "Sorry, but I'm not going to let you risk getting yourself hurt. Especially since you don't know how to use your Elemental Magic, not to mention that you can't handle pain as well as, uh, Regular Kuro can. Hehe, it's kinda confusing talking about two versions of the same person," She giggled, as we reached a door.

  She put the key into it, before unlocking it and taking me in. It was a pretty large space, and the walls inside appeared to be reinforced.

  "Alright, let loose to your heart's content, Little Kuro! Oh, but don't fire anything too powerful, you'll have to pay for the repairs if you damage anything. Also, try not to use up all your Mana, you'll feel really tired and exhausted if you do," She informed me, as I raised my hands, pointing them at a training dummy.

  "Alright, let's give this a try……," I grinned, the anticipation inside me building up as I pooled the Mana stuff into my palms, as much as I could.

  She said not to fire anything too powerful……but I didn't yet know how to gauge how much power I was putting into it, so I'll just use that as an excuse if I end up causing too much damage.

  Alright, let's see if I can blast all this out in a straight beam.

  The ball of lightning between my palms was now the size of a tennis ball, sparks violently crackling out of it as it continued to grow, and my mind began giddily geeking out.

  Alright, here goes, Ka……Me……Ha……M- okay, let's dial it back a notch, I might be a bit too into this……my inner otaku was showing.

  "W-wait, Kuro……that much is a bit too-!"

  I fired it at the training dummy I was aiming at, but the immense recoil knocked me off my feet, lifting the trajectory upwards as it blasted through the ceiling as I fell backwards.

  I landed on my back with a thud, and looked up at the hole above me, the sky visible through it. Had I……really done that?

  For real……?

  Woah……

  "Th-that was……that was so awesome!"

  _____________________________________________

  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism! Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

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