After ending the life of the one who threatened his survival, Hayami Reina slowly backed away and slumped against the wall, sliding to the ground as if all her strength had been drained.

  The nights of begging, the mad chases with stray dogs, and the brutal life-or-death struggle with the bck-furred hound had completely exhausted the st of her strength.

  Her body, weakened by days of hunger and blood loss, had reached its absolute limit. Reina felt her eyelids growing heavier by the second. She knew—this time, she might not wake up again.

  The bite wounds left by those bacteria-ridden fangs—if not treated soon—would undoubtedly become infected, infmed, and eventually cim her life as she slipped into unconsciousness.

  Her hands lost all strength, and her head, held up with effort, finally dropped. Darkness overtook her.

  What Reina didn't see as she passed out was the faint, serpent-like wisps of gray smoke slithering out of the bck dog “Bero” and the nameless man who had died of starvation.

  One long and one short, the two smoky threads drifted aimlessly. Sensing no call, they circled Reina’s unconscious body in confusion—then abruptly plunged into her chest.

  …

  Spsh, spsh...

  The sound of raindrops hitting the ground roused Reina from her unconscious state. Her eyes, once tightly shut, blinked open.

  Where... am I?

  The room was filthy and dark—utterly unlike the tidy, scentless space she used to call her own, with its neatly arranged computer desk.

  It wasn’t until she spotted the corpse on the floor that her fragmented memories began flooding back.

  Right... I’ve left my world behind. Now I’m stuck in this cold, cruel, and unforgiving pce.

  Her hand reflexively tightened around the hunting knife. Bracing herself against the wall, Reina stood up.

  Strangely, the hunger that had gnawed at her stomach had lessened. The wounds on her arms and legs had begun to scab over and heal. The pain was gone, repced by an odd, tingling sensation.

  Looks like I was out for more than just a day.

  Anyway, first things first—sterilize the wounds. I can’t afford to let my guard down. This backward world clearly doesn’t have decent medical care.

  Unsurprisingly, there was no alcohol or antiseptic to be found in a poor civilian home from this era. After rummaging around for a long while, Reina could only find one unopened bag of table salt.

  After washing the blood and grime from her face and hands under a faucet, she filled a basin with water and dumped in more than half the bag of salt. She didn’t know the first thing about medical treatment—only had scattered bits of knowledge from random sources. So she improvised. (Don’t try this at home—it hurts like hell.)

  She exhaled slowly, stirred the salty water with her hand, then scooped some out and pressed it against her wound.

  “Tsss…” Reina hissed in pain. A strange numbness spread from the wound outward. It wasn’t painful—just weird, so weird it made cold sweat break out across her forehead.

  The unknown is always the scariest part. She didn’t dare mess around anymore.

  Instead, she turned her attention to the dog carcass near the window. Hunger had to be dealt with first. She decided to save the rger bck hound for st—she always kept the best for ter. That was a habit she’d had since childhood.

  Even if she didn’t feel hungry anymore, she knew perfectly well she hadn’t eaten a thing since arriving in this world. And the body she now occupied had been starving even longer.

  Using her knife, she began skinning the dog.

  The result? Sloppy. The pelt came off in uneven chunks, torn and ragged, scattered across the floor like butcher scraps.

  If any experienced hunter saw her handiwork, they wouldn’t think she was skinning a dog—they’d assume the cute “girl” in front of them was some kind of lunatic, gleefully mutiting a corpse.

  “They say the best executioners can make a thousand cuts without killing the victim,” Reina murmured softly, the corners of her lips curling up slightly, her delicate face calm and serene.

  Yeah… definitely not right in the head.

  Once the skinning was done, Reina fetched a few logs from the stove and used a hatchet to chop them into smaller sticks. She pulled a tattered cloak over her shoulders and stepped outside to find a few rge stones. In a dry spot under the eaves, she arranged them in a rough circle.

  After the stones dried, she pced the chopped wood in the center, stacking them carefully.

  Back inside, she tore up a book titled “Essential Crossdressing Skills: On the Advantages of Becoming a Trap” to use as kindling. But the damp air made the pages hard to light.

  No choice—Reina went back and grabbed another book: “My Hundred-Day Romance With Maiko.” She shredded it, tossed the pieces in, and struck a match. This time, the fire caught and danced to life. Adding a log, the fmes bzed higher.

  Satisfied, she smiled slightly, her expression soft and beautiful.

  She went back inside, brought out the skinned dog, and stabbed it through with an iron spike. Then she held it over the fmes—lit by My Hundred-Day Romance With Maiko—to roast.

  Unfortunately, the dog was simply too big.

  Reina hacked off its front legs—well, forelimbs—with her knife.

  After all, after starving for so long, eating too much at once wasn’t wise. Two forelegs should be plenty.

  When they were done roasting, she blew on the meat and bit into one with her sharp canine teeth.

  A bit tough. Too bnd. It was missing something.

  She had an idea. Holding the dog leg, Reina walked back into the house and stirred it around in the saltwater basin.

  Alright, now it had fvor. But… way too salty.

  What now? Can’t waste it.

  Wait… didn’t I see some sugar earlier?

  With a pitter-patter of small steps, she ran to the kitchen, found the bag of granuted sugar, and shoved the dog leg in.

  Okay! Edible, sure—but now it’s so sweet it’s cloying.

  Still feels like something’s missing…

  Oh! That’s right!

  She grabbed a romance novel. Eating while reading should distract her from the weird taste.

  Flipping the book open, Reina munched and read with genuine interest.

  The story was about a samurai named Midori Mitsushige who fell in love with his lord’s daughter. During an assassination attempt, Mitsushige threw himself in front of a bde to protect his master. As a reward, the lord promised him his daughter’s hand in marriage.

  Turns out, the daughter, Midori Nanako, had long been smitten with the samurai. They lived happily ever after.

  But Mitsushige, insecure and ashamed, couldn’t have children. Still, one day, to his surprise, Nanako became pregnant. And around the same time, a blond man began showing up near her side…

  Spsh.

  Reina tossed the book straight into the saltwater basin.

  Nope. That’s not the fvor I’m looking for.

  The soaked book floated in the brine, most of its text smudged away—leaving behind only the wholesome love story of Mr. Blondie and Miss Green Tea.

  Mmm~ Now that hits the spot.

  …

  Reina stared at the half-eaten dog left leg and the untouched right leg. Rubbing her belly, she fell into deep thought.

  She really couldn’t eat another bite.

  She had originally pnned to eat until she was about 70% full—just enough to not strain her stomach. That’s why she’d only cooked one leg.

  But after just a few bites, a bloated, heavy feeling welled up in her gut.

  Could it be… stomach problems?

  After all, this body was still a child’s. With how long it had been starved, it wouldn’t be surprising if her stomach had developed issues. She’d been so hungry, she hadn’t even felt hungry anymore.

  Sigh… Maybe Hayami Reina will go down in history as the first transmigrator to die of stomach cancer.