Chapter 2: New family

MC POV:

After disappearing from the office, I appeared literally in the middle of nowhere. Despite the dark endless void around me, I was calm.

In front of me, I saw something similar to a holographic screen.

How original...

[Chose your name] was what the screen said.

Name… What was my name again? Now that I think about it, I can't remember certain aspects of my past life. It may be temporary, caused by my recent death. Better not to worry about it right now. What name would be best? It's a symbol of a fresh start, and I want it to be something cool.

After pondering for a while I have decided on Arthur. Sharing a name with a legendary king sounds awesome, and as far as I am concerned, that's a good enough reason.

"Arthur," I said and the screen vanished, but another one took its place. This one displayed a human figure, and many options allowing me to tamper with its features like gender and height.

I guess this is what I will look like. *Sigh* How the hell did my life turn into The Sims?

After approximately 6 hours of setting all details, I was finished.

Better to be handsome than ugly, and thanks to Matrucksa showing off his ability to transform, I had ample source material.

Still, recreating his features one-to-one seems to be outside my capabilities, but there is probably more to this. I can't compete with him, but becoming a model will be as easy as lying to politicians.

The human on the screen was a 190 cm tall man in his twenties with dark brown middle-length hair but on the shorter side of the spectrum, emerald green eyes, lightly tanned skin, and a lean yet muscular figure, that wouldn't hinder his movements.

After saving the changes, I pressed [Continue], but this time instead of seeing another screen my location changed again.

Everything became black for a few seconds. Then, I found myself looking at a big door.

The first thing I heard was the ringing of the doorbell and the footsteps of someone approaching to open it.

Why can't I move properly!? Why am I so small?!

As soon as I realized that, from behind the door, a man appeared. He had brown hair and thick eyebrows. His eyes were a mix of brown and gold, while his age was around 20 based on his looks.

"A child in a basket?" he said, surprise visible on his face.

No shit… And I am not a child!?! I wanted to rebuke him but what came out of my mouth was, "Guga!?"

What the actual fuck!?! Don't tell me. What was the point of setting up an adult avatar if I am starting as a child?! Ugh! as if being a teen once wasn't annoying enough.

"Hmm. I don't see anyone near, and it's already dark."(???) he stated as if wondering what to do.

Soon after, the man picked me up and brought me inside his house. Then he took me to what looked like a living room.

I will stay quiet and try to get as much information as possible.

This is better than appearing in the middle of nowhere in a world with middle age setting, but I still can't be sure how safe I am.

"Honey, I think we have an unexpected guest. Come over here for a second," he said in a troubled tone.

"What do you mean?" asked a young woman. Based on her appearance she was a little younger than the man. She had orange hair and yellow eyes. Her face showed surprise and curiosity.

So that's his wife? I don't mind calling her mommy.

"Eh? A child? Where did you find it?" she inquired, visibly confused.

"It was left in front of our doors. Since the doorbell rang I tried to look for the person that left it there, but there was no one around. It's already late, so I think we should take care of the baby for now. Tomorrow we will inform the authorities about the situation." the man suggested, sending me a helpless smile.

"Did you check if there is something in that basket?" the woman asked.

"Not yet. Give me a second. Here." he replied and took me out of the basket, shortly after handing me over to the wife.

"Oh, you were right. There is a message and... money?" he muttered in surprise.

"What does it say?" the wife inquired.

"'Please take care of my son, Arthur. I left you some money and a check.' is all it says." he answered.

"Hmm, what should we do? We already wanted a child. There can't be much difference between having one and two, right? Besides, look how cute he is!" she said and started tickling me.

S-stop it! I-I can't stop laughing. Damn, it's so humiliating!

*Giggle giggle* was what came out of me despite my true feelings.

"Yeah, and the money will be helpful as well." the man said and started laughing, prompting his wife to sigh.

*Sigh* Man always thinks only about money first." she commented.

"Hahaha. It was a joke. Tomorrow we will go and complete the formalities." he said.

I have no fucking idea what is going on anymore... Who left me and the money in front of someone else's door? I need answers!!!

I shouted in my head, my desire to find out what was going on reaching its limit, and as soon as it did, something happened.

<I will gladly provide them.> resounded a soft voice in my head. It lacked any emotions, but it was easy to tell that it belonged to a young girl.

Who are you? Matrucksa never said I will have company.

<I am akin to a guide, an intermediary between you and the orb itself. My main objective is to teach you about The Orb and answer your questions, as long as you are allowed to know.>

I see... What can I do with The Orb right now?

<Right now, The Orb possesses five functions. There are Storage, Shop, Item Gacha, Training Room, and Living Quarters. The names should be self-explanatory. To learn more details, you will need to enter The Orb. Do you have more questions?> she explained, ending with a question.

Why did I turn into a child, and where am I. These are my main questions at the moment.

<The Orb determined that you needed an identity. It would be a lot harder if you appeared here as an adult since you would have no identity at all. it would be too suspicious if a man without any history suddenly appeared. Governments know more than you think. As for where we are? Currently, you are in this world's version of Japan.>

Hmm, that's understandable, but don't you think my situation is suspicious anyway? Also, if this is Japan, why can I understand the people around me. Also, why do their eyes and hair have such a strange color?

<You can understand the Japanese because of The Orb. In truth, you can understand and use any language you want. Also, for the time being, The Orb is influencing people around you to help hide any suspicious behavior you are bound to show. As for the eyes and hair color, it is a result of this world being based on many anime, manga, and novels.>

Can you tell me the names of the people that found me? They will become my new family. I want to know that much.

<The man is called Saibai Yūki and his wife is called Ringo Yūki.>

These sound familiar. Wait a minute!?! Aren't these the names of the parents of the main character of To Love-ru? I am already getting a headache. Not to mention that Arthur Yuki sounds like shit. Well, what is done is done.

Is there anything special about my body? I remember Matrucksa mentioning energy even purer than his own.

<That energy is called Origin. It can be used instead of any other energy and gives your body a special constitution. You are effectively immune to curses, diseases, and illusions that tamper directly with your perception. It also dissolves anything you don't wish to keep in your body, including food, and gives you infinite potential.>

What are the minuses? It can't be without any drawbacks.

<Yes. Due to its purity, it's hard to control and quickly disperses outside of your body. Its power output is also greatly affected by your mind. If you believe you can't do something, the energy will follow.>

Can I access any functions of The Orb right now?

<You can use the Storage, Shop, and Item Gacha.>

I assume that the Shop requires some currency? Do I at least get some free draws?

<Yes. The Shop requires Shop Points, SP for short. You can get these by exchanging items in Shop, after putting them inside the Storage.>

How creative...

<As for Item Gacha, you receive one ticket every 24 hours. You can get rare ores, weapons, Shop Points, equipment, and all kinds of staff. The tickets have different rarities, and to gain higher rarity tickets, you need to use ten lower rarity tickets.>

That's pretty nice. Is there a pity system? Do the uses add up or do I need to use ten tickets at once?

<Every thousand rolls, you receive an item that would be useful to you. The uses add up. You can keep rolling every day, and after ten days, you will gain one rare ticket.>

Good. I have one more question then. How to enter The Orb?

<You will enter it if you fall asleep with such intent.>

Does this mean that once someone wakes me up, I will leave The Orb?

<Yes.>

While I was talking with the voice in my mind, I was taken to the room that, based on its furnishing, was prepared for a child.

They must have been already planning a child for a while.

Soon after they left me in the crib, I fell asleep, despite how excited I felt about entering The Orb for the first time.