Just Another Reincarnation

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
Right now, I am on my way to the drawing contest taking place in England. Since my parents couldn't go with me, I am together with their acquaintance that lives there.
He was an average-looking Japanese man with black hair and eyes. He was on the taller side of the spectrum, measuring 175 cm, and had a thin beard.
He and my father know each other from their student years, but he had to leave japan because of his job. Then, while working in England, he met his wife, and after settling down, they had a daughter named Alice.
"Uncle, what do you think are my chances to win this contest?" I asked out of curiosity.
I was sure of my victory, but I wanted to hear what he thought about it and deal with the uncomfortable silence.
"I am sure you will win. The contestants are people around your age, and while most of them are talented, only one girl is worth mentioning when compared to your art. She is truly talented," my uncle said.
I wonder who she is.
"What is her name?" I inquired.
"Her name is Mashiro Shiina. She should be around one year younger than you. A true prodigy when it comes to art, but I heard that she is quite... special." my uncle answered, his smile cramping at the end.
Why am I hearing so many familiar names? Hey, creator of this world, are you perhaps one of my people?&nbsp;
No matter, as long as it doesn't bring me any harm, I can ignore it. Even if Mashiro is there, it's not like we will meet for sure.
"There are still a few days left until the contest. Do you want to go sightseeing with my family?" my uncle proposed.
"Sure, uncle," I replied with a smile.
***
The day after my arrival, we went on a trip around London. I was able to witness tourist attractions like London Eye and Big Ben up close, thanks to my uncle's connections, and since their family preferred Japanese cuisine, I had no qualms about the food.
Then, in the days leading to the contest, I mostly went with Alice to play with her friends.
At first, my uncle thought it was not a good idea since I don't know English, but I quickly proved him wrong, once again garnering his amazement. The first time, it was because of my artwork, while the second was how mature I acted.
He was also surprised when we met since he thought I was Japanese. He knew I was adopted since that was something that my parents told him about, but they failed to convey that I am a foreigner.
Since I looked Caucasian and could speak fluent English, I had no problem playing with the other kids. After all, kids are at the same time the most innocent and cruel beings. If someone is different, they won't hold back and will speak their mind without thinking about the consequences.
I had a bit of a problem in Japan because of that, but I managed to turn the situation in my favor.
To sum it up, during my stay here, I got to sightsee London and made new friends, which to my delight aren't calling me boss. I hope they will never find out about that.
***
Today is the day of the drawing contest.
Everything proceeded smoothly. Maybe too smoothly.
"...I have a bad feeling about this," I grumbled to myself.
"Did you say something?" my uncle inquired.
"No, it's nothing," I replied.
"Are you perhaps nervous because it's your first time?" my uncle asked with a gentle smile.
"Eh? Yeah. I don't know what to expect," I lied through my teeth, not wanting him to worry.
"Don't worry. I am sure you will win. Just give it your all, so you have nothing to regret," my uncle said, trying to sound supportive.
"Thank you, uncle," I said with a slight smile.
That's a piece of good advice, and it doesn't apply only to this contest. Perhaps that's the best way to live?
"No problem," he replied, also with a smile.
After that, we entered the venue of the contest.
It was a lot more underwhelming than I expected, just a big hall.
Each contestant had a chair accompanied by a desk or easel, depending on their request, prepared for them.
The tools and materials were also provided by the organizers to make things fair. After all, while it's possible to draw something decent even with common crayons if you have better tools, you can create something better.
The contest would take a few hours, so I decided to take a look around and see who will be sitting next to me. There were both boys and girls, most of them older than me, at least based on their appearance.
Yeah, most.
One girl sitting on the right was younger than me. She had red eyes and long pale blonde hair that reached her waist. Her skin was pale, and she wore casual clothes.
She looks so adorable. Like a cat? Yeah, that's the kind of aura she gives me.
"THE CONTEST STARTS IN FIVE MINUTES!!!" announced one of the staff through the speakers.
Come on, Arthur, you have to focus. Cute may be justice, but you have more important things to do right now.
Once more, I checked all my tools to be sure nothing gets in the way of my drawing. I slowly examined all of them, and as I was finishing checking the last one, I heard another announcement.
"THE CONTEST STARTS NOW!!!" announced the same staff member as before.
The moment I heard that I started drawing, as I already had something in mind, even before the competition.
While I was drawing, I stopped paying attention to my surroundings, time flew in the blink of an eye. I haven't even noticed when half of the time passed. Two hours before the end of the competition, I finally finished my drawing. I put it down, and just as I was checking how the other contestants fared, an unexpected announcement rang out.
"PLEASE, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND GO TO THE NEAREST EXIT!!! DUE TO SOME UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE EAST SECTOR!!! PLEASE STAY CALM!!!" once again, the same staff member announced.
As could be expected, the announcement fell on deaf ears, and the chaos broke out shortly after.
I fucking knew it!!! It was too calm for too long!!!
Most of the contestants abandoned their work and ran towards the exit, not giving their drawings a second thought.
Yes, most of them. Two people stayed in their places. Me and the blonde girl.
She didn't even seem aware of the announcement and the whole situation, completely lost in her work.
"We have to go. There was a fire, and it's not safe to stay here," I said while approaching.
No response? I guess I will have to grab her hand and bring her out.
"Nn? Who are you?" she asked as I stopped her hand, finally registering my existence.
"We have to go. There was fire and it's not safe to stay here," I repeated, this time having her full attention.
"Nn," she nodded in agreement.
She is quite obedient, and it doesn't look like she is scared. This is a bit abnormal.
I took her hand and started dragging her towards the exit, but soon after I realized something. She didn't want to leave her work here. Everyone else just abandoned their drawings, yet here she was, still thinking about it even in this situation.
*Sigh* It can't be helped.
I took both of our drawings and quickly brought us to the exit.
"Mashiro!!! Dear, I am so glad you are alright!!!" a woman resembling the girl next to me, likely her mother, exclaimed as she ran in our direction as we left the building.
Wait. Mashiro? It has to be a coincidence, right?
"Here," I said as I gave the girl her drawing and proceeded to look for my uncle.
However, before I could even start, I felt something tugging on my shirt. When I looked back, I saw the girl pulling it and her mother looking surprised.
"Name?" Mashiro asked.
"Eh? My name is Arthur," I replied.
"Nn. I will remember," she said and returned to her mother.
What a strange girl. She reminds me about Selen when we just met.
I thought and started looking for my uncle again.
***
&nbsp;
A few days after the fire incident, the competition took place once again.
Since it was impossible to determine which drawings were taken from the venue during the fire and which were drawn after it, everyone had to start from scratch.
Not wanting to draw the same thing the second time, I chose a different topic. My first drawing was a landscape, but this time I went along with a &nbsp;portrait.
Well, at least I had one more piece of art in my collection. I am glad I brought it out with me at that time.
While on that topic, I am glad I took that girl with me. Considering how little attention she paid to her surroundings, she would die there.
Firefighters and security blocked the entrance, so her mother couldn't go inside. She was forced to watch as the fire spread while praying that someone takes her daughter with them.
"Are you nervous about the results?" my uncle asked me suddenly, seeing that I was deep in thought.
"Just a little," I replied.
Today the results will be published at the end of the ceremony, and all the participants have been invited. The sponsors of the event were several influential figures, so even with all the losses caused by the fire, the rewards didn't diminish in the slightest. Rather, to keep their reputation, they increased them, and we are talking about a big sum of money and an award.
This may seem like too much, considering the contest was for children, but the truth is that without my uncle's connection, I would be unable to take part in it. In other words, the contest was for either genius that already gained recognition or children with influential backgrounds.
In contrast to the contest itself, the announcement of the results takes place in an old theatre, which once again shows how much attention the organizers pay to this event.
Currently, together with my uncle, I am sitting on the seats in the twelfth row from the scene, waiting for the ceremony to start.
Hmmm, there is no one I can recognize. Well, it can't be helped, I guess, the only people I paid attention to were the people sitting around me during the competition.
"WELCOME TO THE AWARD CEREMONY OF OUR ART CONTEST!!! THE CHILDREN WHOSE NAMES WILL BE READ OUT ARE ASKED TO ENTER THE SCENE!!! ARTHUR YUKI, MASHIRO SHIINA, SCOTT JACOBS, BETTY MERKEN, AND MAX PENLIZARD!!! THESE ARE OUR FIVE FINALISTS!!! PLEASE ENTER THE SCENE!!!" the staff member in charge of the event announced as the lights went off.
After entering the scene, all of us were instructed to stand in the back and wait for our turn. There, among the other four winners, stood the girl I helped during the fire incident, confirming once and for all her identity.
She looked at me with curiosity masked by her overall emotionless face.
It seems she remembers me, just like she said she will. that's unexpected with how much of a clutz she is supposed to be.
"THE FIFTH PLACE GOES TO MAX PENLIZARD!!!" the staff member announced.
The kid whose name got read out approached the announcer and received his reward. Based on his looks, he was the oldest one among us, yet took the last place. He bowed slightly to the audience and received applause. After that, he returned to his place among us. The same happened with the fourth and third place, with the only difference being the volume and time of the applauses.
"THE SECOND PLACE GOES TO..." the staff member started, followed by the sound of drums.*DUM**DUM**DUM**DUM* "...MASHIRO SHIINA!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!" the staff member finished with excitement.
She approached the announcer a little bit surprised, as the surprised voices of the audience could be heard In the background.
They are surprised that someone they have never heard about before, a nobody like me, won, aren't they?
Mashiro bowed slightly, just like her predecessors, also receiving applause, and returned to her previous place.
"FINALLY!!! THE UNQUESTIONABLE WINNER OF OUR COMPETITION!!! THE WINNER OF THE FIRST PLACE, ARTHUR YUKI!!!" the staff member announced with the most excitement so far.
I received the award and bowed, waiting for the applause, yet it never came.
Eh? Are they too stunned or something? But why?
I turned around and found the answer. On a big screen behind, my drawing was displayed. It depicted the Mashiro, as her cuteness became my inspiration and refused to leave my mind until I put it on paper.
Even just a picture of my work was enough to stun them so much despite how greatly it diminished its beauty.
After some time passed in complete silence, my uncle stood up and started applauding. Just like dominos, people around him also stood up and started applauding, while the domino effect spread further and further.
I smiled in satisfaction, grateful to my uncle for breaking the silence.
Now it's time to go home, I guess?

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
"What do you want to watch today?" I asked Selen, both of us resting on the couch in the living room inside The Orb.
She sat close to me while eating the snacks I prepared. She had on a light blue baggy blouse which still failed to conceal the impressive development of her body, and a pair of white shorts. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail with her moon-shaped hairpin.
At first, I couldn't bring out anything from the Library, but once I asked Einlion, he told me that it was a part of his agreement with Matrucksa. He agreed to give access to his Library to the owner of the Orb, but if I wanted to take anything out, I would have to make a contract with him. In the end, he allowed me to take out anime and movies in exchange for a favor he would ask me one day.
"Let's watch How to Train Your Cat," she replied flatly.
"Seriously..?" I asked incredulously.
It was an 'interesting' real-life version of How to Train Your Dragon, where instead of the big, fire-breathing lizards, the Vikings had to fight with equally big cats possessing bird-like wings. They were also capable of breathing fire, electricity, or poisonous gasses, so the only difference from the original was their appearance.
The Vikings weren't spared as well. Instead of being regular humans, they had animal ears and tails. Men possessed more bear-like and wolf-like treats, while the women were more feline-like. The only exception to that rule was the main character, Fluff Haddock. In contrast to the other boys his age, he was much lither.
The event of the story went roughly the same, with him managing to shoot down a Night Fury to impress the village and befriending it later on. What made it different from the original were the ages of the main cast, hovering around 16 years old, and some adult content. Let's just say the dragon-cats weren't the only ones trained...
"Do you have anything else in mind?" Selen asked.
"No, we can watch it," I replied, slightly shaking my head.
Then, I took a more comfortable position on the couch and started the movie while Selen snuggled closer to me and placed her head on my chest, starting another movie session.
***
"Wow! You are really good at it!" Latifa commented with a smile, seeing how easily I made croquettes next to her.
"I am often helping out at home," I said.
While I did help at home, it wasn't why I was good at cooking. That has to be attributed to Selen's pickiness when it comes to food.
There were also the books chosen for me by Einlion, which taught me how to cook and provided plenty of recipes to try out.
"I see," she replied while making her own and humming.
We continued for a few hours until we met the quota for the day and moved to another room.
The room we moved to had a table with sweets on top and a cozy-looking sofa, and a few armchairs around it. Everything was placed on one giant fluffy carpet covering nearly the entire floor. Next to the couch, on the side opposite the entrance, laid several boxes with games we usually played together.
"What do you want to play today?" Latifa inquired while sitting down on the sofa.
"Strip poker," I said while wiggling my brows.
"Where did you even hear about that?!" Latifa exclaimed with a red face.
"I overheard Macaron talking about it," I replied with a smile.
I knew about it from my past life, but it wasn't a lie that I overheard Macaron talk about it with Tiramy.
"Mou! These two!" she exclaimed angrily with a pout.
"I guess that's a no," I commented. "Also, you are cute when you are angry," I added with a smile.
After hearing that, Latifa's anger turned again into embarrassment.
"At times like this, I don't know which of us is older. You really fooled me during our first meeting," she commented, her cheeks still red.
"I found you alone and crying. I just wanted to help, and it was the fastest way to get your trust at the time," I replied with a wry smile.
It was only a matter of time until Latifa realized how mature I was, and my weekly visits made it even easier. My growing frustration over the way I had to act didn't help as well, ending in her realizing the truth after three months. She obviously didn't know I reincarnated, but she changed her treatment of me.
"I know," she said and smiled at me.
*Knock**Knock*
A knocking came from the door, and four girls entered soon after.
"Sorry to interrupt~!" said Muse in a sing-song tone.
Despite being a fairy, at first glance, she looked like a teenage girl of average height, with her elf-like pointy ears as the only indication of her true nature. She had short silver-white hair, emerald green eyes, and a pair of sizeable mammaries. To sum it up, she was an attractive woman. She wore a blue shirt containing inner white frills, a short skirt, a blue wristband and necklace, flat navy shoes she used to dance, and fake insect-like lings on her back.
"Hello~!" cheerfully said the girl following her, Sylphy.
She had pointy ears, blonde hair, and blue eyes and wore two blue ribbons on both sides of her head. She was a bit taller than Muse, and her dress had a big blue ribbon bow underneath her rather sizeable boobs, just above where the dress began to open and flow out. Underneath, she wore blue shorts with white sandals. She also had a pair of fingerless gloves and fake insect-like lings on her back.
"It's nice to see you again," said calmly and respectfully another girl following behind Sylphy.
Her name was Kobory, and she had long, brown straight hair with flower clips, pointy ears, and brown eyes fitting with her fairy of earth position. She wore a forest green open shirt with puffed, long sleeves over a white corset dress. She also had two daisies above and beneath her modest breasts and a pair of wings containing perfectly circular holes of various sizes.
"Yo," said the last fairy in a laid-back manner.
It was the fourth and the last member of the Elementario, a quartet performing dances and songs focused around fairies and four elements. Her name was Salama, and she had ruby eyes and short ginger hair with a yellow gradient going towards the fringe and tips of her hair. She wore an orange fire-themed halter dress that pronounced her breasts. They were rather modest but still larger than Kobory's. She also wore a red choker with a yellow ribbon, red shoes, and a red armband with a bow. Her wings looked ragged with pale red ends and small round holes.
Due to all four girls being dancers, they had well-developed legs and posteriors, which was quite an eye-candy for a thigh-believer like me. Not to mention I get the opportunity to admire them nearly every time I visit Latifa, as playing games with just the two of us soon got old. Unfortunately, only Kobory wore stockings, but I will do my best to change that.
"Arthur~!" Sylphy exclaimed as she jumped at me and started nuzzling against me with her cheek.
"Hey Sylphy, it's nice to see you again," I replied while patting her head.
Something similar happened the first time we met, as it seems the fairies are drawn to me because of the purity of the Origin. They are attuned to nature, and in their eyes, I am just like a walking congregation of the purest natural energy.
The other three also greeted me, and then we all sat down, as, in contrast to the free-spirited Sylphy, they had some restraints.
"So, what are we playing today?" inquired Muse.
"I would like to try playing the King's game with you," I replied. "Latifa didn't seem to be up for strip poker, so I guess we will go for something tamer," I added with a mischievous smile.
"If you are this perverted at your age, I am scared to imagine what you will be like once you grow up," commented Salama with a wry smile.
"Blame Tiramy and Macaron. I heard them talking about it, and they didn't mind providing details." I explained and shrugged, not caring for the punishment the two perverts would likely receive.
"Of course, it's them *Sigh*," said Salama.
"So? Do you want to play King's game?" I inquired again.
"Ok," said Muse.
"Sure," said Salama.
"I don't mind~," said Sylphy.
"Nn." nodded Kobory.
"Just keep it tame, please. Nothing perverted is allowed," said Latifa.
"Of course," I said, and soon after, we started specifying the rules.

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
After returning home from school, my parents called me to the living room while in the middle of discussing something.
"What it is?" I asked while looking at my parents.
It's probably something serious.
"We send some of your drawings to one of our friends, and you got an invitation to a drawing contest." my dad replied with a proud smile after glancing at my mom.
"That's all? Then why did you argue over it?" I inquired, visibly surprised.
What was there to discuss? There is no reason to decline.
I am also not surprised they showed my drawings to their friends. After all, parents love to show off their children. Not to mention that my drawings should be beyond any existing human's ability to replicate. The first time they saw them they were so stunned I had to call out to them several times before they reacted, before checking if it was real and calling me a genius.
"Well, the contest takes place in Britain, so we weren't sure if you are ready for something like that. Also, because of our work, we can't go with you, and you would have to go with our friend." my dad explained.
Now I get why they were so concerned about that. I may be an adult mentally, but for them, I am just a kid.
"When will the contest start?" I asked.
"Hmmm, there still should be around two months left before it starts." my mom replied this time, after pondering for a moment.
"Ok. I will &nbsp;gladly take part in that contest." I declared.
After talking a little more with my parents about school, and other matters, I returned to my room. There, after sprawling my body on the bed, I started thinking.
One of the things I have understood since coming to this world is that every record has at least one person that can be called the protagonist.
This record is a combination of more than one story. Considering one of them is an ecchi series, while the other also has a lot of cute girls, it's fair to assume that there are more such stories involved.
That led me to the conclusion that this record was based on the dreams of some pervert, and it's likely that he self-inserted himself as one of the original main characters or created an original and will appear only once the 'plot' starts.
I had no involvement in the creation of this record, nor do I remember reading a story about it. As such, I have no idea who the main character of this world may be. I can only wait and prepare for his inevitable appearance.
Even if I knew such a story, there is no certainty that it's the same record. I can't even be sure of events from original stories like To Love-ru or Amagi Brilliant Park, not to mention fanfiction.
[Flashback]
"So, there is an infinite number of different records?" I asked.
"Yes," Selen confirmed. "Most are born from dreams, desires, and thoughts of sentient beings," she added.
"If I got it right, It's not wrong to say that sentient beings of each record give birth to even more records in an endless cycle. Is that correct?" I asked.
"No," Selen instantly denied. "From the perspective of beings such as Matrucksa or Observers all records that could exist already do. That includes their endless iterations," she explained.
"Is it because they exist outside the records? And what do you mean by 'endless iterations'?" I inquired.
"Yes," Selen confirmed. "As for the second question. There is an endless amount of records that are 99.(9)% the same, and the only difference may be the placement of one atom or something even smaller," she added.
"So, I could keep traveling through Type-Moon records and never run out of them if I wanted to?" I asked.
"Yes, but while there are many stories describing people traveling from one world to another, in the end, it's something that happens inside one record," she explained.
"I see. What happened to me is travel between different records," I stated. "How rare is it? What are the differences?" I asked.&nbsp;
"It's not that rare. When there is no afterlife in their record of origin, souls leave them and get reincarnated in the central network. Most lose their memories, while the lucky ones get chosen by Concepts and receive cheats," Selen explained.
"I see," I said and nodded, confirming I understood everything so far.
"Once they get inside the record, unless they possess a cheat that turns them into a singularity, or the record has only one timeline, there will appear 'copies' of them," Selen continued. "However, if someone has an item like The Orb of Desires, not only there won't be any other iteration of themselves. Their fate will no longer be under the control of the Concepts, excluding the one, they received the gift from, and they will be able to travel into further records," she added.
"All in all, it has mostly positive effects, at least for the owner," I said.
"Yes. As for the negative effects. It's possible to cause the death of someone you never planned to kill, or had no enmity with," Selen said. "All abilities that rely on traveling back in time won't work because of you being a singularity," she added.
"Are there any ways around it?" I asked.
"Yes. You can reverse the entropy with enough power, authority, or both," she replied.
[End of flashback]
"Seriously... who is the real main character of this record?" I muttered while slowly closing my eyes and entering The Orb of Desires.
***
Inhale&hellip; Exhale&hellip; Inhale&hellip; Exhale&hellip; Inhale&hellip; Exhale&hellip;
I kept repeating these two things in my mind while going through various stances inside the training room, each breath filling me with energy while also increasing my focus and awareness of my body.
It was a technique I developed after studying various breathing styles that helped in training, keeping focus, and enhancing the body.
The day I chose the sword as my weapon, I already had in mind the anime I planned to draw inspiration from. Among these, the major ones were One Piece, with their ability to coat swords in haki, the manifestation of willpower, Bleach with their movement techniques and zanpakutos, Type-Moon series, with Miyamoto Mushashi in particular, and the most relevant to my current actions, Demon Slayer.
However, at that time, I was still too weak and inexperienced to start training the various breathing styles, like Water Breathing, Fire Breathing, Lightning Breathing, or the most powerful of them all, Sun Breathing. Thus I started with breathing techniques not coming from that world. They were a lot easier to learn and prepared me for more advanced techniques, finalizing in me learning Lightning Breathing as my first breathing style.
At the same time, I kept studying and analyzing how they all worked to create a style that would suit me perfectly. After all, that's how most of them came to be. They were tailor-made for the first users.
(A/N: Reminder. Level refers to the level/tier of existence. For example, level 1 is mortal while level 4 is a god or divine spirit.)
However, I didn't focus solely on the breathing techniques from the Demon Slayer I know. While they look powerful, the sad reality is that these techniques can't go past Lvl: 2 without improving them.
The reason is that they come from a record that's only level 2, or at least the version I am familiar with is of that level.
Fortunately, there are countless iterations of that world with various levels, which also means there are more advanced Breathing Styles.
My only complaint is that the higher the level, the more it starts resembling a cultivation novel, and going through these versions was painful at times, but it also helped me realize one more thing.
A major step on the path of swordsmanship is mastering and becoming one with the sword. It allows you to use even a simple stick like a mighty blade and cut through anything.
I took a bit different approach by mastering my own body first. After all, If I manage to do it, I will only need to accept the blade as part of me to master it completely.
Breathing techniques help with that, as even the breathing styles from Demon Slayer allow you to control the individual blood vessels and muscles.
So, after months of studying, practicing, analyzing, and experimenting, I managed to create my breathing style [Breath of Heaven and Hell].
Usually, a lot is said about being able to perceive, control, or destroy everything between heaven and earth, so I decided to go one step further, straight to hell!!! I sound chunni as fuck, but I don't mind it!!!
Based on my estimations, this ability in its current form should be able to exceed level 3 and reach level 4 if fully mastered. I couldn't even start wrapping my head around how techniques of higher levels than that worked, so if I want to make any improvements, it will have to wait.
The only reason I succeeded was that Einlion pointed me at the right books, and the [Heavenly Breath] technique I used as a template was pretty straightforward despite its high level.
"[Breath of Heaven and Hell], First Style: Hell of Flames!!!" I shouted as I swung my sword powerfully.
The force of the swing caused my body to spin, adding one overlapping slash after another to my target, a giant 216 cubic meters boulder made out of highly resistant material, as crimson flames erupted from my blade.
"That packed more than I expected&hellip;" I commented, seeing the aftermath of my attack.
The boulder got split in half while most of it melted, becoming bright red in the process.
"And to think I don't even need a sword to use these breathing techniques," I said finishing my training for the day.

Chapter 15: Drawing contest