Just Another Reincarnation

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
After getting to the meeting place a little earlier than I was supposed to, I found two children there. It was Raku and Kosaki, and as I previously expected, she was confessing to him.
Both of them were visibly embarrassed, making the whole ordeal look even more adorable from the outside.
I will just stay hidden until Chitoge comes here. I don't want to break this moment for them.
Then, something unexpected happened. Namely, Kosaki gave Raku a medallion with a keyhole, very similar to the one in the original story. Or rather, it was the same medallion.
I thought Chitoge was the one that gave it to him.
My confusion didn't last long, as a few minutes after Kosaki and Raku left, Chitoge appeared, holding another medallion with a keyhole. However, it was a mix of black and gold instead of golden and silver like Raku's.
Perhaps she talked with Kosaki and got a medallion for her as well?
They are friends, after all.
She kept looking at it with a big smile and sparkling eyes while rubbing it like a treasure from time to time.
Deciding not to make her wait any longer, I left my hiding spot and started approaching in a way that made me easy to see.
She instantly hid the medallion with one hand behind her back and another waving at me.
"Was there something important you wanted to tell me?" I asked, pretending not to know why she called me here. "If it was something simple, you would say it while everyone was around," I added, deciding to broach the subject without fooling around.
"Nn. I wanted to give you something!" Chitoge said with a radiant smile and slight blush. "Here! Please take it!" she added, giving me the medallion.
I thought she would confess first.
"What is this? It looks similar to that lock from your book," I inquired.
"Since I am leaving and I don't know when we will meet again, I wanted to give you something to remind you about me," Chitoge answered.
"You thought about it yourself?" I asked.
Hearing that, she averted her gaze while her blushing intensified slightly. So she did not.
"I asked Yui for help," Chitoge replied.
So it's her doing. Maybe that's why there are two medallions. She told both girls that would be a good idea.
"Is that so? I got it from you, so it doesn't matter. Is there anything else?" I inquired.
I could reject her, saying there is no need for a medallion with my memory instead of going deeper and deeper into this mess, but I would feel horrible if I made a little girl cry.
"Yes, I want it to be a symbol of a promise," Chitoge said, looking at me and smiling sweetly.
That's too adorable. Too much sugar for one day.
"What kind of promise?" I asked. "If it's just about not forgetting each other, you do not need to worry. You know how good I am at memorizing things," I added.
Suddenly, her complexion started becoming redder and redder, nearly matching her ribbon, as she stuttered, "I l-like y-y-you! So... w-when we meet again... let's marry!"
Then, she averted her gaze and only kept glancing at me, keeping her hands behind her back.
I am tempting fate, but... let's agree. I would hate to see her cry.
"Sure. If you don't change your mind until then." I replied with a gentle smile.
"Really!?! Yay!!!" Chitoge exclaimed with a radiant smile, then she jumped at me due to the rush of happiness and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, after which she ran away.
"You can come out, you peeping tom!" I said, directing my gaze towards a nearby rock.
"Eh!?! You knew I was here!?!" Yui exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah. The whole time," I replied. "Seriously, Yui, first you give her this kind of advice, and then you come over to watch?" I questioned.
"I couldn't possibly refuse her! She is like a younger sister and a friend to me." Yui explained.
"You also want to say something, or did you come over just to peep?" I asked.
"Let's get married," Yui said with a warm smile.
"*Sigh* I refuse!" I said, putting on my best Jojo impression.
"What?! You want to make a girl cry?" Yui asked, teary-eyed.
These crocodile tears. You want to mess with me, but too bad. I won't give you that chance.
"I won't fall for such cheap tricks," I replied. "You realize that the person you called your sister and friend moments ago asked me for the same, right?" I added.
"Love is war! There is no such thing as friends when it comes to war." Yui said, seemingly proud of herself.
"You know, if you were more sincere instead of putting on this act, I wouldn't mind agreeing," I said. "After all, it would be up to you who marries me. First come, first serve," I added.
I waited for a moment, then turned back and started moving towards my home.
"I am already tired so I will go home. Bye." I said while leaving.
"Wait..." Yui muttered while grabbing my shirt from behind. "I was serious. I like you as much as Chitoge, if not more," she added.
"I see. Then my answer is the same," I replied. "If you don't change your mind until we are old enough, come back, and we will decide at that time," I added and started moving towards my home, this time uninterrupted.
I need some rest...
***
With the end of the summer break, the time kids could spend playing was cut down a lot. That included everyone left in our little group except me. I did not need to spend time studying, so I used it to increase my amount of training instead, making it seem like I was sleeping for most of the day.
I also started drawing again, deciding it was time to pick up my old hobby as a form of recreation, and the results were far better than I expected.
My drawing skill quickly jumped from Lvl: 1, Grade: A to Grade: SSS once I started putting in the effort.
It was a result of my increased dexterity and perfect memory, which allowed me to draw many times faster and more precisely than in my previous life, finishing a portrait on a B2 sheet of paper in under 30 minutes.
It prompted me to go to the Library to see what books about drawing it held, as I was curious about what lay ahead. After all, from Lvl: 2, the skill would likely develop into something more supernatural, like illusions.
My current guess is that it will allow me to imbue the drawings with emotions, allowing anyone to feel what I intended instead of interpreting it themselves.
"Could you prepare me the books and other media about drawing?" I asked Einlion after entering the Library and approaching his counter.
In the past, I would get stunned by its splendor each time I entered it, but now I am already used to it. Truly humans can adapt to anything.
"I would say you already have enough things to learn. Why start another one?" Einlion asked.
"Don't worry. It's for recreational purposes." I explained, and soon after, he got me what I asked.
"Thanks," I said and took everything to the reading section of the Library.
After immersing myself in reading for a few hours, I learned that my theory was partially correct.
To reach the next existential level in drawing, one must learn how to imbue his creation with not just emotions but also their will. It works like infusing your attacks with your will to make them stronger, albeit you add emotions or even memories to the mix. I do it every time I use Origin, so while a pencil isn't as responsive, I won't have to start from scratch.
There are methods of imbuing the finished drawing with a particular set of emotions, but it is considered a separate skill, often a type of magic, not to mention that's just cheating.
Deciding it's better to test it out instead of staying here and only reading, I went back to the training room. There, I pulled out a B2 format sheet of paper and started drawing while thinking about the summer break.
It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I came to truly love playing with the small groups of friends I made. All of them were mentally twenty years younger and could have been my children if I had any in my past life, but they were also unusually mature, intelligent, and caring for their age. In a few years, I will be able to proudly call them my friends as the age gap will get more and more insignificant as time flies.
With such thoughts in mind, I drew a group portrait of all eight with the secret hideout in the background and got so immersed that I could feel time flying, only once I was finished.
The result was... stunning. I honestly wasn't sure what else I could call it.
The number of details was comparable to an 8k picture. Despite being drawn with a pencil, the portrait looked as if it was in color. It was exuding the happiness and warmth of the summer.
"I am going to hang it in my room..." I muttered, not caring about the consequences it will have.

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.

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
"...98, 99, 100! Ready or not, here I come!" I announced after finishing my countdown.
Then, I looked around while checking my surroundings for any presence, and to my surprise, someone actually tried to outsmart me and hide nearby the gathering point.
Feigning ignorance, I made it seem like I was going in the opposite direction from the person I detected. Then, when I was sure they can't see me, I made a sharp turn and circled the meeting spot. Once I got behind them, I finally got a clear view of the smartass in question. It was Yui.
With an evil smile, I approached her from behind, and when I was mere centimeters away, I exclaimed, "Boo! I got you!" causing the girl to scream and jump like a cat sprayed with water.
Unable to contain myself, I started laughing, causing the girl to pout.
"Mou!! If you knew I was there, why did you pretend like you saw nothing!?" she exclaimed, slightly upset.
"Because this was far more entertaining," I replied. "Lok at it as your punishment for trying to outsmart me. Now, I need to find the rest. See you!" I added.
Then, as a part of my revenge, I went after Saruyama, receiving, "Why do you always find me so fast!?" the moment I pretended to stumble upon him, followed by Shu, Chisaki, Rito, and Raku.
There was still one person missing, but no matter how much I searched within the boundaries we sat for the game, I couldn't find her, causing me to worry quite a bit.
"Did you guys see Chitoge? I can't find her anywhere within the limits we set." I asked after returning to the starting point of the game where everyone found stayed.
"Ho? Did the unbeatable Arthur find a worthy opponent?~" Saruyama asked with a shit-eating grin.
"If she was there, I would have found her," I replied with a deadpan. "You aren't in a position to laugh, considering I always find you first or second," I added.
"I knew you did it on purpose!!!" he exclaimed angrily, pointing a finger.
"So? Do you guys know where she is?" I asked again, ignoring Saruyama.
They looked at each other, but no one seemed to know anything.
"Let's split up and search for her. I will go alone. You guys should go in pairs." I proposed.
After forming the pairs, we went in different directions while calling out her name.
"Seriously..?" I muttered to myself after around fifteen minutes of wandering around, the reason being the presence I suddenly felt.
Deciding not to waste time, I swiftly directed my steps towards the presence. There, I found Chitoge scared and stuck on a tree while a big stray dog kept barking at her from the ground.
Seeing her shaking with closed eyes and barely holding back tears while holding the tree branch as if her life depended on it wasn't a pleasing sight.
What made me even more annoyed was what the dog was barking, as I had no problem understanding it thanks to The Orb. The animals of this world are a lot smarter than humans think. I have noticed it on many occasions. Dogs treat us as partners or masters, whereas cats think they own everything. Everyone sees that, but I get to hear them talking as well.
"Oy. Get the hell out of there," I said to the dog, my voice stone cold.
It briefly turned back to look at me and was about to bark when its survival instincts seemed to kick in. The dog lowered its ears while its tail visibly dropped. Soon after, it ran away while whimpering.
"It's alright! You can come down! The dog is gone!" I called to Chitoge, my voice now gentle and reassuring.
In response, she stopped shaking, opened her teary eyes, and while looking at me, asked, "Really..?".
"Yeah," I replied in confirmation.
She quickly went down the tree and nearly tackled me, saying, "It was so scary..."
"I know," I replied, patting her back.
After that, we went to our usual meeting place as she held my hand, refusing to let go.
***
I am not sure how my being here will influence the future, but because most of them will forget about these vacations, I have no reason to worry about becoming a part of the big mess called Raku's future love life against my will.
Kosaki has already developed a crush on Raku, and he likes her as well, so as the 'big brother' of the group, I should help them out. If the gangs try to start a war at that time, I will beat them up. I am not playing favorites since Chitoge thinks about him as a friend only, and Yui treats him like a younger brother. There is still Marika, but I never interacted with her, as Raku usually went to meet her on the days I stayed home.
To sum it up, this time, there will be only two keys and one medallion unless I get my own.
As far as I know, both Yui and Chitoge developed a crush on me so they may give me one. Chitoge focused on me since the moment we met, likely due to my appearance, as a Caucasian-looking child stands out among Japanese children like a sore thumb. However, her crush started developing only once the storm caught us on the Tenku Plateau, and it cemented when I scared that dog away.
I am not exactly sure about Yui. I guess that's because I am more mature than other kids. I also helped her out more than once, like that time with race.
While wondering about such things, I entered the secret base. Only Rito, Raku, Chitoge, Yui, Kosaki, Shu, and Saruyama knew about it at the moment, so I wasn't surprised when I saw the girls and Raku gathered around a book inside the hideout.
"What are you reading?" I inquired.
"My favorite book," Chitoge replied. "I got it from my mom," she added.
After approaching them, I asked, "Can I have a look?"
"Of course!" Chitoge replied with a smile and handed me the book.
I took a glance at the cover and all its pages, after which I handed it back to Chitoge, saying, "Here."
She looked at me confused, and asked, "You are not going to read it?"
"Oh right. This is the first time you witnessed his memorizing skills." Raku commented before I got the chance to explain.
"Memorizing skills?" Yui inquired.
"Yeah. Arthur can remember with perfect clarity everything he saw. Believe me. We checked it more than once." Raku explained.
"So, you managed to read it that fast?" Chitoge inquired.
"Yeah," I said. "I can already say that the author used "Romeo and Juliet" as their inspiration," I added.
""Romeo and Juliet"?" Raku asked a bit confused.
"It's a famous love story from Europe," I replied. "The title of this book, "Zawsze in Love", means Eternally in Love, but there seems to be a mistake as I see no reason to mix two different languages," I added.
"You are right. I couldn't understand the title, so I asked my mom what it meant. She told me that the first word is a polish word, and it means eternal." Chitoge commented.
This time it was Raku's turn to get surprised. "You even know foreign languages?" he asked.
"I just memorized a few dictionaries." I lied as easily as I breathed.
"I envy that ability of yours so much..." Raku said with a weary expression, while all three girls nodded, even Kisaki, that stayed silent so far.
After that, we talked about the book until Rito, Shu, and Saruyama came as well. Then we played for a few hours and returned to our respective homes ending yet another day of my second childhood.
***
We had a lot of fun during these holidays, but everything comes to an end sooner or later.
Today is the last day of the vacation, which means soon Chitoge and Yui will have to return to their homes, effectively splitting our group.
While Kosaki lives in the same city, she will be attending a different school from Raku, so if I do nothing, they will meet again only in high school.
I already decided to help them, so that's not a concern.
What troubles me is that Chitoge asked me to come to a place at the Tenku Plateau, so I am pretty sure I will receive the medallion from her. The inspiration for it is the book Chitoge got from her mom, as the pair in the book made a promise and sealed their love with an ornamental padlock and key set.
I don't have a problem with receiving the medallion, but I am sure Chitoge will want us to make some kind of a promise.
I already came to terms with the fact that people I will interact with and likely marry will be mentally younger than me by a lot, but I still feel uncomfortable about receiving a love confession from a five-year-old.
Right now, I can see her only as a little sister, so if she asks me to promise to marry her, I will either have to lie or make her cry. There is a good chance she will forget, but if she doesn't, I will have to follow through with it, as I hate lying.
Let's just hope she forgets...

Chapter 13: Confessions