A dream. 

A very surreal experience.

Fragments of memories flashed in my mind. 

No matter how surreal it is, I can’t bring myself to deny it existed.

At some point in time, there lived a man who was the origin of that dream. He had many fun times.

The first time he learned how to write.

The first time he touched a guitar.

The first time he had his first kiss.

There are also satisfying moments such as unintentionally acing a round in a certain fps game. Those times are irreplaceable.

Nevertheless, the man had regrets. 

Many things that he hesitated and never accomplished. The opportunities that he missed due to his cowardice. Yes, he regrets not enjoying high school to its fullest. That was a stressful time, but one that was also the most fun.

However, this also taught him many things. 

He learned how to value moments. 

He learned how to never give up. 

He learned how to adjust to his schedule that he could never follow.

Being an adult was never easy. Problems will be thrown at you in the most unexpected times. All one could do is adapt and swallow the bitter pill. There isn’t any point in running away from your problems.

“Ah..?”

I made this sound akin to a baby speaking for the first time. This blurry sight did not help in removing my confusion. My hearing is hindered as if I am under a swimming pool.

…

Correction, I might be in a pool right now. Some sort of liquid is being expelled by my subconscious babbling.

I tried to expel it by coughing, but it did not do much. Then the grip of death came. If I do not expel this “something” blocking out my breathing, I would die. 

As a result, I cried.

“Uwaaa!”

*****

I’m in heaven.

No, actually, I got reincarnated. I don’t know if it is the right term, but it went something along those lines. 

My previous life should be… the vague memories that I had upon conception.

After more than a year, those memories became fainter. I retained the ability to have my consciousness but I could not do anything besides lying down on the crib and staring at the ceiling all day long. On weekends, my parents would take me out to some places.

I am in a country called Japan, which coincides with my previous life’s nationality.

Thank god for letting me save time in memorizing all those kanji. Those were my nightmares in the past. 

Now comes the most important question:

‘What should I do?’

I had those daydreams in the past where you can travel back in time and correct those mistakes that you did. Perhaps become a millionaire by utilizing your knowledge of the past, just like those guys who regressed in time and did their stock trading.

Unfortunately, I did not dabble in those. Most of their assets are liquidated which is troublesome for me. While I did not have my own family, my brother did, which means that I have to save my assets in case of an emergency. That, and the fact that Japan has a strict work culture where you mostly spend your days working, save for the weekends.

Most importantly, trading is risky. One moment, a market is stable. The next moment, it could have a recession.

The decision to put my assets in stock investment was a huge gamble that I dare not take at that time. Part of it came from hearing my friends losing their assets in it, but mostly it is because I prefer a stable life.

‘I will definitely live a better life this time!’

“Nobu-kun, it’s feeding time.”

It’s this time of the day again, huh?

*****

If you had crossed over with your past life’s memories, what would you be thankful for? 

Of course, it’s your memories of learning kanji.

As I skimmed through these books, I slowly recalled them. Albeit still faint, it’s not as bad as before.

Many of my past memories became vaguer as I turned eight years old. 

I can only remember the general flow of my 'life'. I can no longer recall any interactions and conversations with others. Everything is being replaced by newer memories in this life.

My only saving grace is that the memories of my previous masteries can be recalled as long as I ‘recall’ them in this life, either by seeing new sights or acquiring new knowledge. 

That, and my consciousness all this time resulted in something else.

I am certain I don’t act like a typical child. Also, I do not have any powers, or “cheats” as other people would call it.

My thoughts would certainly be different if I reincarnated in a not-so-peaceful world, but my luck caused me to land in modern society. It is currently 2012, with the flow being extremely similar to my past life. 

There are some opportunities for making money at this time. If that problem is gone, I can focus more on enjoying life. Money is that important.

My family are the nice ones, too. My father, unexpectedly, works in trading. He did not need to go outside for work as he could monitor his investments at home. Hence, he is the one who takes care of me and my little brother who was just born five years ago.

Meanwhile, my mother works in a company. She goes to work during the day and comes home at night. My father, as the househusband, does the chores so that she won’t have to worry about anything at home.

Such is the daily life of the Akasaka household.

“Nii! Let’s play!”

“Let’s play later.”

“Okay…”

We are currently in the living room right now. Toys are scattered all over the carpeted floor.

My brother mostly inherited tou-san’s looks with him having a pair of maroon eyes and black hair. He has a soft face that made it irresistible to pinch his cheeks. Meanwhile, I got most of my genes from kaa-san. I took her looks—white hair, golden pupils, and slightly pale white skin.

I stood up with my small legs and grabbed my father’s pants who is sitting on the sofa. I looked at him with sincerity and pleaded:

“Books.”

“Books? Oh, are you tired of those language books?”

‘I already re-learned all Joyo kanji, tou-san...’ I thought inwardly.

Other than language books, all I received are storybooks. This is not the development that I want. I prefer more productive books like the ones that teach about money.

Yes, money.

If any working adults said that money does not matter much and only hard work does, it’s either they are tricking a child or painting a fairytale for his sorrowful life. 

Money makes the world go around. That’s how life is.

Though, it should not be the main focus of my life. The emotions of regret and bitterness along with gratitude and satisfaction are still vivid in my mind. Those moments were the memories that I remember the most. Even if I forgot the interactions, those are enough for me.

“Alright. Hup..!” My father carried my little brother and started to play with him. “Nobu-kun, can you get your books inside my room?”

“Un.”

With that, I strolled to my father’s room. My small legs made me slower, but I am not affected by it much. Who’s to complain if you have a second life?

Pushing the already open door, a computer setup greeted my sight. A moderately large bookshelf is beside it as well as some kind of musical instruments such as a MIDI Pad and an electric guitar.

I have been here as early as three years old so I already recalled my memories of these instruments. It seems like this is my hobby in my past life. A buried hobby to be exact. I did not have the time to play with them due to my work.

I marveled at them–distracted from my original goal–and touched the guitar on the rack.

‘Modify… Time… Ten years?’

A thought suddenly popped up inside my head. 

Ba-dump-!

Ba-dump-! 

A feeling of uneasiness and excitement instantly took over me. I felt an itch inside my chest, making me feel as if something that I am looking forward to is about to happen.

These random thoughts instantly sent me into confusion. 

What is happening? Why are my hands cold? Am I having a heart attack?

All these thoughts disappeared when I separated my hand from the guitar. Everything went back to normal. When I touched it again, they appeared once more.

‘Modify the learning time of guitar to ten years later?’

This time, it became clearer. But, it only sent me further down the spiral of confusion. Modify time? Do you mean… to fast-forward time? No, it says “learning time” here.

So my experiences, then? 

In the first place, why am I having these thoughts now? Did I become delusional now that I reincarnated into another life?

Many unanswerable questions popped up in my mind. Even when I separated from the guitar once more, they remained.

I wondered if this is just a hallucination. I blankly walked towards the bookshelf and grabbed a random book entitled “The Intelligent Investor”.

‘Modify the learning time of investment to ten years later?’

The familiar sensation came back to me. The itch in my heart was further amplified due to my curiosity about this phenomenon. This feeling is killing me...

“Damn it!”

Tempted by it, I bit the bullet and followed that sensation.

‘Agree. I agree. Accept. Confirm!’

I thought of many words to validate the thought that suddenly appeared in my head. Then…

“Ah.”

A new set of memories. Hedging… buying… Shortage of… Youtube… Dollar value depreciation… 

…

Sentences first appeared before scenes of my hard work followed. I studied beginner books for half a year before making a move to the equivalents of the giants in the future. Google, Youtube, and Facebook were my first targets. For some reason, they existed in this life, too.

Many future financial crises were also involved, such as the European debt crisis and the Global Financial Crisis that started a year later.

…

I was separated from reality as I immersed myself in those memories. They are different from my usual memories as they are very vivid–even the smallest details related to “investment” were remembered by me.

“Ah.”

I get it. I was so immersed in them that I did not realize the increase in my computation speed. I am fairly sure that I am still developing, yet my mind feels faster today. If I needed a few seconds to answer a basic integral before, I can do so within a second now.

“I did not feel any physical changes…”

In the end, I was left puzzled by this occurrence. Sleep would help this time.

*****

‘Our son might be a genius.’ Akasaka Seiji thought. ‘I was reading the Tale of the Bunny and the Turtle at that age, but our son is interested in investment books!’

When Nobu asked for a book a few days ago, Seiji pointed him out to his bookshelf. He stores their children's books there as the kids’ room did not have a bookshelf. Yet, he did not expect their son to pick his books instead!

At first, Seiji reasoned out that the book is not for kids–that he would not understand it. Shockingly enough, Nobu understood the concepts behind it after three days of reading. Even if it is the most basic concept. Their son, an eight-year-old kid, started to learn about investments. 

It is definitely not normal!

Seiji was even scolded by his wife, Akasaka Eri. She was surprised that their son started to spout things such as “future market charts”, “hedge funds”, and “recession” at the dinner table. She scolded Seiji for teaching their son such advanced-level knowledge and not the ones appropriate for his age. But then, he convinced her that Nobu truly understood them after letting him read his books for a few more days.

Advanced arithmetics, statistics, economics… All of the books that he read are all related to investment. What’s even more shocking is that he’s already done with the 11th Grade arithmetics!

The husband and wife talked about that. They decided to talk with Nobu, about his aspirations for the future. They did not want to ruin their suspected-to-be genius son’s future. They knew the struggles that the adults live in, so they are also hoping that he would enjoy his childhood despite his talents.

“Nobu-kun.”

“Mm?”

Nobu bobbed his head in his father’s direction. A dozen books related to arithmetics were stacked together so he had to adjust himself.

“What would you like to do in the future?” He asked while hugging the sleeping Ryuunosuke, Nobu’s younger brother.

Nobu fell into deep thought for a moment, as evident when Seiji saw his serious thinking face.

“I want to have fun.” He said as he sported a bright expression.

Not expecting to hear a childish answer, Seiji froze briefly. Then, he started laughing.

“You will wake up Ryuu, tou-san.”

“Right..!”

Alas, it is too late for Seiji. Ryuunosuke was forcefully woken up from his peaceful slumber. He saw Nobu sporting a smirking expression before Ryuunosuke’s cries blasted into his ears.

“Uwaaa!”