Even After Reincarnation, Patane Can't Stop Loving Sharks
Spring. At the entrance ceremony of Eden Private Academy, transfer student Lain Paterson catches everyone's attention. Silver hair, blue eyes, and a trained physique visible even under her uniform. In her previous world, she was a skilled bodyguard who protected her precious comrades. But now she's just a high school freshman. And strangely, her left chest pouch contains three cigarettes. She doesn't smoke. They're for her comrades who are no longer there.
Lain's daily life begins with strange
Even After Reincarnation, Patane Can't Stop Loving Sharks - Patane and the Shark's Three Hours — Shadows in the Hallway, Sparkle of the Lake
Two weeks had passed since the entrance ceremony.
Mid-April. In Lakeside City, the academic city sprawled along the southern shore of Mirror Lake, the cherry blossoms were beginning to fall, and the season was shifting toward fresh green.
Even in the halls of Eden Private Academy, the atmosphere had relaxed just a little as students began settling into their new lives.
—Except for one person.
First-year Class A.
Before morning homeroom. In a corner of the noisy classroom, Lain Paterson sat alone, gazing out the window.
Her long silver hair swayed softly in the breeze coming through the open window. Her deep blue eyes were fixed on the distant surface of the lake.
(…It's quiet.)
She murmured that in her heart.
For the past two weeks, Lain had kept her distance from everyone. When classmates greeted her, she only gave a short nod. During breaks, she was always alone—either reading a book or staring out the window.
(That's fine.)
As a reincarnator with memories of a previous life, she had no desire to stand out in this world.
Her past life—a continent ravaged by war, ruled by sword and magic. There, she had been a bodyguard, the youngest ever to earn the title of "Oath Guardian." A warrior who swore to protect dignitaries and comrades, to guard their lives and dignity.
But she would fight no more.
She had failed to protect those who mattered. Carrying that guilt, she had been reborn into this peaceful world.
(This time, I'll live in peace.)
That was what she had decided. And yet—
"…Ah."
Lain's ears picked up a single set of footsteps amid the classroom chatter.
Someone was running down the hallway. Small, light footsteps. And those footsteps, without hesitation, stopped right in front of this classroom.
Bang!
The sliding door flew open.
"Good morning!"
Every eye in the classroom turned to the entrance at once.
Standing there was a girl with a bright orange short bob, tied into tiny side-tails. Her big, round amber eyes darted around the room. She stood at one hundred fifty-two centimeters. Petite, with a face that dimpled when she smiled.
A handmade shark-shaped strap dangled at her neck.
"Um, I'm Hinata Hina! I transferred into this class starting today! Nice to meet you all!"
She bowed energetically.
A slight stir ran through the classroom. A transfer student. Unusual at this time of year.
But Hina didn't seem to care about the stares at all. Smiling brightly, she scanned the room again.
—And her gaze stopped.
A seat by the window. Silver hair.
Hina's amber eyes went wide.
"…Found you."
Hina murmured softly.
Then, in a voice that rang through the entire classroom—
"Patane———!!"
She shouted.
And then she ran like a bullet.
Lain didn't understand what was happening for a moment.
Orange hair filled her vision.
Thud!
Impact.
"Patane! I finally found you! I've been looking for you this whole time!"
Hina had thrown her arms around Lain's waist with all her might.
Squeeeeeze.
Her whole small body clung to Lain. Her face was one enormous smile, dimples and all.
"…Huh?"
A stupid sound escaped Lain's mouth.
Silver hair mingled with orange.
Every eye in the classroom stabbed into the two of them.
"W-wait a second. Who are you? What?"
"Ehehe, I'm Hinata Hina! Call me Hina! Or Hina-chan works too! Whatever Patane likes best!"
"…Patane?"
"Yep! Because you're Paterson-san, so Patane! Ever since I saw you at the entrance ceremony, I've wanted to talk to you!"
Still gripping Lain's uniform sleeve, Hina looked up at her.
"Listen, the moment I saw you at the entrance ceremony, I just knew! This is the one! I've transferred schools so many times, I could never really make friends, but… I knew you'd definitely be my friend, Patane!"
Straightforward words.
Clear, pure eyes.
Lain was bewildered.
(Friends…?)
In her past life and in this world, she had almost never made "friends."
She'd had comrades. Battle companions. But that was different from "friends."
"…I don't really understand that kind of thing."
Lain said it honestly.
Hina looked up at her with a blank expression.
"I see. Then I'll teach you! How to make friends! First, we start by eating lunch together!"
"…What?"
"Let's eat lunch together today! The rooftop, the courtyard—where do you want to go? I don't know many good spots at this school yet. Do you know any, Patane?"
Hina rattled on without pause.
Lain was at a loss for words.
The classroom had gone silent.
Her classmates were watching the two of them, holding their breath.
Someone was clinging to that cool, unapproachable transfer student, Lain Paterson. And giving her a nickname, no less.
(…This is uncomfortable.)
Lain could feel the stares on her skin.
But.
(…It doesn't feel bad.)
The warmth of Hina's arms.
That small body pressed tightly against her.
Deep in Lain's chest, something stirred—just a little.
The same unconditional goodwill her comrades had once shown her in her past life.
(…It's warm.)
Lain let out a quiet breath.
"…Fine. I'll eat lunch with you."
"Really!? Yay!"
Hina bounced up and down, linking her arm through Lain's.
"Then it's settled! Oh, but first—where's my seat? I haven't even put my stuff down yet!"
"…You're here on your first day as a transfer student, you know."
"Ehehe, I know! I forgot!"
Lain sighed in exasperation.
But the corner of her mouth had softened, just barely.
(…What is this girl?)
Homeroom began, and the homeroom teacher formally introduced Hina.
"Hinata Hina-san. She's transferred into this class starting in April. Everyone, please get along with her."
"Nice to meet you all!"
Hina greeted them energetically again.
Her seat was next to Lain's.
"Patane, we're next to each other! It's fate!"
"…Fate, she says."
"I mean, I transfer in and the seat next to me is Patane's? That's obviously the gods bringing us together!"
Hina scooted her desk up against Lain's and kept talking.
"Patane, what's your favorite food? What do you hate? Hobbies? Special skills? Favorite color?"
"…Hold on. Too many questions."
"Come on, if we're gonna be friends, I want to know all that stuff!"
Hina was completely undeterred.
Lain heaved a deep sigh.
(…I can't keep up with this pace.)
But.
(…I don't dislike it.)
That was the strangest part of all.
Lunch break.
Hina grabbed Lain and bolted out of the classroom, just as promised.
"Patane, where should we go? I bought a bento! Where's the cafeteria? Or should we eat in the courtyard? Oh, but the rooftop sounds nice too—"
"…You really have no chill, do you."
"Ehehe, I get that a lot! But you know, fun stuff—if you don't do it fast, you lose out!"
Hina pulled Lain by the hand and dashed down the hallway.
"Come on, Patane, hurry! Lunch break is short!"
"…You don't have to drag me. I'll walk properly."
Lain walked down the hall, hand pulled along by Hina.
Students they passed turned to look at them.
(…We stand out.)
Lain thought that inwardly.
But Hina didn't care.
"Oh, hey hey, that girl's in our class, right? What was her name again? Oh, and that one over there might be a senpai? She's cool!"
Hina called out to person after person as they passed.
"Hello! I'm Hinata Hina, I transferred in today! Nice to meet you!"
Before the other person could react, Hina was already talking to the next one.
(…Amazing.)
Lain thought so, genuinely.
In her past life, she had been bad at dealing with people. Outside her comrades, she only spoke the bare minimum. And she had lived the same way in this world.
But Hina was different.
She went straight at everyone, without discrimination.
(…That's something I can't do.)
In the end, the two of them settled on a bench in the courtyard.
There was a pond in the courtyard, and its water flowed into a narrow channel that led to Mirror Lake.
"Wow, this place feels great! The breeze is so nice! Oh, what's that sign?"
Where Hina pointed, there was a small sign.
"Shark Observation Point."
Lain's heart skipped a beat.
"…Sharks."
"Sharks? What's that? Are there sharks at this school?"
Hina asked with a puzzled look.
Lain walked over to the sign.
The water in the channel was crystal clear—she could see the stones at the bottom. Light rippled on the surface, glittering.
(Sharks…)
Deep in her chest, something grew hot.
In her past life, the giant shark that had saved her when she fell into the sea.
That guardian beast.
"…Sharks are wonderful."
Before she knew it, she had murmured it.
"Huh? What? Patane, what did you just say?"
Hina peered into Lain's face, brimming with curiosity.
Lain snapped back to herself.
"…No, it's nothing."
"Liar! You definitely said something! What about sharks? Do you like sharks, Patane?"
"…It's not so much that I like them—"
"You like them, don't you! I can tell, because your eyes were sparkling just now, Patane!"
Lain pressed a hand to her own eyes.
(…Was I making that kind of face?)
"…Well, it's not that I dislike them."
"Come on, what's that supposed to mean? Tell me more! What kind of creatures are sharks? Are they cute? Scary?"
Hina sat down beside Lain, swinging her legs as she asked.
Lain hesitated a little.
(…Is it really okay to talk about this?)
In her past life, once she started talking about sharks, she couldn't stop. People around her had treated her like a weirdo.
(…But.)
Hina's eyes were shining with pure curiosity.
"…Just a little, then."
"Yay! I want to hear it!"
Lain took a small breath.
"…Sharks have been on Earth for over four hundred million years. Longer than the dinosaurs. They belong to a group called cartilaginous fish, and their skeletons are made of cartilage. Because of that, they rarely fossilize—usually only their teeth and spines are found. But from those fossilized teeth, we can estimate the size and species of ancient sharks. For example, the megalodon—"
"W-wait a second! Patane, you suddenly started talking a whole lot!?"
Hina said, eyes wide.
But Lain didn't stop.
"The megalodon was a giant shark that lived from about twenty-three million years ago to three point six million years ago. It's said to have reached up to eighteen meters in length. That's more than three times the size of a modern great white shark. Its teeth were up to eighteen centimeters—bigger than a human palm. Its bite force is estimated at ten to eighteen tons. Enough to crush a car in an instant. With that kind of power, it's believed to have preyed on whales, the kings of the sea at the time. Amazing, right!"
"Uh, oh, yeah. Amazing… I guess?"
"Yes, exactly. Shark teeth are replaced over and over. No matter how many fall out, new ones grow in from behind. A great white shark is said to use over twenty thousand teeth in its lifetime. The shape of the teeth differs depending on what they eat. Sharks that eat fish have thin, pointed teeth; sharks that eat shellfish and crustaceans have flat, hard teeth; and the whale shark, which eats plankton, has tiny teeth it barely uses. The whale shark is the largest fish in the world, reaching over twelve meters in length. But its temperament is gentle, and it doesn't attack humans. Divers can even swim alongside them. Ah, but the whale shark's ecology is actually closer to that of whales than sharks—"
"P-Patane!? Um, I haven't even eaten my bento yet!?"
Hina's voice didn't reach Lain's ears either.
"There are over five hundred known species of sharks. Among them, only a handful are capable of attacking humans. Just a very few species—the great white, the tiger shark, the bull shark. Most sharks are timid toward humans and flee when approached. Many shark incidents are said to be the result of sharks mistaking humans for seals or sea turtles. Sharks are by no means monsters that attack humans indiscriminately. In fact, they're incredibly important creatures that support the ocean's ecosystem. If sharks disappeared, the balance of the sea would collapse. By preying on weakened and sick fish, sharks keep schools of fish healthy. Yes—sharks are the ocean's cleanup crew, and
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