Chapter 1: A Beginner's Set for Sickly Heroines

[Sickly]

Regardless of the medium, such as games or manga, this attribute is popular in works with romance as a theme, and it can be said to be one of the most popular attributes given to heroines, alongside "Younger Sister" and "Childhood Friend".

A girl with slightly flushed cheeks, pale, lifeless skin, dry cough—a faint, melancholic smile—all of these things evoked a protective instinct.

The story of her desperate struggle to survive despite her circumstances, and the protagonist who stayed by her side, was bound to bring tears to the eyes, no matter how it ended.

I used to like those sickly heroines. However, that's only because they exist in fiction. When I see people suffering from illness in the real world, I don't think they're cute or wonderful.

Reality and fiction are different things; being physically weak is certainly not something to aspire to.

I understand that, of course.

But even so, even knowing that, there are many times I've thought this.

"Ah.... I wish I could be a sickly heroine."

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★

"I'm sorry to say this, but... This child... she has far too much Yin energy... Please brace yourself..."

"Such a thing...!"

I thought I'd lived a full life, thinking stupid thoughts until my dying breath, but then I was reborn as a baby.

And on top of that, a woman who seemed to be my mother started crying after hearing the diagnosis from some guy who looked like a total Onmyoji.

.....

..... Huh? 

What?

Am I going to die?

Right after being reincarnated? 

I will immediately die?!

★

It's been several years since I was reincarnated into this quintessential Japanese fantasy world.

To get straight to the point, I didn't die. On the contrary, just like in my previous life when I was healthy, I'm able to live a normal life without any inconveniences.

Some of you might be wondering about the reactions of those around me right after birth, and honestly, I wondered the same thing. I thought;

'What? But I'm perfectly healthy though?!'

But then I came to understand that through living in this world for so many years.

In this world, there's something called the Yin-Yang theory. 

Simply put, it's the idea that everything is divided into two energies, Yin and Yang, and that all phenomena in this world occur through the interaction of these two energies. The black and white Taoism symbol is probably the most famous example.

In my previous life, it was merely a matter of philosophy or ideology, but it seems that in this world, there really is an energy called [Qi] and that Qi can be divided into Yin and Yang.

Perhaps it's easier to understand if we say that Yin is negative energy and Yang is positive energy. However, it's not as simple as Yin being bad and Yang being good.

In this world, everything possesses a balanced energy, and the ideal state is one where both are perfectly balanced.

Some people use this energy to perform techniques similar to those of Onmyoji from manga or anime in my past life, and I was quite surprised when I first saw it.

Fire, water, and spirits appear as if it's perfectly natural, so if I hadn't been exposed to otaku culture in my past life, it would have taken me even longer to get used to it.

Now, after all this rambling explanation, here's the reason why people cried the moment I was reborn into this world.

I'm a reincarnated person.

That said, I don't have a cheat or met a god, so I'm just a normal reincarnated person(?)

.....

'What exactly is a normal reincarnated person...?'

Anyway, I'm just a normal human being with no special qualities other than being born with memories of my past life.

However, perhaps it's not so much the memories of my past life, but rather the memories of having experienced death that are influencing this, but it seems that the presence of death clings to my soul so strongly that I have an incredibly strong Yin energy.

In short, in this world, I was born with one foot already in a coffin.

Incidentally, the Onmyoji-like person who said that I didn't have long to live was actually a practitioner of such magic, and apparently was called in to help pregnant women who were exhausted from childbirth. He was like a doctor in modern terms.

Of course my mother would cry. Anyone would cry if the doctor told them "I'm sorry, but..." right after they gave birth.

I would cry too!

So, in this world, from a common-sense perspective, I, Onjōji Chitose, am a child suffering from an incurable disease.

As you can tell from my name, I've become a girl in this life.

By the way, I'm a beautiful girl! Yay!

Having understood my circumstances in this world, I realized one thing:

'Could I finally play a Sickly Heroine (who's actually healthy)?'

To anyone who sees me now, I apparently look like a frail young girl, so weak that it's a wonder I'm even standing.

In short, I exude an aura of a Sickly Heroine without even trying.

Furthermore, my pale white hair and skin, my shadowy eyes, and my slender, delicate body—a fragile, heroine-like appearance and look—all contribute significantly to this.

Honestly, when I stood in front of a mirror after growing up, I inwardly pumped my fist in triumph.

Once I made that decision, things moved quickly.

I can move normally, but I always move a little slowly!

I don't feel any pain, but I cough repeatedly at every opportunity!

I don't feel cold or anything, but I wear layers of clothes all year round to avoid getting cold!

'Ah, it was such a thrill!'

I could finally pull off all the sickly heroine moves I'd always dreamed of in my previous life, on screens and in print.

Of course, I spared no effort in that regard, and I paid particular attention to sun protection. In my personal opinion, a sickly heroine with tanned skin just ruins the whole look!

Thanks to daily efforts that draw upon all the skincare knowledge gained from past lives, this healthy, delicate, and beautiful skin is maintained.

Well, I do feel bad for causing unnecessary worry to my parents in this life, who clearly gave me the name Chitose hoping I would live a long life, but I'm making up for it by helping out with their work and other things, so I hope they'll forgive me.

I'll live a long life just as they wished! 

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"Cough... cough...!"

"Chitose! Are you alright?! Today is just..."

"No... I'm fine, Otou-sama. Chitose is fine... Chitose's feeling great today. Look, Chitose's even bouncing around like this... cough... cough...!"

"Chitose! Chitose?!... Why did such a sweet girl like you have to go through this...!"

(Ahhh, this is amazing! I'm playing the sickly heroine role to the fullest right now!... It would be even better if the other person was Protagonist-kun in a romcom!)