So, in the end, am I a man or a woman?
Should I feel sorry for this?
From a personal perspective, it felt like I was at best 70% male and 30% female.
The mindset I had developed over the past 10 years as a girl couldn’t overcome the 25 long years I had lived before.
No, in the first place, even the sensation of having lived as a ‘girl’ was faint.
“Yeonmin-ah! Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
One fortunate thing is that since my mom is a Zainichi Korean, it wasn’t strange for me to speak in Korean.
Actually, we usually spoke in Korean at home.
Well, though for some reason, I couldn’t speak it fluently.
“Hurry up and get dressed, then come down!”
“Yes…”
Korean name: Yeon Mina.
Japanese name: Kayano Mina (野美名).
My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer three years ago, and my only sister lives on her own now, so it’s just me and my mom living together.
Anyway, since I had lived for 10 years with proper memories, of course, this family in this life was precious to me as well.
“I probably won’t be home tonight, so you’ll have to eat dinner alone.”
My mom’s name is Yeon Seona.
Surprisingly, she’s an executive at a pretty famous company in Japan.
“You’ll be fine on your own tomorrow, right, Mina?”
“…Yes. I’ll be fine.”
Starting tomorrow, I’ll be in elementary school, or as they call it in Korea, the fifth grade.
It’s only been a day since my past life memories returned, and I’m already overwhelmed with confusion.
Will I be able to adapt well?
I wasn’t confident.
In my past life, I only had one friend, and I was a total introvert who found it hard to approach people.
“Hoo.”
When I glanced at the mirror on the table, I saw a pretty girl sitting there with a blank expression.
Naturally, that was me.
My long, glossy brown hair flowed down past my waist.
My eyes seemed to have a slight blue tint to them.
My skin was smooth, and my face had a strong, cute, and delicate appearance.
As for my body, well, I was still young, so I was slim.
Anyone who looked at me could tell that I would grow up to be a beautiful woman!
That’s the kind of look I had.
“Hmm.”
I was a bit annoyed at the god who reincarnated me as a Japanese girl, but if there was one thing I liked about it…
“Fufu.”
“Mina, why are you laughing?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
It was the fact that I was now an incredibly cute girl.
With Japan’s so-called school caste system, I’m sure I could aim for the top.
Is this what they call a city-wide S-tier beauty or something like that?
“Well, I mean, I’m this cute.”
Even though I was an outcast in my previous life, I figured adapting here wouldn’t be a huge problem.
At least, that’s what I thought back then as I indulged in happy daydreams.
And so, five years passed.
And to this day, I still don’t have a single friend.
Isn’t that strange?
It’s embarrassing to say this about myself, but…
I’m pretty.
No, I’m incredibly beautiful, right?
How could I not make a single friend in five years?
No, I know the reason.
I had been so caught up in organizing my dizzying thoughts before school started that I forgot the most important thing.
The first day of fifth grade.
It was only when it came time for self-introduction that I remembered it.
“Uh, I, I am, Ka, Kaya, Kayano…”
I was a total introvert.
This isn’t about my past life.
Even before my memories returned, I was just a complete introverted mess.
…I wasn’t this level of introverted in my past life, though.
When I look into someone’s eyes, I involuntarily look away.
When trying to talk to someone, stuttering is a given.
When someone gazes at me, I get dizzy.
There wasn’t any specific problem in the past.
Even recalling my past memories, I could proudly say I had a happy family.
I never had conflicts with friends during kindergarten, or anything like that.
Actually, I didn’t even have friends in kindergarten.
I was just inherently shy and avoided people, having a social phobia.
And it’s a really unfortunate story, but even so, my life wasn’t particularly hard.
Even in my past life, I had only one friend for 25 years.
I knew better than anyone how to live without friends.
Without any thought of changing, I just passed the time and ended up in high school.
Of course, I know it’s my fault.
Thinking back, I had memories of trying to change because I disliked living without friends before my past life memories returned.
But after recalling my past life, I, who was most accustomed to the introverted lifestyle, completely adapted to it.
Once I became accustomed, I didn’t even think about changing, and that’s how it ended up.
“…What is this.”
Who could understand the feeling when every report card from elementary school through middle school had comments about social relationships?
“…I need to change.”
Of course, living this way won’t be a big problem.
Mom loves me, her lovely daughter, more than anyone.
Even if I graduated and lived my whole life as a shut-in, she would surely support me.
But I can assert that this is definitely not the right answer and not a proper human life.
Although I’ve never lived that way myself, I can’t do something that goes against my conscience.
“…Right.”
High school debut.
Just like in the light novels or manga I’ve read from my past life to now, I will change.
To achieve that, I enrolled in a private high school with no middle school classmates, a fairly distant and highly selective one.
“Hoo.”
From now on, I will change.
From the introverted Kayano Mina with no friends to a normal Kayano Mina who can at least fit in with the class.
Starting with my high school debut, I will be reborn anew…!
I quietly took a deep breath and made a vow.
And then it was time for self-introduction.
“Um, I, I am Ka, Ka, Kayano, Mi, Mina. My, my hobbies are, uh, listening to music and playing games…”
It was a complete disaster.
Well, it makes sense. Fifteen years in this life, 25 years in the past life.
A total of 40 years living as an introvert; it’s unreasonable to expect change overnight just because I made a vow.
Yeah. Just taking on the challenge is something.
Failing after trying is better than not trying at all, right?
Hmm.
I tried my best! It’s okay! Good job!
“…Or maybe not…?!”
I wasn’t aiming to be some amazing socialite, just hoping to be an average classmate A!
Why did it turn out like this?
“Damn it.”
I let out a curse for the first time in a long while and buried my face in the bed.
My eyes are very tearful, so even when I try to hold back, tears just keep flowing.
“Ugh, I miss Mom.”
I wiped my tears and slowly lifted my head.
From tomorrow, it’s back to the introverted life.
“Ugh.”
I sighed and got up from the bed to sit in a chair.
There’s nothing to do lying down, so I might as well use the computer.
Virtual OnTuber.
Abbreviated as VTuber or Vtuber.
It refers to internet broadcasts featuring virtual characters created by individuals or companies.
Since I watched a lot of VTubers in my past life, it was natural for it to become a hobby in this life as well.
I died in 2020.
And now it’s 203X.
According to my wiki research, many things have happened in the VTuber world.
First, the ‘boss’ who coined the term VTuber went on indefinite hiatus.
And by 2025, VTuber agencies that seemed invincible collapsed.
The reason was apparently due to severe differences in views between VTubers and companies.
As a result, individual VTubers not affiliated with agencies rose, but various issues arose due to individual limitations, and the VTuber genre entered a period of stagnation.
Then, five months ago.
The VTuber genre experienced a new golden age.
About a year ago, some companies that challenged the VTuber stagnation came up with new VTuber agencies.
Among them, Star’s Flow made a big hit.
Of course, it wasn’t to the extent of the past, but as someone who liked VTubers a lot in my previous life, I was relieved.
After watching numerous VTubers for five years, the difference between individuals and companies was naturally significant compared to my past memories.
That brought some disappointment to me as a viewer.
[Natsune Nanase from the Shining Star of Dreams!]
When I turned on my computer and logged into OnTube, of course, it was Nacchan’s live stream.
Natsune Nanase (夏音 七星), nicknamed Nacchan.
True to her name, she’s with Star’s Flow.
She is known as the first debutant and was the only 0th generation member of Star’s Flow, having debuted about a month earlier than other first-generation members.
Her platinum blonde hair tied back and her mysterious amber eyes are characteristic features.
She is recognized as the one who brought about the new golden age of this market.
Five months ago, Nacchan played a horror game titled ‘There Is No Absolute Ending’ using only a keyboard to escape a maze.
And during it, a clip of her crying and saying it was too scary spread on OnTube.
That clip’s view count was 3.5 million.
It was an immense hit without needing any explanation.
Starting with that, Nacchan’s channel gained numerous subscribers.
As a result, the VTuber market slowly began to revive, entering its second golden age.
Well, I’ve been following Nacchan since she first started broadcasting on September 24 last year.
But this is no different from those new influxes.
[Today I wanted to chat, so I turned on the stream!]
“Nacchan is cute again today.”
From the very first time I saw her, I knew her appearance was completely my type, and I thought she would become my favorite. My prediction turned out to be perfectly accurate.
Having watched almost all of Nacchan’s live streams and even joined her membership, I’m now a proud eighth star. I’ve never once regretted this choice……..
[Now that it’s high school entrance season, I feel nostalgic, don’t you think?]
Nacchan’s high school days……..
She must have had shining moments just like now.
High school days are now a distant memory.
There were many good and bad memories.
In hindsight, all of it is just memories.
…I wonder if I will be able to look back on my school days with nostalgia later on?
[Do you want to go back? Hmm, not really. I’m really enjoying my current life.]
“It would be impossible….”
Longing for school days with no memories at all.
It’s probably more beneficial to rewatch Nacchan’s broadcasts during that time.
What an objective conclusion.
[By the way, you’re right. Yesterday, when the broadcast ended, something happened….]
For me, memories are all about Nacchan on this screen…
Nacchan is really cute.
And that evening, Mom came home after a long time and said,
“Mina, Star’s Flow is recruiting for the second generation. How about you apply too?”
…?
Cool mom