"One, two, three, three, two, one~"
"Repeat after me, ah ah ah~"
No! My head hurts so much... It feels like my brain is a complete mess...
Did someone just say something?
Chizuki hazily seemed to hear someone speaking beside her and, in her dazed state, subconsciously repeated the words she had just heard.
"One, two, three, three, two, one~"
"Ah ah ah~?"
Wait? What am I doing? Chizuki abruptly performed a sit up and immediately snapped her eyes open.
"Cough, cough, cough!" A physiological reaction forced her into a violent coughing fit. "My, my, little one, is this how you treat your savior?"
Qian Yin lifted her head with difficulty, her eyes still blurred with water, and finally managed to make out the appearance of the person in front of her.
A pink-haired fox?
Soft pink hair tied at the ends, fluffy ears adorned with earrings embedded with purple gemstones, and a shrine maiden outfit primarily in red and white that particularly caught her attention.
Wait! What's this softness beneath me?
A pair of pale, smooth thighs!
And these paws?
Only then did Qian Yin realize her current state—there was a significant difference in body proportions between her and the woman before her.
She took a deep breath to steady herself as memories of the past flooded back like a tidal wave.
How exactly did I end up crossing into this world? Or did the "me" of this world awaken memories of a past life?
The influx of memories left Qian Yin feeling mentally disoriented.
"My, my, is the little one stunned by my beauty?" The woman flashed a smile unique to pink-haired, mischievous foxes—charm laced with a hint of teasing—as the corners of her lips curled upward. "Though I've always known I'm quite the sight, this is the first time I've seen a little nekomata so dumbstruck."
If she weren't currently in her nekomata form, Qian Yin could only imagine how red her face would be.
Who could possibly handle this?!
"Little one, next time you play by the lake, be careful not to fall in again." Yae Miko set Qian Yin down on the ground with an amused smile, leaving behind an omamori from the Grand Narukami Shrine beside her. As she walked away, she added, "You should hang this on the most visible part of your chest. From now on, tell everyone you meet that this was a gift from the ever-wise and beautiful Lady Yae Miko."
"Yae... Miko?"Qian Yin stared blankly at the pink-patterned omamori on the ground before silently picking it up with her tiny paw. She shook her damp fur.
Now, she remembered everything.
In her past life, she had been riding a shared bike while delivering packages when an accident occurred—a nearby bus swerved and crashed through the bridge's guardrail, sending her plummeting into the river.
Unable to swim, she had met her end. In this life, she had arrived in a world called Teyvat, her true form being that of a small nekomata living on an island named Yashiori. While playing by the river and trying to catch a fish to eat, she had accidentally fallen in and nearly drowned, only to awaken her past-life memories in the process.
Fortunately, someone had saved her. Qian Yin squeezed the omamori in her paw, feeling an inexplicable sense of calm. Perhaps it was the mindset of "since I'm already here," but she decided to start anew and live well in this world. Clutching the omamori in her mouth, Qian Yin prepared to head home.
In her previous life as a human and now reborn as a Nekomata, of course, she had to adapt well to her new environment.
No sooner had she curled back into her nest than a voice echoed in Chiyin's mind.
"Loading initialization page."
"Opening character page."
Chizuki stared blankly at the system interface that appeared before her, displaying information about her character.
"Name: Chizuki
Race: Nekomata
Region: Inazuma
Vision: None
Constellation: None
Max HP: 600
Attack: 10
Defense: 30
Elemental Mastery: 0
Max Stamina: 100
Status: Juvenile
Details: (omitted)."
"What does it mean to just write 'omitted' for details?" Most of the other data made some sense based on her memories, but this unclickable "details" section left her baffled.
"Note: Insufficient permissions, unable to open."
The blue screen continued scrolling with text.
"Please complete daily commissions: Assist others in transporting goods to enhance your abilities. Daily completion limit: 3/3."
"Me? Daily commissions? You really think I'm grinding dailies here?!"
In her past life, she had encountered similar mechanics in games. But what left her speechless was—how could there still be daily commissions to do after reincarnation?
"Will I get anything for this?" If there were no rewards for doing dailies, she'd have no motivation.
"Answer: Allocation points. (Note: Used to improve base attributes.)"
Now Chiyin understood—was this the so-called "reincarnated as a Nekomata, just deliver packages to grow stronger"?
"Then where's the mission location?"
She didn't dare hope for automatic pathfinding. As long as she was told the destination, she could find her own way.
Besides, according to the memories of her current body, the island called Yashiori Island was home to dangerous creatures like Slimes, Hilichurls, and even Abyss Mages. She probably couldn't take on a single one of them. Traveling required caution.
Chizuki had no intention of dying under a monster's blade for no reason.
Wait, do Hilichurls even wield blades? Well, the sentiment was the same.
For now, in Chiyin's eyes, Hilichurls were still extremely dangerous monsters.
(This probably meant the same as a newbie wandering into Stormbearer Mountains, sneaking into Inazuma at level 20, or seeing Inazuma City marked as a high-risk zone.)
"Alright, time to head out and do the commission." Chiyin took off the omamori hanging around her neck. If she accidentally lost it while stumbling around outside, she'd be heartbroken.
After all, it was a gift from that incredibly beautiful person earlier.
"Yashiori Island doesn't seem to have many yokai, so what am I supposed to do?"
A thought suddenly struck her—in her memories, aside from herself, she hadn't seen any other yokai on the island.
Great. Now she was completely in the dark.
"Maybe there are people in Konda Village? Should I go check there?" Chiyin pondered where she might be needed for deliveries.
She rolled lightly on the ground, stretched, and then hesitated at the sight of the darkening sky.
Yashiori Island was known for its long rainy seasons—thunderstorms could strike almost year-round.
She hesistated for a moment, unsure whether if she should still go out.
Meow meow. What if the rain gets my fur all wet?