Orphanage

There's a verse in the Bible that says,

'Man shall not live by bread alone'.

Even God understood the necessity of humor in life.

I've always loved children.

As the saying goes, 'The only thing better than a child is an even younger child'.

Tiny, small children are, in my eyes, the most precious beings of all.

Their still-youthful and innocent features, not yet fully grown.

The soft, chubby cheeks of those whose baby fat has yet to disappear.

The purest, most radiant laughter in the world that only such children can produce.

I found all of it utterly adorable. Truly lovable.

And before you think otherwise, no, there's nothing weird about it.

I just genuinely enjoyed the simple happiness of watching kids play and laughing fondly at their antics.

"...But I never expected to become one of them."

* * * *

It all started long ago, the day I first opened my eyes in this world.

"Huh?"

I was certain I had fallen asleep in my bed at home.

But when I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in an unfamiliar, rundown building.

To this day, I don't know why.

It's not like I'd been drinking.

I hadn't left a long, scathing comment online to provoke a cosmic retribution either.

All I had done was enjoy a modest discharge party with my parents before going to sleep.

But when I woke up, I was here.

The building was so decrepit that calling it 'old' felt like an understatement.

It was a wooden structure, with floors, walls, and ceilings made entirely of wood.

Cobwebs—so many that I couldn't even count them—covered every corner, as if to declare how long the place had been abandoned.

"Uh…"

What was going on?

Scratching my cheek in confusion, my eyes wandered and landed on a large shard of glass in a corner.

It was warped and cracked, but still reflective enough to see.

Most likely a piece of a window that had shattered and scattered.

In the reflection, I saw a tiny little girl staring back at me.

A small child in an oversized white shirt, looking cold with her stark white hair and frail figure.

That was me.

Waving my arms experimentally, I saw the girl's thin arms mirror my movements.

I even pinched my cheeks.

They were soft and elastic in a way I'd never experienced before, completely different from my old self.

"...So squishy."

I marveled at the bouncy, springy feel of my baby-like cheeks, finding some odd amusement in touching them.

But all of this—the dull pain from pinching myself, the silky, flawless sensation of my chubby cheeks, and the sight of not one but two suns in the sky outside the window—told me one undeniable truth.

This was not a dream.

This was reality.

And this was not my world.

"Aah..."

The realization left me paralyzed, slumping onto the floor in shock.

I sat there, dazed, for hours.

By the time the sun had set and risen again, my emotional turmoil had dulled.

Sure, my gender had changed.

Sure, my height had been halved.

Sure, I'd been inexplicably dragged into an unfamiliar world right after being discharged from the military.

But at some point, I stopped caring.

"Life, huh…"

It was May 5, 2025—Children's Day.

Ironically, it was the day I became a child myself.

* * * *

What eventually snapped me out of my daze wasn't some grand revelation.

It was hunger.

Growl…

"Ugh…"

Clutching my tiny, aching stomach, I winced.

I was starving. More than I'd ever felt before—even during military training, when I once went three days without proper food.

But it made sense.

I was now a small girl with a body that constantly needed to eat just to keep up.

Going without food for over a day had been asking too much.

"I'm so hungry… Isn't there anything to eat around here?"

Driven by desperation, I scoured the entire building.

From what looked like a bedroom though it had no bedding or pillows, to the kitchen, bathroom, storage room, and lounge, I flung open every door I could find.

It was during this frantic search that I learned something new.

This building wasn't just a random abandoned place—it was a decrepit orphanage.

I only realized this because of the faded sign hanging by the front door.

But aside from that, there was no trace of anything you'd expect in an orphanage.

No clothes for children, no toys, no books, no playground equipment—nothing.

Still, I did eventually find something resembling food in the kitchen.

A lone loaf of bread sat in one of the cabinets.

The problem?

It was rock-hard.

"...Seriously?"

When I tapped the bread against the floor, it made a loud clang like hammer striking metal.

"…Yeah, this isn't edible."

I stared at the loaf in disbelief.

It was less food and more… a brick.

But with no other options, I swallowed my hesitation and took a big bite.

Crunch!

"...Ow."

My teeth hurt.

Clearly, this had been a bad idea.

* * * *

Hunger gnawed at me as I kept searching, opening every drawer and cupboard for something—anything—I could eat.

But all I found were clumps of dirt and some scraps of fabric.

"Is this even supposed to be an orphanage?"

Nothing made sense.

An orphanage with no food, no supplies, and no signs of anyone having lived here?

Even if I managed to find something to eat, surviving here long-term seemed impossible.

No bedding, no proper shelter… not even a functional door!

Growl…

"Ugh…"

Just as I began to despair, I stumbled upon a faint glimmer of hope.

"Wait, is this… money?"

In a barely-standing cabinet, I discovered a handful of shiny coins.

I had no idea how much they were worth in this world, but surely, they'd be enough for a meal, right?

"One, two, three…"

Counting the coins, I felt like I'd struck gold.

If I could make it to the village I'd seen through the window earlier, I might be able to buy food there.

"Alright."

Clutching the coins tightly, I tied them securely in my pocket and headed for the front door.

As I stepped outside, sunlight poured in, warm and bright.

"...So bright."

The fresh air was a stark contrast to the dusty, stale atmosphere inside.

For a moment, I felt my spirits lift.

But then—

CRASH!

The door, which had barely been holding together, fell apart the moment I closed it behind me.

"…Great."

Now I'd have no protection from the cold at night.

"Life really is something, huh…"