Return of the Broken Blade

Hideki opened his eyes slowly, greeted by the prickly texture of the hay he had used as a makeshift bed. He blinked several times, trying to process the scene. There was no battlefield, and the stench of blood and death no longer choked his lungs. Instead, the warm, savory aroma of vegetable stew wafted toward him from the window of the neighboring wooden shack.

He raised his hands before his face to examine them. His eyes widened in disbelief; they were small, frail hands, completely free of the battle scars and the sword-calluses that had defined his previous life.

Before he could organize his scattered thoughts, a thick, calloused hand lunged through the open window, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him into the air with brute force.

A gruff, familiar voice roared, "You little brat! Are you sleeping on my cart again? How many times have I told you to stay away from it?!"

Dangling in mid-air, Hideki tried to focus on the angry man’s face. The voice didn’t seem familiar at first, until their eyes met. Hideki’s eyes stretched wide as he whispered to himself, "Ah... I remember now. It’s Uncle David... the one with the ugly face."

Apparently, his whisper wasn't faint enough. David’s expression twisted with even more rage. "Did you just say 'ugly face'?!"

Hideki stared intently at the man’s face, ignoring the choking grip on his collar. He spoke with a tone of mock gravity, "Actually, Uncle David, you’re much uglier than I remember. Tell me, after you died, did you take a wrong turn and cross into Hell instead of Heaven? Or did they throw you back here just because of your face?"

Fed up with the boy's insolence, David tightened his grip, growling, "So, you’re claiming I’m dead, and that I’m in Hell because of my face?! You little brat, I’m not dead yet... but I know exactly who’s going to die today!"

David yanked the boy through the window into the shack and reached for his wooden cane to teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget.

Minutes later, Hideki staggered out of the shack, brushing dust off his tattered clothes, his body aching from the bruises. He rubbed his head, muttering to himself, "What in the world? David’s pain is still real and stinging! If I’m in Hell or a dream, why am I seeing my village—the one that was crushed by monsters and turned to ash years ago?"

He stopped in front of the glass display of an old shop. He approached with hesitant steps and looked at his reflection. He touched his small face, devoid of the features of cruelty and despair that the days had carved into him in his past life.

"I’ve really returned to being a child..." he whispered, unconvinced. "Is this some cosmic joke? What kind of absurd dream is this?"

He desperately needed definitive proof—something to show him that this pain wasn't an illusion.

He spotted a group of children playing in the alleys from a distance. Among them was a boy about his own age, a boy who used to bully him relentlessly in the past.

With confident strides that didn't match his size, Hideki headed toward them. As soon as the bully saw him, he stopped playing and stepped forward with a malicious grin. "What brings you here, you filthy vagabond?"

Instead of retreating as he used to do in his childhood, Hideki spread his arms wide and smiled coldly. "Punch me."

The boy stopped, stunned. "Have you gone mad? Or do you enjoy being my punching bag?"

Hideki provoked him with even deeper coldness, "No, I just want to make sure your punch still feels like a little girl's."

Blinded by rage, the boy lunged at Hideki and landed a heavy blow to his face. Hideki took a step back from the force of the strike, but he didn't fall. He tasted the blood in his mouth, and instead of crying... he smiled. The pain was real. Reality was real.

The boy shouted arrogantly, "See that? My fist isn't a girl's strike!"

Hideki wiped the blood from his lip slowly, raising his eyes, which carried the gaze of a veteran killer who had fought a thousand battles. "Yes, you showed me. And now... it’s my turn to show you."

The boy let out a mocking cackle. "What are you going to do? You're just a brat I knock down every day and toss into the trash where you belong—"

He didn't finish his sentence. In the blink of an eye, Hideki’s small body moved with a terrifying fluidness, retained from his future muscle memory. His fist wound up and delivered a single, precise, devastating blow that sent the boy airborne before he hit the ground unconscious.

The rest of the children froze in their places, their faces pale with terror.

Hideki calmly shook out his hand and said in a glacial voice, "You used to hit me in the past, yes. But from now on, you better stay out of my way, or I won’t stop at just knocking you down."

The children fled, tails between their legs, leaving Hideki standing alone, staring at the village alleys. He looked at the simple shacks and listened to the distant laughter of the villagers. His heart tightened as he remembered how this laughter had turned into horrific screams and endless wailing in the future.

"I won't let that happen again..." he vowed silently. "It’s a new beginning, a chance to fix the past and the future."

His epic thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl echoing from his empty stomach.

He sighed helplessly. "Fine. Before saving the world, I have to feed this stomach. I wonder, did David leave me some of that stew?"

He retraced his steps to David’s shack and knocked on the door. The man opened it with a scowling face, and as soon as he saw Hideki, he bellowed, "Back again, you brat! Did your stomach start growling? We don't feed beggars here, so get lost!"

Hideki ignored the threats, lightly pushed past him, and entered the shack. "Yes, yes, play the tough guy as usual. Kick me out, then leave a bowl of food outside later and pretend some kind passerby left it for me and not you."

David froze, his ears turning red with embarrassment. "How... how did you know?!"

Hideki smiled sincerely this time. "Thank you for worrying about me, Uncle David. I’m truly grateful."

David cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity, and scratched his nose nervously. "Listen to me, boy. I just don't want you getting attached to this place. This village is so poor we survive on scraps. The people here can barely feed their own children; they won't give you anything."

Hideki sat at the wooden table and picked up a spoon, winking. "I know that well. That’s why I always come to my ugly, single friend to feed me!"

WHACK!

David’s fist came down on Hideki’s head again.

"Are you going to keep calling me ugly?! Looks aren't everything, you brat!"

Hideki rubbed his head in pain. "Fine. If looks aren't the problem, why don't you find a woman and go on a date?"

David sighed bitterly. "Because I barely have enough for my daily bread. I won't waste my meager coins on desperate attempts with girls."

Hideki held up the spoon like a philosopher delivering wisdom. "Excellent! Stay a miserable bachelor for the sake of saving the price of a meal. What a brilliant life plan!"

David’s patience finally snapped. He grabbed Hideki by the collar, lifted him high, and hung him by his clothes on a coat hook bolted to the wall.

"I’ve had enough of your sharp tongue! You’re staying up there until morning. And since you’re talking about saving, I’ve decided to save the cost of your meal today for my romantic future! Goodbye, I’m going to sleep."

Dangling in the air, Hideki realized he had pushed too far. He tried to fix the situation with a desperate voice, "Brother David! My dearest friend! I was only joking! You’re not ugly, you just need... better lighting! A suitable partner! And listen to me, saving doesn't come from depriving poor people like me, but from feeding them so your wealth increases and is blessed!"

David stopped at the wooden door, seemingly considering it. He smirked mischievously as he picked up the bowl of hot stew. "You know? You're right. Feeding the hungry increases blessings."

He opened the door and poured the stew outside, calling out, "Come here, village dogs! You're hungry too! Thanks for the golden advice, Hideki. Goodnight!"

He slammed the door, leaving Hideki dangling from the hook in silence, his mind racing with a mix of fury, starving hunger, and deep regret for his talkative tongue that never knew when to shut up.

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