unedited
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The next day, I’m going to the Men’s Club that the Reincarnators’ Association told me. Its official name, Male Reincarnators Club.
[Yoo~. Are you a new face?]
At the entrance, a Caucasian tough* man called out to me. Was he also summoned here to be a wife, I wonder.
[Now, come in.]
A thick arm hugs my shoulders. As I stiffly entered inside, there are three other men beside him.
[Oh my, how rare. It’s a new face.]
[Ohh, my condolences.]
[No way~, it’s a new child*!] (TL: Not a literal child.)
Only the last guy is the real deal. In the meantime, I pick the seat farthest from him. (TN: He probably meant he looks like a real weirdo so he’s keeping distance.)
[When were you summoned?]
[Summoned?]
[He means when did you come here.]
[Oh, three days ago. I was told to go to the Reincarnators’ Association yesterday….]
[It was noisy in there, right?]
I ambiguously nodded my head without saying anything.
[Most of the reincarnators are women. Men are rare, and there are only four of us in this town, no, it’s 5 with you as an addition. Let’s get along well. In the meantime, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Kent, a former American. I died when I was 62, and right now, I’m about 22-23 years old.]
[I’m Allec, formerly from Sweden. I passed away when I was 25 years old, it was an accident. I’m about the same age now.]
[My name is Duke, formerly from Italy. I died from senility when I was 92 years old. Right now I’m…. about 21, I guess.]
[Just call me Haruka! I’m Japanese. Also, I’m forever 15!]* (TN: Haruka speaks in an effeminate(?) way. Like how most gay anime characters do.)
When he laughed “kyaha~” with a man’s voice, a chill runs through me. Moreover, he definitely doesn’t look 15.
[So, you are?]
[I am…. the thing is, I don’t remember at all.]
Even though I emphasized the words ‘at all’, the same as the aunties at the Reincarnators’ Association, the Men’s Club is also making strange faces.
[Nothing at all?]
[That’s right, nothing. I don’t remember a single thing. I have no idea what my name is, where I came from, when and where, or how old I was when I died, I don’t know.]
[…..You did reincarnate, didn’t you?]
[No, I’m not sure about that. But when I came to, I was in a dark and cold place, and there were some men with strange clothing.]
[They must be the Lord Priests. But well, it is indeed weird clothing.]
When I noticed, I was in a place with a ceiling, walls, and floor made of stone. There are no windows and the floor is wet and cold. In the dark place with only a few candles on, a few men were mumbling something while circling around the room.
All the men were covered from head to toe with a completely white cloth. Since the eye part isn’t open either, it seems only their feet could be seen. And even though I was sitting there in a daze, they continued mumbling without noticing me.
[…..You were probably surprised, weren’t you?]
Duke asks with a smile in his eyes.
[Well of course. Somehow, I screamed like crazy.]
Like ‘ugyaah’ and ‘gyoeeh’, they were screams unpleasant to listen to. If you surprise a person, his scream will sound like a frog’s. Perhaps everyone was the same in each other’s eyes, everyone laughed with a complicated face.
[That’s you know, a ceremony. A ceremony to summon reincarnators. They cast the spell without eating or drinking for 7 days and nights. Of course, they can’t sleep. Going to the toilet seems to be fine, but after that, they keep muttering while walking around like that. It seems to be called Treading the Earth.]
[It looks like the ceremony is harsh for both the undergoer and the casters. Those who undergo the ceremony also don’t eat nor drink, on a night watch. Wasn’t there a man sitting in the corner of the room? He was undergoing the ceremony.]
[The ceremony is a very expensive activity. Parents start saving money before the child is born and of course, he(the child) will also start saving money once he starts working. It takes a lot of decades to save up the money to finally receive the ceremony.]