Chapter 1: I Woke Up as a Butler (part 1)

As I drifted into sleep, a fragment of something familiar flashed by.

“I told you, I can’t raise children.”  

“Aren’t you still the father?”  

“I work outside too. You try your best!”  

“The house is disgusting! I can’t even eat because it annoys me so much!”  

“Ahhh!”  

It was a memory I desperately wanted to forget.  

That’s right—my parents fought every day, and I left home because I couldn’t take it anymore. 

Or, at least, that’s what I though I did…  

…..

“My lady, it’s a beautiful morning.”  

“Kurosawa, wipe that grin off your face.”  

“I can’t do that. It’s my signature! To take care of you, I must become the best butler!”  

“… Fine. Just don’t do anything strange in front of other people.”  

Faces and familiar words floated through my mind. Were these my memories or someone else’s? My head throbbed as the memories twisted, blurring the lines between past and present. It felt like I was forgetting something important—something I shouldn’t forget…  

And then, I heard a woman’s voice I didn’t recognize.  

“If it’s to protect what you hold dear…”  

I opened my eyes.  

…..

“Heo-eok?!”  

Was it a dream?  

I looked around. I was in a park. 

This wasn’t some light novel; it was reality. 

The sky stretched overhead, vast and unending, like a ceiling.  

“Ahaha… It must have been a dream.”  

A strange dream, where I somehow beat the first-place character in the popularity poll and married the heroine who placed last. Maybe I was just exhausted from work. I should take a break today—tell the store manager and grab something delicious to eat.  

I got up, but something felt off. I seemed taller.  

“Must be my imagination…”  

But as I stood, the world seemed larger, with my field of vision shifting noticeably. 

Strange…and why was I covered in newspapers like a homeless person? I rubbed my eyes and thought back. 

Hadn’t I seen Amelia Iori Lionheart in the dream?  

Dreams could be unsettlingly vivid. They left me feeling empty, like I was missing something important. I sighed, thinking I should buy some supplements with my next paycheck.  

More importantly, I was starving.  

Looking around, I spotted a vending machine nearby. I checked my pockets and found a few coins—479 yen.  

“Since when did I have this much cash?”  

Hunger overrode my confusion. I pulled out a can of sweet red bean soup, opened it, and took a sip. It was hot and satisfying, especially with the cold wind biting at my skin. Snow still blanketed parts of the park, and I shivered.  

“Oh, it’s freezing.”  

Why had I slept here under a pile of newspapers?  

I searched my pockets for my phone. It was there—thankfully. 

But something was odd. When I turned it on, the display showed a +1 unread message.

Everyone uses Kotalk these days, who texts? At most, it would be something like a government office or smartphone usage fee alarm. Anyways, I opened the text message without thinking much about it.

The message read:  “I was moved by the enthusiasm of readers who loved “To Love X Lady”. Reader, keep fighting! — Murasame Kentaro.”  

I blinked in disbelief.  

“Transmigrated? No way…”  

Memories—ones that didn’t belong to me—flooded my mind. The original owner of this body had been Shingo Kurosawa, the butler of Amelia Iori Lionheart, the heroine of “To Love X Lady”.  

***

Before I could fully process this, I heard voices nearby.  

“Leave me alone!”  

“Yo, come play with us! You’re so cute!”  

I turned my head toward the commotion. A group of bullies in gakuran—school uniforms—was harassing a woman, grabbing her wrist as she whimpered.  

Though the conversation was in Japanese, I understood every word perfectly, even though I’d never studied the language.  

My principles wouldn’t let me walk away from such injustice.  

I took another sip of red bean porridge, then casually strolled over. With a swift motion, I grabbed the woman’s wrist and hurled the can of oshiruko (Red Bean Soup) at the leader’s head.  

KANG!  

“Ow! It’s hot!”  

The contents splattered across the bully’s face, and he let out a pained yelp.  

“What the hell?!”  

The others glared at me.  

I muttered under my breath, “Seriously, what a hassle…”