Hardcore Exorcist: Reborn to Grind

I didn’t plan it. Didn’t even notice it happening. Then one day, I looked around… and I was a bodybuilder.

Which is stronger: instinct or reason? Where are the limits of body and mind?

That was the universal theme of my life. Training was my method for pursuing those answers.

I kept pushing my body. I conquered the Japanese nationals. Next up was the world championship.

Then on that night when I was 27 and locked in my motivation, I got stabbed.

“Aghh, hah, hah, aghhh...”

“Making fun of me, looking down on me with those smug eyes! I killed you! Hahaha! When I put my mind to it, I can kill the Prime Minister, the President, even some meathead like you!”

Walking home from the gym, my legs were so fried from leg day that I was stumbling like a newborn fawn.

That’s when I made eye contact with this guy. Something about his vibe screamed danger, so I looked away to avoid setting him off.

A fat lot of good that did me.

He was one of those guys with nothing left to lose. Talk about unfair.

“Hah, aghh, ahhh...”

Damn it. This sucks. What a waste.

Even these muscles I’d built by constantly pushing past failure couldn’t beat six inches of stainless steel. One hit and it was over.

Knives are way too OP. Somebody nerf that shit.

“I’m calling an ambulance!”

“Aghh, ngh! Hah, hah... th-thank you so much... but I’m gonna die anyway, so here’s my bank account PIN. Do whatever you want with it...”

“Huh?! Wait! Um! Why are you suddenly—?!”

“Gotta... return the favor... that’s... my way...”

My consciousness started fading.

I’d managed to do something that vaguely resembled returning a favor to the girl kind enough to help a dying meathead, so I had no regrets.

Next life, I’m definitely going to beat knives somehow.

With that new goal in mind, I sank into darkness.

* * *

I wake up to the sound of rain. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

My vision is pitch black.

It’s a strange feeling. It should be over, but it’s continuing.

What the hell is going on?

Rustle rustle.

The darkness opens.

Rain hits my face. Pretty intense.

“Another child with a Soul Brand.”

“How could someone abandon such a tiny baby? It’s horrible.”

An old woman and a young woman are peering down at me.

Something is way off about the scale, though.

Am I too small? What a weird camera angle.

“Ba-ba-boo... bah?”

“Come on, let’s go. It’s cold out here.”

“We’ll get you somewhere warm right away.”

This is the first memory of my second life.

It takes me a while to get my bearings. Reincarnation, being reborn—I never thought miracles like this could happen.

* * *

One Week Later

* * *

After accepting the miracle, I focus on gathering intel through my eyes and ears.

My new home seems pretty well-off. After all, there are real servants wearing what look like maid outfits.

Their attire is a bit different from what I remember, but they’re all women dressed in black and white fabric, so they have to be maids.

Everyone speaks Japanese, so geographically, this is probably Japan.

Several things bother me.

First, I can hear children playing nearby. Too many for siblings. Some families have lots of kids, but still.

I also hear the sound of an organ in the distance. A pipe organ. And voices singing with it.

Maybe there’s a church nearby.

Another thing that bothers me is the absence of my parents.

The people taking care of me are all maids. Getting held, getting fed milk. It feels like some kind of kinky roleplay, which makes me feel guilty.

Not that I have anything against maids… but since my mental age seems to be getting dragged down by this tiny body, I can’t resist the loneliness of not having mommy and daddy around.

One possibility I think of for why my parents aren’t around is that one of the maids is actually my parent.

Or maybe since this is the kind of wealthy household that employs maids, the master and lady of the house are too busy running their global empire.

A baby’s day is full of hazards.

First, the urge to pee and poop. Extremely dangerous.

When I feel it coming on, I raise my hand to signal. But since they can’t understand me, I have no choice but to let it out.

Humiliating.

Kids often approach my cradle, too. Extremely dangerous.

They try to pick me up. In those cases, I go “Grrrr!” to intimidate them away.

I mean, come on. You don’t want to be held by children.

What if they drop me and I get hurt?

Why are there so many kids here, though? Could this be a daycare or something? 

But no, you wouldn’t leave someone at daycare for days on end, and there wouldn’t be maids at a daycare…

As I fend off various hazards, the days pass.

Eventually, I arrive at the truth.

The reason my parents aren’t around, the reason the maids are taking care of me.

The reason there are so many kids everywhere.

The place I’m living is an orphanage. A place for children without parents.

By the way, the women in black and white that I thought were maids are probably nuns. They had the black and white color scheme, but I’d known something was a little off.

So that’s how it is.

On that rainy day, I was abandoned by my parents.

Apparently, I was an unwanted child.

“Aww…”

Learning the truth definitely brings me down.

The loneliness of being parentless hits hard for a zero-year-old.

* * *

One Year Later

* * *

The truth of my parents left a gaping hole in my heart. Still, life keeps moving.

I’m still living the “institutional life” at Akai Orphanage. Since I rarely get outside, I call it that.

That said, I’m not imprisoned or anything.

Sometimes the Sisters take us out for walks.

Feeling the changing seasons, observing plants and animals, stuff like that.

The most interesting discovery is a massive mansion right next to the orphanage.

Putting together pieces of info I overhear, I figure out the mansion belongs to the Akai Clan—our benefactors whose name is on the orphanage.

When one god abandons you, another takes you in.

The Akai family are my saviors.

I have to repay this debt.

Making that vow, I start looking for something I can do.

This is for my own sake, too. Being a baby is painfully boring.

I heard in my previous life that humans find wasted time and boredom to be the most painful experiences. That’s why I crave motivation and purpose.

On my first birthday, starving for a new training program, I…

Before I know it, I’ve started strength training.

“Ikaku, get down from there!”

“Director! Ikaku is doing pull-ups on the monkey bars!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That child just turned one—WHAAAAT?! What perfect pull-up form! He’s really targeting his lats!”

By the way, Ikaku (Menace) is what they call me. I earned the name by always intimidating the other kids to keep them from picking me up.

I wish the Sisters and Director had put more thought into it, but I actually kind of like it. It sounds strong.

Ikaku. The kanji looks pretty cool, too.

Now, why did I start strength training to repay my debt?

Don’t think it’s because my brain is made of muscle, too. Of course I have my reasons.

There’s a saying: your body is your capital.

Conversely, that means capital is your body.

If that’s the case, then training your body increases your capital value.

The capital value of the orphan they took in goes up. Then they can think, “We’re glad we raised him.”

This is exactly how I can repay the Akai family.

I’m building capital through training.

Plus, it’s pure fun.

I still feel regret and frustration from having my old life cut short halfway.

If I have a second chance, I want to reach even greater heights this time. That’s human nature.

I have the knowledge and technique. I can apply them starting from age zero.

What kind of view is waiting at the end of pushing the limits of body and mind?

“Hm?”

As I finish my set, my vision blurs, my arms fail, and my body obeys gravity, starting to fall.

The Director and Sisters scream, reaching out to catch me before I hit the ground like volleyball players diving for a save.

I watch the whole disaster unfold from a slight distance.

I can see my own tiny body, and the Sisters and Director with their panicked expressions.

“…Huh?”

What’s going on?

Someone explain this. Help me out here!