I Don’t Want to Die as a Mob in My Second Life! ～A Story Where I Kept Training from Inside the Womb and Ended Up Being Mistaken for a Monster～ - Chapter 12: The Soranaki Family… and Maro!

Act 3: Spirit Conductor Qualification Exam – Training Arc!

Chapter 12: The Soranaki Family… and Maro!

Alright, home sweet home.

I’ve arrived at the Soranaki residence, my family home. It’s been a while since I last visited. Oh, and I came back in a taxi.

“W-Well, I’ll take my leave now!”

“Take care.”

I bid farewell to the taxi driver, who had been terrified of me the entire ride.

I told him to charge the fare to Ouma Shiranui. After all, I’m apparently his “pet dog” now.

When I said, “Bill it to Ouma Shiranui,” the poor driver freaked out even more.

Sorry about that.

“Hmm, it’s nostalgic. I didn’t visit much in my past life, so it’s been practically years since I’ve been here.”

The Soranaki residence is an old, single-story manor. While the family doesn’t hold a high official rank, the property is quite spacious because it’s located in the quieter suburbs of Saitama.

I used to spend a lot of time in the yard, petting the koi fish.

“I’m home.”

With practiced ease, I walked through the gate and opened the front door. That’s when—

“Hiiiieeee! Why is there a high-class spirit here?!”

“Oh, welcome back, Kanata~! I was playing with your dad!”

…My father, Michitaka, was tied up in a cocoon of spiritual threads, courtesy of [Doll].

Uh… what.

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So, after that, I gave [Doll] a flick on the forehead and freed my dad.

“P-P-P-Please, have some tea…!”

Yep, Dad was absolutely terrified.

Well, I guess I can’t blame him. In this second life, everyone seems to think I’m some kind of terrifying monster.

Plus, Dad’s naturally a timid guy. Definitely feels like he’s my father in that regard.

“Please, calm down, Father.”

“Y-Yes!”

For the record, Body is super polite to family.

It’s sipping tea with much more refined manners and polite phrasing than the real me ever could. But still—

“I’m not planning to eat you or anything, you know…”

“Hiii!?”

…The vibe is just so unsettling.

That unnecessary dark smile only made Dad even more terrified. The overly formal tone backfired, making Body seem like some kind of sinister mastermind character.

“I really mean it, you’ll be fine, okay?”

“R-Right. Haha… to think I’d be scolded by my newborn child. How embarrassing… haha…”

My dad, Michitaka, scratched his cheek awkwardly.

That nervous tic of his—it had been a long time since I’d seen it. He passed away when I was ten in my previous life.

“Still, Kanata, it’s amazing that you can speak so fluently… And this sudden growth of yours… I’ve heard of rare genius Reisoushis who experience such things, but…”

Ah, I get it. Dad thinks I’m one of those rare prodigies who can unlock the Spiritual Domain as a child, master Spiritual Body Modification, and rapidly develop a powerful body.

To pull that off, you’d need:

-An innate talent for understanding your own soul.

-The intelligence to fully comprehend your body’s structure.

-The imagination to perfectly visualize your own ideal growth.

Only one in a dozen years is born with the natural aptitude to accomplish something like that.

“But developing intelligence to this degree? That’s unheard of. Humans can’t imagine themselves being smarter than they currently are, after all. You might just be a one-in-a-million genius…”

Dad’s under the impression that my intelligence is a natural result of my “talents.”

Sorry to disappoint you, Dad—it’s just the mind of an adult stuffed into a baby’s body…

“Sigh, honestly, I’m starting to feel scared of my own bloodline. Your siblings, Hinami and Michio—oh, your sister and brother—they’re both top-tier students at the Spirit Conductor Academy. It’s hard to believe such exceptional children came from your ordinary mother and me…”

Yeah, I know. Those two are going to become First-Class Reisoushi in the future.

“And then there’s you… displaying spiritual power surpassing even the strongest Reisoushi, Ouma Shiranui, while still in the womb… and now showing more intelligence than me right after being born. Haha… maybe some dark organization is going to target my… um, private parts next, huh~?”

Dad tried to joke about it, but his face was pale.

Honestly, he’s not wrong. That kind of thing really happens. Every family or organization out there wants powerful Reisoushi children.

“That [Doll] from earlier… that high-class spirit is bound to you, right? And you’ve got two more, apparently?”

“Yes, [Blank Shot] and [Ittan-momen]. Both are high-class spirits.”

“I can’t even begin to wrap my head around this world…”

From a Reisoushi perspective, high-class spirits are extremely dangerous entities that only First-Class Reisoushi can handle.

For my dad, who’s barely a Second-Class Reisoushi, they’re nothing short of terrifying.

That’s why I’ve tucked all three of them away in my Spiritual Domain, keeping them occupied with model kits. They can quietly build those for now.

“A genius born with three high-class spirits in their body… I’m sorry, Kanata. To be honest, I find you absolutely terrifying.”

“That’s understandable.”

It’s only natural.

“I can feel it in the air around you… you were born with an inherently evil nature. As your father, I should guide you toward the light. But I… I just can’t summon the courage to even face you…!”

Dad’s trembling. The way he’s sweating and avoiding my gaze is… honestly pitiful.

“I… I don’t think I can truly be your father…”

I mean, I get it. Considering his timid personality, this reaction was inevitable.

There’s no way he could live with me as I am now.

Alright then… time to make a decision.

“Understood.”

“Huh? Understood, as in… could it be!?”

“Staying here would only trouble you. I’ll leave.”

I stood up as I said this. Dad’s face clouded over, and he reached out toward me, but his hand froze mid-air. His body flinched, unable to follow through, paralyzed by fear.

It seemed like even touching me was impossible for him on a physical level. That’s fine. I’m an adult at heart—I can handle it.

“I… I’m sorry. I just…”

“…Don’t worry about it. Take care of yourself.”

I turned my back to leave, but just then—

“Outta my way, you scoundrelrrr!!!”

The front door burst open with a loud crash, accompanied by a strange yell.

What the heck?!

“Kanataaa! Are you here?!”

“Oh, it’s you, Ujimaro.”

Striding into the house with dramatic flair was Maro (Ujimaro), the white-painted Heian-era cosplay-looking guy. Judging by his expression, he seemed pretty upset.

“What brings you here, barging into my home like this?”

“What brings me here?! Didn’t Lord Ouma tell you?! I’m your assigned monitor!”

“Ah.”

Oh yeah, that was a thing. The shock of the three spirits evolving had made me completely forget about it.

“I forgot. My bad.”

“Don’t forget something so important! Honestly, you left without a word, abandoning the great Maro! What a disrespectful brat you are!”

“My apologies. Want some tea?”

I handed him a teacup, which he snatched with a loud “Hmph!” before downing it in one gulp.

“Mmmph… puh! Such cheap tea leaves! But… well, it was decent enough. There’s a faint sweetness to it.”

Glad to hear that. Oh, wait…

“My bad. I accidentally gave you a cup I’d already started drinking from.”

“WHAT DID YOU MAKE ME DRINK, YOU LITTLE BRATTTT?!”

Maro exploded in rage and hurled the teacup at me.

Thanks to my high-spec body, I dodged it with ease… but the cup kept going and—

“MMPH?!?”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

…nailed my dad square on the nose. Oof.

“Maro, you really did it now.”

“I-It wasn’t my fault! Not my fault at all, I say!”

“Not very adult of you to say, is it?”

“Tch, damn baby…!”

After some grumbling, Maro eventually declared, “Hmph, accept this apology from the great Maro!” Though honestly, it wasn’t clear if he was actually apologizing.

Meanwhile, my dad, holding his nose, waved his hands frantically and stammered, “N-n-no, no, no, no, no! Someone as esteemed as Lord Ujimaro of the Godaiin family could never be at fault!”

This whole situation is…

“A rough day for you, huh, Father?”

“This is YOUR fault in the first place!!!”

Whoa, Dad yelled at me. Scary.

Right after freezing with wide eyes, he suddenly started flailing in a panic, shouting, “Awawawawa!?”

“S-S-Sorry, Kanata! I didn’t mean to oppose you or anything…!”

“Hohohohoho! Well said, head of the Soranaki family!”

Dad was about to bow his head to me, but before he could, Maro started smacking him on the back repeatedly.

“W-wait, Lord Godaiin?!”

“Just call me Ujimaro. I’ll be living in this house for a while anyway.”

“What?!”

“More importantly, you! I thought you were just some spineless coward, but who’d have thought you’d actually shout at that monster over there!”

Maro, ever the charming role model, grinned and added, “Let’s team up and make this brat cry, shall we?”

This guy might be trash, but he’s refreshingly open about it.

“N-No, no! That was just… a spur-of-the-moment thing!”

“What’s wrong with spur-of-the-moment? When yelling at family instead of workplace subordinates, you don’t have to overthink it, do you?”

“…!”

Maro’s words were, honestly, kind of terrible.

But Dad’s eyes widened, and he muttered softly, “Family… huh.”

“I see… I was able to yell at Kanata…”

He spoke as if he were savoring the realization.

“I’ve always been timid. I could never bring myself to yell at strangers or coworkers in the heat of the moment. But I… without thinking, I yelled at Kanata…!”

“Hmm? What’s this, Michitaka?”

“Mr. Ujimaro, thank you!”

“Huh?”

Dad turned to me, took a deep breath, and cautiously reached out his hand. Then—

“Kanata.”

A hand was placed on my head.

It had been over ten years since someone last touched me like this.

“Father…?”

“I’m a weak father. I have no talent. But…”

He hesitantly began to stroke my head.

…How long had it been since someone last patted me like this?

“If you ever do something wrong, I think… I might be able to scold you for it.”

“—”

My father smiled awkwardly.

It was still that timid smile of his, but… was it just my imagination, or did he look a little proud?

“Stay with us. Please, rely on me.”

“…Alright.”

I nodded honestly.

In my previous life, my father, Michitaka, passed away a long time ago.

I’d always thought of him as a weak, unreliable man. But now…

“Father, you’re actually pretty cool.”

“Wha—huh!? N-No, no, no, no! It’s all thanks to Mr. Ujimaro…!”

“Maro was just spouting nonsense, though.”

At that, Maro erupted. “What did you say, you brattttt!?”

And so, my home became lively in an entirely different way.

…Haha. Honestly, just a little while ago, I thought everything was falling apart.

Maybe it really is thanks to Maro.

“Ugh… oh, that reminds me, Kanata. You’re supposed to take the Spirit Conductor Qualification Exam in a week, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“Don’t copy me, brat! Anyway, shouldn’t you hurry up and start training? If you fail, it’s execution for you!”

Ah, that’s true.

Even though my body is high-spec, my mind is still just that of an average person. I’ll need to properly train if I want to succeed.

With that in mind—

“Father.”

“Hm? What is it?”

It’s time for me to rely on him for a change.

“Would you teach me the ways of Spirit Conduction?”

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[Tips]

Official Rank:

The ranking system for Reisoushi families. There are six ranks:

Junior Third Rank

Senior Third Rank

Junior Second Rank

Senior Second Rank

Junior First Rank

Senior First Rank

This system originated 1,400 years ago during the Ritsuryō period. Initially, there were 30 ranks assigned to individuals, but over time, it was simplified and adapted to apply to families.

The higher a family’s rank, the more recognition and annual salary they receive from the government, based on the contributions of its members.

To maintain their rank, a family must always have at least one qualified Reisoushi actively working. If all active members capable of fighting are wiped out, the rank is revoked. Because of this, Reisoushi families tend to have multiple children.

Additionally, if a family member commits a crime, a rank demotion is considered. To prevent this, family members closely monitor each other’s behavior and even keep tabs on other families, looking for any signs of misconduct.

This self-regulating dynamic was anticipated by the Eternal Representative of the former Japanese government, Yukichi Fukuzawa, who established the current rank system.

Senior First Rank, the highest level, is granted only to families that have achieved numerous great feats and possess an active Special-Class Reisoushi in their ranks.

Soranaki Family:

A humble family based in Saitama with a rank of Junior Third. The current head is Michitaka Soranaki, the fifth-generation leader.

Though unremarkable and without significant achievements, the family gained some attention a decade ago for producing a pair of prodigious twins.

Recently, they’ve been thrust into the spotlight due to the extraordinary conception of the monstrous genius, Kanata Soranaki.

Godaiin Family:

A prestigious family from Kyoto with a rank of Junior First. The current head is Ujimaro Godaiin, the twenty-fifth-generation leader.

This is a lineage of noble renown, continuing for over 700 years since the late Kamakura period.

With imperial blood ties and a history of producing many talented Reisoushi, the family holds an unparalleled position of authority.

Speaking casually or disrespectfully to its head, Ujimaro, is essentially a taboo—though certain people seem to disregard this entirely.

Kanata Soranaki:

Mentally and emotionally, he has begun to take Maro a bit less seriously.

Ending No. 1: “The Forsaken Hound”
This is the outcome where Kanata Soranaki is abandoned by his father.
Seeking shelter under Ouma Shiranui, he becomes a loyal tool.
However, his eyes remain forever dry and lifeless. A bad ending.

Condition to Avoid: Ujimaro must be present.

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