Reincarnating Into a Different World... Ain’t This! Translation

5. Summon, Shikigami!

Due to sleeping well last night, I’m in a good mood straight from the morning. I even get to school with time to spare.

“Morning.”
“Yuuki? Morning.”
“Morning, Kousuke.”

The 2 people who returned my greeting are external students like me. We’ve come to be friends. The cool intellectual glasses-kun is Ishida Nariyuki1. The step behind brown haired fella-kun is Takigawa Shou2. Although I was wondering what would happen on my first day of school, I truly am thankful I was able to make friends.

“Uruka-chan, are you alright?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll find him soon.”

Just after I finish greeting my friends, I notice a restlessness in a corner of the classroom.
“Say, what’s with the commotion over there?”
Ahh, Mizukami-san, has a pet cat(?), and she’s in a slump cause it got loose.”

Curious, I take a look and spot the committee member down in low spirits. Her name is Mizukami Uruka. Her distinguishable long black hair coupled with her physique and magnificently kept appearance make her the most beautiful girl in class.

Due to the committee member being popular among men and women, a crowd of worried classmates surround her.

She’s looking for her cat and I too would like to help if possible. The committee member was the first person in this class to talk to me, and that served as the impetus for me to get to know everyone else in class. As such, I feel like I owe quite a bit of a debt towards her.

“But if it’s a lost cat… I honestly have no idea.”

If I happen to find out anything, I’ll let her know. With that thought in mind, I prepare myself to continue studying hard today as well.

-Soft Diamond-

On the way home, I use the hearing and eyesight that were strengthened by kami-sama to search for Mizukami-san’s pet. Apparently, he seems to have golden fur. You’d think that something with such a noticeable feature would immediately be found, but he’s still missing.

“Hm? What’s that?”

By chance, I looked up towards the sky and saw a strange… bird? It’s light blue in color and somewhat artificial. Also, I can’t see it without squinting, but there’s a thin thread attached to it.

A new RC airplane? No…

“It’s a shikigami using paper as an intermediary. Judging from the technique, it seems to be a reconnaissance type with no combat ability. That thread is for sharing sight and hearing… Eh?”

Ahre? How did I figure that out? Even though this should be my first time seeing one, I just happened to understand its purpose and the way to make one.

“Perhaps…”

I recall kami-sama’s words. With it, your honorable self should be able to learn any sort of magic or martial art merely by seeing it once, ya.

No way!? It’s not just for things I don’t know the basics of? My learning ability even applies to concepts I didn’t even know existed?

“If that’s the case, can I make a guy using something like that shikigami’s technique too?”

While deciding to test it out later, I observe the shikigami a bit longer. I get the feeling it’s because of that, but at that instant, I feel it’s possible.

Her cat doesn’t seem to be here. Should I end my detour here and head home?

-Sad Diamond-

“He saw the shikigami… that can’t be. He must have just happened to look up at the sky?”

The technique user, Mizukami Uruka, mummers to herself as she reflects on what she observed through the shikigami.

While operating a reconnaissance shikigami to search for the missing neko-kami-sama, her classmate Yuuki Kosuke seemed to have looked at the shikigami.

“Regardless, he doesn’t seem to be here. I hope he hasn’t been involved in some sort of incident…”

While thinking she still has no clue to the neko-gami-sama’s whereabouts, Mizukami directs her shikigami to fly to another area.

-Purring Diamond-

“I’m back.”
Umu, welcome back.”

In response to my words, the black cat greets me from the entrance.
I knew it, being here with someone else is better. This house is too big for me alone.

Ah, the orbs are gone.”
“I had them all go out to the garden. I can understand them, and they said they didn’t mind where, but that they would like to remain on these grounds.”

I asked the black cat to one way or another take care of the orbs (the white light spheres) in the house. Apparently, he can talk to them, so he persuaded them go out into the garden.

The house grounds are surrounded by a fence about as tall as a person and in the back is a small garden. There seems to have been a small field back in the day, but now there’s only a lone apple tree along with carefree growing weeds.

The orbs are in the garden?

I focus my eyes and am able to see light spheres fluttering about in the garden. Even though they’re kinda like dancing snowflakes, it’s a bit scary.

Uwao…”

Well, I suppose it’s better than having them in the house? With this I’ll be able to get some proper sleep at night. Along with that, I’ll also be able to focus on my hobbies and studies.

Yosh. There’s still time until dinner, so I think I’ll try making it for a bit.”

I ferret out leftover calligraphy paper from the storage room, cut it out in the shape of a bird, and engrave the technique with a brush pen.

“What are you doing?”
“Somehow, on the way home I came across a shikigami? I figured I could try and make one.”
“House Head, you can make a shikigami just from seeing it?”
“Probably.”

And done. Next, I think I need to somehow pour in miracle energy?

Hou, that’s quite the clean technique you’ve drawn there.”
“You know about this?”
“Well, you could say that is something I’m used to seeing. However, it’s regretful, but I don’t sense any spiritual power from you, House Head. I dare say, this shikigami won’t be able to move.”
“Spiritual power?”
Umu, generally speaking, it’s your life force. It can also be referred to as mystic power or magic power. A power mainly produced from the soul, it’s a peculiar force capable of interfering with the phenomenon of this world.”

I see, then the miracle energy I felt when I saw the shikigami was spiritual power?

Hm? Hold on a sec!?

“About my, spiritual power…. I don’t have any life force!?”
“Excuse me for that, I explained it poorly. To be more precise, no excess spiritual power is overflowing from your body. I cannot feel spiritual power within your body, but to claim you are alive, the creation of spiritual power is essential for life activities. The creation and consumption of your spiritual power may be at an equilibrium. As such, that’s most likely why you do not have any excess spiritual power.”

How frustrating. In truth, my body died once. Maybe I’m not aware of it and I’m still dead?

“Nevertheless, utilizing techniques like shikigami consumes the excess spiritual power overflowing from the body. Without any, House Head, not just shikigami, but you won’t be able to utilize a single technique.”
“It can’t be….”

How shocking. ‘Summon, shikigami!’ I wanted to try saying something like that.

…No, I have to try!

“Summon, shikigami!”

I place my hand on the calligraphy paper and something spiritual powerish(?) flows out. With that, the calligraphy paper bird gradually turns three dimensional and a white crow is born.

“I did it!”
“House Head, what are you doing!”

The black cat snaps.

“How’s your body!? Do you feel dizzy, are you wavering!? Aren’t you exhausted!?”
“I- I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Why’s it like one of those medical side-effect entries? He’s getting incredibly worried.  What the heck is going on?

“Seriously… when someone with no spiritual power forcibly uses spiritual power, the spiritual power within the body will end up being drawn from instead. That is to say, the spiritual power necessary for preserving your will be consumed. Should it be handled poorly, death awaits.”
“No way…”

So close, did I almost die again?

“However… while spiritual power was utilized from within your body, House Head’s physical condition doesn’t seem to have deteriorated. Merely drawing a minor amount should result in some symptoms or after affects.”
“Can’t I have just toughed it out? Really, nothing’s wrong.”
Fumu….”

The black cat ponders for a bit as he stares at the shikigami I made.
“Impossible… no, something like this should… umu…”

For some reason, he’s grumbling and muttering a soliloquy to himself.

“Some how or another, my previous explanation may have been mistaken. House Head can use techniques.”
Eh, really!?”
“Yes, however, you will immediately stop if you physical condition deteriorates?”
“Understood!”

Oooooh! Great!

As an otaku nobody, I’m weak to things like miracle power. I want to use miracle power like the heroes of all those master pieces!

“Then, first things first. This shikigami, how do I make it move?”
Umu. If you connect your spiritual power to it with a thin string, you should be able to move it as you wish.”
“Like- like this?”

A thread of spiritual power grows from my fingertip and latches onto the tail of the bird. With that, the bird’s head moves according to my thoughts.

“What can this guy do? Breath fire? Rain down lightning? Or….?”
“That one is for reconnaissance. Of all the shikigami, that kind has the lowest combat ability. In exchange, it can fly long distances and at a good speed, too.”
“Ooh…”

Even though I felt something thanks to my improved learning ability, it’s a weak shikigami after all?

“Still, you can share your senses to observe far off events.”
“Sharing our senses is amazing and all, but when I think about use, this guy’s no different from a drone… Well, I guess that’s fine. I’ll test it out.”
“Wait, wait, before sending it far off, you should give it a command incase your connection gets severed.”
“A command?”
“Should your connection be lost for some reason, it’ll turn into an unmoving, white, bird. As such, an order like, ‘Come back to me if our connection is severed,’ should be given.”
“I see…”

That’s convenient.  As suggested by the black cat, I give the command, “Come back to me if our connection is severed.” Next, I also command, “If someone attacks you, retaliate without killing.”

“That command might turn out fruitless.  This type of shikigami truly is weak. A wild crow might be stronger.”
“You can’t be serious…”

Well, it’s fine? Not like there’ll be any opportunities for a fight.

“All right, fly!”

The white crow vigorously flaps its wings.


T/N: Just to be very clear the word(?) are intentional by the author.  They aren’t doubts towards the translation on my part.

<4. You, can Talk!?
6. Gah, the Fortune Slip Buildiing!!>

  1. 石田 成行
  2. 滝川 翔