ol li Nice to meet you, I’m Emi!/li /ol

    * * *

    Yoo-hoo everyone, hello~!

    My name is Emi! A 5-year-old girl! In my previous life, I was a in high school girl named Aihara Runa, but after various events, I reincarnated into this otherworld called Ardyst, together with “The Vessel,” whom I call Extra!

    In this life, I live in a small, cold vige called Fenoben… Yep, living as a normal (I’d like to think) vige girl! I have ck hair and ck eyes, and though I’m just a vige girl, I’m pretty fair-skinned and, not to boast, but I’m quite a beautiful little girl! Ehehe!

    Ah! There’s the farmer next door, Uncle Rand!

    Hello~~!

    “…Tch! Hey kid! Don’te near my fields!”

    Uncle Rand picked up a small stone at his feet, swung it back… and threw it! I quickly hopped to the side to avoid it.

    Geez, that’s dangerous~!

    Is Uncle Rand in a bad mood? Normally, who would throw stones at a 5-year-old beautiful girl? Of course, such a weak throw wouldn’t hit me! I provocatively hop side to side.

    “You little brat!!!”

    Ah, crap, Uncle Rand’s really pissed! He’s chasing me with a scythe! Time to retreat~!

    * * *

    “Huff, huff…! Damn… where did that cursed child go!?”

    I’m up here, on top of your head, in the tree. Following Extra’s advice, I’ve been training quite a bit? Stealth actions are my specialty! I can easily avoid a middle-aged man starting to gain weight! Go away!… He’s gone. I smoothly climb down from the tree and proceed to my destination.

    Really, Uncle Rand is such a troublemaker, isn’t he? He arbitrarily brands me a potato thief!? I’ve never done such a thing! Even when I’m starving, I’d rather eat the roots and grass in the forest. And to think, in Fenoben Vige, my family is the poorest, so wouldn’t it be nice if he could spare a potato or two?

    Ah, by “cursed child,” they mean me. Around here, having ck hair and eyes is rare (neither of my parents have ck hair or eyes. Maybe it’s a recessive gene?), and because I’m always wearing rags and look dirty… Plus, in this life, it seems my facial muscles are dead; I’m expressionless and not used to interacting with people. I’m quiet because when I want to talk, I just talk to Extra in my mind, which probably didn’t help!

    Anyway, for these reasons, I’m quite feared by the adults in the vige! So, they call me “cursed child,” a derogatory term I don’t quite understand!

    Look over there! Can you see the vige children ying? I reincarnated in this world, so I thought I’d make lots of friends this time around… But the adults who dislike me prevent the other children from getting close to me. They’ve been spreading nder about me to their children, saying things like “Don’t go near her, or you’ll be cursed.” How rude! Moreover, there’s always an adult apanying the children, watching to make sure nothing dangerous approaches them… And it seems I’ve been categorized as that “dangerous thing,” so I’m physically blocked from getting close!

    For instance, that boy with red hair ying in the center of the group… I think his name is Torch. He’s the same age as me, so young that he probably doesn’t even recognize my existence.

    Yeah.

    By the way, I think you’ve probably realized from the flow of the story so far, but my family is actually quite poor. Next, I’ll introduce my family to everyone! Look! You can just see iting into view, that dpidated shack on the outskirts of the vige… That’s my home in this life, technically.

    I’ll erase my presence and peek inside quietly… there he is.

    “Gaah… ghghgh…”

    That man snoring away in the middle of the day, drunk on alcohol, is my father in this life, Cody! As you can see from his unkempt bearded face and the trash-strewn mess of a house, he’s a terribly sloppy adult! Apparently, he used to work as an “adventurer,” earning money by defeating monsters! He retired after injuring his leg, but since he’s still more capable than the average person, he acts (so to speak) as the vige’s guard! Though, it’s so peaceful that I’ve never actually seen him work! The vigers secretly call him a “good-for-nothing”! Poor guy!

    Eh? My mother? She was also an adventurer and quite beautiful! She came to this vige with my retired father, but right after I was weaned, she left with a handsome traveling merchant brother who came to the vige, leaving me behind!

    Die.

    …Oops, my bad. I can’t let my uncontroble urge to kill show! I must hide it, hide it! Fortunately, with Extra inside me, I’ve been able to survive by following her advice on what’s edible! Actually, in this world, there are quite a few highly nutritious insects avable from various ces! Since no one else knows about it, the insects in the vige and the nearby forest are all mine to eat! Thanks to that, I’m actually quite confident in my nutritional status despite being poor! Extra is really something!

    Ah, maybe Uncle Rand thinks I’m a potato thief because he saw me digging up and eating worms (or something simr) in the fields?

    Anyway, that’s beside the point. Let’s aplish my objective while Cody is still asleep.

    Quietly, quietly… Avoiding the trash scattered around the house, I move silently towards the kitchen, where flies (or something simr) are swarming.

    …Found it! I’ve discovered the salt!

    These kinds of seasonings can’t be found in the forest, you know. Since Cody can hardly cook for himself anyway, I might as well take some. Just enough so it won’t be missed.

    Actually, I’m not really living in this house anymore; I’ve made a base in the nearby forest and live there! Cody doesn’t try to take care of a child in such a state, he hits me when our eyes meet, and the vigers treat me as an ominous presence, making it hard to stay in the vige…

    Basically, I live off hunting and foraging in the forest, self-sufficiently. That’s me, a 5-year-old (with a straight face). Ah, but this is only possible with Extra’s advice, plus a somewhat developed personality and knowledge from my previous life, so regr 5-year-olds definitely shouldn’t try this! Even I’ve almost died several times. Normally, you would die.

    …Well then, that concludes what I had nned for today. There’s still time before it gets dark, so maybe I’ll head back to the forest early and do some hunting!

    This is what my life in the otherworldly Ardyst is like! There are plenty of hard times, but I’m living with all my might! Every day is incredibly fulfilling! I’ll keep doing my best to survive~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

    …What the heck is with this survival childhood!!! Is my situation even worse than my previous life!!!

    I cried my heart out internally. But as usual, my facial muscles are dead.