Chapter 1 Part 2 - Since I was reborn as Saito Yoshitatsu, I'm aiming to hand over the territory to Oda Nobunaga and live longer!

Year 20XX

This is the Chacter Name Index, to help you better understand the story and be less confused. I'll be updating it simultaneously with the progress of the story.

TL: Yuina

Editor: Yuina

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"This ceiling seems unfamiliar."

　The words escaped my lips without thinking. It was a frequent reflection among my peers.

　But it truly was a ceiling I had never seen before. Even I, a doctor working in a hospital, couldn't recognize it. Perhaps it was only because I was still alive that I could calmly contemplate it.

　Along with the strange sense of discomfort brought by this wooden, traditional Japanese ceiling, I noticed my voice was oddly high-pitched.

"Aaaah... ah?"

　This voice is so shrill. Like a woman’s or a child’s. Everything felt off.

　Just as a sense of unease crept, I heard a voice calling out from outside the room.

"Waka-sama, are you awake?"

　Wa.ka.sa.ma? Waka-sama? Wakasa Ma? Young master? [1]

　As I turned my head towards that voice, my gaze fell upon the wooden floor and the sliding doors, with two figures standing on the other side. The pillow beneath my head felt hard. Was it made of wood?

"Young master?... Is he sleep talking? Though the physician, Roan-sama's apprentice, said that he had passed the critical stage."

"I’ll go inform the lord that he might be waking."

"Then I’ll check on his condition. Young master, pardon me."

　Without delay, one of the figures stood up and left, while the remaining person opened the sliding door.

"Young master, have you woken up? How are you feeling?"

　The person who entered was a woman in her early thirties, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. Both her manner of speaking and appearance resembled that of an actor in a historical drama.

　Feeling somewhat uneasy, I tried sitting up, and the truth I had vaguely sensed was thrust upon me.

　My body was so small. I could even say it was that of a child. It was evident when I looked at my fingers. The skin was supple and smooth, and even when I squeezed my hand, I couldn't muster much strength.

"I'm alright."

　She looked at me suspiciously, so I gave a perfunctory reply. As a doctor, I couldn't detect any pain anywhere. If anything, my neck felt a little sore from the pillow. I couldn't feel any abnormality when I put my hand under my armpit or touched the lymph glands by my chin. This body was a completely healthy. There was no Adam's apple. How old could this body be?

"That's good to hear. The Lord will be here soon, so please wait a moment."

"Yes."

　After that, I touched my face and checked the length of my legs, but no matter how I looked at it, my body was at the age of a preschooler. Was this a dream? It felt too vivid to be just a dream. The notion of "reincarnation" fleetingly crossed my mind.

"What is the current date?"

"Today is June 18th. Young master has been bedridden for three days."

　No, that's not it.

"Um, of what year?"

"It's the second year of Tenbun."

　Tenbun... When was that? It was definitely not the Heisei era or any similar time period. The past, perhaps. Kamakura? Muromachi? Sengoku? Edo?

"What was the name of the Shogun again?"

"I believe I haven't taught you that yet, but it is Lord Ashikaga Yoshiharu, the Senior Councilor."

　I don't know which era Ashikaga Yoshiharu belongs to. I have no memory of studying about him in history class, so it's clear that this isn't a delusion or a dream. For now, if it's Ashikaga then it must be the the Muromachi shogunate. I wonder when it is now. The era of the Northern and Southern Courts? The Warring States period? Or perhaps a time unaffected by conflicts? And where is this place? Who am I? It's definitely Japan, but it doesn't seem to be Okinawa or Hokkaido.

　While still deep in thought, I suddenly heard heavy footsteps approaching. With each heavy step, my heart quickened. In an instant, the person arrived in front of the room, and the moment I saw his face, my instincts told me who it was.

"So you didn't die, Toyotamaru. [2]"

　Oh, so this is Saito Dosan, the viper of Mino. I have been reincarnated as the son of the viper.

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[1] The phrase "わかさま？和歌さま？若狭ま？若様？" reflects the confusion and uncertainty of the protagonist regarding the proper address or identity of the person that voice was referring to as "若様" (waka-sama).
わかさま (wakasama): Here, he is just spelling the word "若様" (young master) in hiragana. Hiragana is a syllabary used among other writing systems in the Japanese language, alongside katakana and kanji.

和歌さま (waka-sama): 和歌 "Waka", here, refers to a traditional form of Japanese poetry.

若狭ま (wakasa-ma): "若狭" is a place name in Japan.

若様 (waka-sama): This is the original term used by the speaker to address the main character, meaning "young master" or "young lord."

Overall, the phrase showcases the protagonist's internal confusion and the range of possibilities he was considering.

[2] 豊太丸 - That's Saito Yoshitatsu's childhood's name, before his coming of age ceremony.