Chapter-1 Yamazaki Kei

A chill wind swept through the Yamazaki estate as midnight passed, and the air inside the main house was tense, waiting, hopeful. Soft cries and murmurs came from the rooms within, and then, finally-a baby's cry pierced the night.

The midwife stepped out, cradling the newborn with careful, reverent hands. She took a deep breath and called out, "It's a girl!"

The news shot through the house like lightning. A young servant, eyes wide, bolted from the door and sprinted across the grounds, heading toward the gardens where the clan's Vice-president, Yamazaki Shintaro, stood under the moonlight. Shintaro's tall, imposing figure as he stood patiently under the moonlight.

He held a traditional folding fan, lightly fanning himself, calm and composed as he awaited news of his child's birth. The light from the lanterns cast gentle shadows, outlining the serene expression on his face, though his gaze remained alert.

It had been years-decades-since the Yamazaki clan had been blessed with the birth of a girl.

The servant finally reached him, breathless, and blurted, "Lord Shintaro! A girl-a girl has been born!"

Shintaro paused, closing his fan as the words sank in. His mouth curved into a small, grateful smile. He lifted his head, as if to address the heavens themselves, and murmured a quiet thanks to the gods for this blessing. A daughter, born into the Yamazaki clan-a rare and treasured gift.

Shintaro stood silently, gazing up at the sky, his thoughts lingering in gratitude as he took in the news.

"The heavens have favored us tonight," he murmured softly, his voice carrying a hint of awe. He closed his eyes, feeling the cool breeze as if it were the gods' answer to his thanks, a promise of protection over his family.

For a long moment, he was still, lost in thought, as if weighing the future of this newborn child who would carry the weight and honor of the Yamazaki name.

Then, he spoke again, his tone low and reverent, "Kei... Yamazaki Kei."

The name rolled off his tongue with a sense of finality, a name he had held in his heart, waiting for the right moment. Shintaro looked toward the house where his newborn daughter lay, his expression filled with quiet determination.

†*†*†

Kei lay sprawled on the soft floor of the Yamazaki estate, her tiny hands gripping a colorful rubber toy. She gnawed on it absentmindedly, her mind drifting as she observed the world around her through the innocent lens of a baby. But beneath the surface, her thoughts were anything but childlike.

'This isn't where I meant to be..' Baby mused, chewing on the toy with a frown. The memory of her past life lingered in the corners of her mind like a forgotten dream. She could recall fragments-faces, places, feelings-but the details of her death eluded her.

What she could remember, however, was a whisper-a hushed conversation carried by the winds of fate. "She has 18 to 20 years left," the voices had murmured. "She isn't supposed to die... not yet."

FLASHBACK..

She found herself in an ethereal realm, floating just outside the fabric of existence. She blinked in bewilderment, looking at a chaotic scene before her.

There, amidst clouds of fluffy white, stood God, a regal figure with a slightly frazzled expression, pacing back and forth. His assistant, the Grim Reaper-dressed in an oversized black robe and a rather comical scythe-leaned against a fluffy cloud, arms crossed with an annoyed expression

"I can't believe you let this happen!" God exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "How could you make such a mistake, Grim? She was supposed to live for years!"

"Hey, don't pin this on me," the Grim Reaper retorted, rolling his eyes.

"You're the one who was supposed to take care of these kind of things! It's not my fault that her name was in the list of people I was supposed to take in afterlife today!"

"Its not my fault either! Don't remember putting her on the list" God shot back.."Besides even if I accidentally did then-my mistake, your mistake. It doesn't matter! We messed up!"

Kei watched in dumbfounded confusion, She couldn't quite process what was happening, but the absurdity of it all made her want to laugh.

'They act like siblings'

As the argument escalated, Kei felt a sudden pull of awareness wash over her. 'ah..This isn't where I'm supposed to be.' Does this mean she wasn't supposed to be dead yet? Her heart raced with the realization.

Clearing her throat, she decided to interject, "Excuse me!"

Both God and the Grim Reaper stopped mid-argument, turning to her with wide eyes. Kei, unperturbed by their shock, continued, "Since I'm here, can I just... reincarnate or anything like that?"

Her eyes lilt in hope, she is already dead, it don't seem possible for her to return back to her original body or else they would have already done that instead of fighting like kids, among each other. Besides as an Isekai-lover. This is her golden chance..

She started to think which of her favourite novel should she reincarnate in..

A moment of silence passed before God burst into laughter, the tension melting away. "Well, that's an interesting idea! I suppose you could. But there's one condition..."

"What condition?" Kei asked, her brows knitting together with curiosity.

God's expression turned serious, though a playful glint remained in his eyes. "Its_ ◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼"

"What?! That's not fair!" Kei protested, but God merely shrugged with a smile, clearly enjoying this banter.

"I'm afraid it's the best I can do. Just remember-Its a give and receive..Just exchange of times for the loss one.. that's the most I can offer you" With a flick of his wrist, She felt herself being pulled away, her surroundings swirling into a vortex of color and light.

And when her eyes open again, she was thrown in the world she wasn't sure off, the sudden light irritated her eyes, unable to open them as she felt herself screaming similar to baby as she heard a woman's voice

"It's a girl!"

FLASHBACK OVER

'Ugh..Where the hell did that god reincarnate me into? He didn't even ask me where I would like to go..he just simply threw me...fuck you' Kei thought all that she looked over the Celing with an annoyed expression raising an middle finger

"Bu..bu.." (fuck you)

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