The Sudden Appearance of a Young, Silver-Haired Girl
Silver hair that seems to shine like the stars.
Honey-colored eyes.
A delicate and beautiful face.
Rose red lips and cheeks on marshmallow-like white skin.
These are the features that stare out at me from the mirror. As a typical Japanese woman, with black hair and black eyes, this eye-catching coloring makes my own reflection feel like a complete stranger. My name is Alice Rebecca Occulace, and I seem to have become… a doughy-faced, five-year-old girl.
Now, I say seem to because if my memory proves correct, I should be Japanese. And, more specifically, I should be a 29, nearing 30, year old Japanese woman if memory serves. I used to be an exemplary corporate slave, but now I suddenly find myself with the delicate beauty of a duchess.
I am swathed in luxury from head to foot and my skin is a pure, milky white. I’m the definition of a silver-haired bishoujo.
To see my gestures and mannerisms coming from this perfect little beauty, I can only think that it’s a waste of her good looks. Especially the wrinkle that is developing between my brows as I ponder over how I ended up in this situation.
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Even as I wrack my brain, I can’t seem to remember anything special from my past life. I have no memory, or even guess, for how I might have died. One day, I was going about my usual routine, and then the next I was in this 5-year-old body. I just went to sleep in my previous life, and woke up here the next day.
Well, to be precise, I still have all of Alice’s memories from her first 5 years of life, so I guess it would be more accurate to say that Alice suddenly woke up and remembered her past life.
I don’t know if it was because there was just too much information to properly process, but my consciousness from my past life seems to be fairly strong now. It feels like Alice’s presence has faded into the background for the most part, so I am almost 100% myself.
The room I am currently in is quite large, probably around 500 square feet. (T/N imagine a 22ft by 22ft room) It is my own private room. Light streams in from a huge window, illuminating the white walls. The ceiling is made of a beautifully carved amber wood. My bed is king-sized and enshrined in a light pink canopy which matches the thick curtains hung on the window and the lush carpet. The rest of furniture also looks extremely expensive with elegantly carved, clawed legs and delicate white lace adorning the top. In addition, the whole room is also overflowing in beautifully arranged flowers.
I’ve been in this sort of high class environment since waking up.
On a side note, Conny, a maid that had been standing near the wall on standby, jumped in surprise when she saw me wake up a few minutes ago and practically flew from the room while yelling something.
“This feels… much too real to be a lucid dream…” I whisper to myself as I knead my now doughy cheeks. () Since I haven’t spoken much in a very long time, my voice feels a bit scratchy coming out.
Wow, this really is just like a dream come true though. My looks are beyond compare with porcelain skin and a unique hair and eye color. And, as a nearing 30-year-old otaku, I can’t say there hadn’t been a small part of me that yearned to be young once again and start over in a new world just like in all those stories. It feels like I just clicked the New Game button on life.
And I really don’t think this is a dream.
I already tried pinching my cheek as hard as I can, but that only made my face sore. And when I walk, I prance around with a little girl’s springy gate. When I focus, there is none of that airy feeling you get when dreaming, so the only conclusion I can draw is that this really is my new reality. And, I am now not just myself, but the combination of both Alice and my previous
30-year-old consciousness.
Oh, and one more strange thing; I can’t seem to recall what my name was in my previous life.
I remember my parents and siblings, Japan, my friends, fighting and being loved, even my childhood. Only my face and name are hazy in my mind…. I wonder why…. Alzheimer’s??
It’s not really any consolation, but at least this body’s memory seems to work properly.
As I meantioned earlier, my name is now Alice, and I’m 5 years old. Going on 6, actually.
My parents raised me very attentively, but that didn’t prevent the 3 year old me from getting into an accident. From that day forward, I developed a heart condition and I lost my voice to the point where I could barely whisper.
After that, my parents were never the same. They no longer seemed capable of laughing or crying. It felt like a tumor had started growing on their relationship. They became constantly on edge, like a bow string ready to snap.
At least now that I have regained my memories, I will be able to start communicating with them normally again. The previous Alice had nearly zeroed out her communication skill, but as a 30-year-old woman with years of experience in corporate slavedom, I should no have no problem in that department.
It also seems that the confidence gained from my newly returned memories has made it possible to use my voice normally again. To test it out, I start speaking my thoughts aloud.
“Hmm, I’m worried that the societal rules of this world are a bit different from mine… But so long as I’m careful, and don’t overdo things for a while, it shouldn’t be a problem I suppose.”
“I think that maid should be coming back any minute now. So, before then, I need to come up with a plan.”
“It is highly likely that she will bring both of my parents along with her, but if both Otou-sama and Okasama come at the same time… things are going to get awkward.”
That’s right. I need to think about Mother and Father. They both love me from the bottom of their heart, but they just can’t seem to get along.
No, it’s not even that they don’t get along. It feels more like they just forgot how to act around each other.
Sometimes they completely ignore each other, and then when they do manage to hold a conversation, they both overdo it by trying to act normal, causing only mental fatigue and misunderstandings. Even so, it doesn’t feel like a couple who are only going through the motions of being married.
“More like a couple who both have things they want to say, but are holding back because they don’t want to end up in a fight. Not a bad thought, but this lack of communication is preventing them from reconciling and causing them to drift further and further apart.”
At least, that is what it looks like from my new perspective with 20+ year’s life experience. Before, when I had zero communication skills and the mind of a 5-year-old, it just felt like my family was cold-hearted. If I don’t do something about this situation, it is highly likely that my parents will be getting divorced in the near future.
I realized it when I heard my uncle threatening to force my parents to divorce if there current marital state continues. He had seemed quite furious with father over something at the time, so the so I heard their yells without meaning to.
This divorce is a matter of grave importance. Being a single mother is fraught with nothing but hardships, and I don’t want my own mother to have to face a world like that.
From the vague memories I have from before I was three, I think my father was also a nice, and doting parent, so I don’t want him to have to bear the consequences either. If our family falls apart, things are bound to change not for the better, and I would rather not be separated from him if possible.
On top of that, from what I have learned through Alice’s memories, this is a world overflowing in magic!
I absolutely adored reading stories about going off to school to learn magic in my past life. I seem to have been something of a otaku, seeing as how I invested over a $1000 in novels and fantasy goods over the years. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I even liked to collect those dubious books on the occult.
Due to such a history, I really, really, REALLY want to experience going to a school of magic and being able to study about medicinal plants and learn the art of divination and all that.
In other words, it almost feels like fate that I encountered this type of bonus life and reincarnated into a world like this… So, if I am going to enjoy this miraculous situation to the fullest, I can’t let my parents be unhappy!! I will protect this family at all costs, for their happiness, and for my own selfishness.
Now, who in the world thought to explain to a 5-year-old about her parents impending divorce?The perpetrator of yet another problem. And, one other person.
And as I am now, I realize that these two people were also the cause of my parents’ current state of unhappiness.
T/N: Anyone else feeling the pain of an author who seems to like cliff-hangers? I am also dying to know who the man from the first chapter is, and what the disaster is that he needs to prevent. I also can’t help but wonder if these two mysterious problem people are capture targets or not. Hopefully find out next time on Mastering Magic with Alice Occulace (pronounced like Oculus for anyone who was unsure).