i reincarnated in to my Novel

After Henry and I finished our small talk, we walked back to the group.

Amelia: "...So you're back, Henry. What were you two doing?"

Dakota: "Oh, it was nothing. Just inspiring Henry."

Henry: "Inspiring? Huh, I guess so... Anyway, what I wanted to say is... I want you to forgive me."

The group froze, shocked, and stared at Henry as if he'd lost his mind.

Luna: "HUH! You really expect us to forgive you? Just like that?"

Jack: "Yeah, we're not forgiving you that easily, Henry."

Amelia: "What were you thinking when you said that? Did you really expect us to forgive you?"

Henry: "No, not really. But we have to work together to get out of this world. So, if you're not going to forgive me, at least work with me."

A heavy silence followed, until Ava spoke up to break it.

Ava: "Hey, Henry... Did Dakota forgive you?"

Henry: "Huh? Oh, Dakota? Yes, he did. Why are you asking? Actually, he wasn't even angry in the beginning."

The group stared in disbelief, clearly shocked.

Amelia: "Dakota, really? You're not even angry at Henry? And you forgave him just like that?"

Dakota: "Yeah, pretty much. Why is that shocking? Is it so strange that I'm willing to forgive my friend?"

Lucas: "But he didn't tell us the truth for so long. He technically betrayed us."

Dakota: "Betrayed us? No, he didn't betray us."

Liam: "Didn't betray us? Then what did he do, huh?"

Dakota: "Tell me this—if Henry had told his group when they were kids that he was reincarnated, do you think they'd still have been his friends? And if he told us the moment we met him, would we have become his friends? The reason Henry didn't tell you this is because he wanted to stay friends with all of you."

Dakota thought to himself: And the reason I don't tell you the truth is the same as Henry's.

The group's expressions shifted, their initial anger melting into contemplation. They started thinking: Was that a good enough reason to hide the truth?

Ava: "...Look, if Dakota forgave you, then I'm willing to forgive you too. Dakota's our captain, and I'll always trust him."

Lucas: "Yeah, I'm willing to do the same. If Dakota forgave you, so will I."

Liam and Mia nodded in agreement.

However, Henry's childhood friends weren't ready to let it go so easily.

Jack: "...Look, I don't really know what to do now, but I'm willing to work with you to get out of this world."

Luna: "...Sigh. I guess I'll do the same."

Amelia: "...Even though I won't forgive you yet, I'm willing to work with you."

Henry's face lit up. He was happy his friends had forgiven him—or at least were willing to work with him. He knew his childhood friends would eventually forgive him too.

Henry: "Thanks, guys. I'm happy you forgave me—or at least are willing to try."

Dakota: "Okay, now that we're done with the forgiving part, we need to figure out how to get out of this world."

Dakota already knew the answer: they had to defeat the dark mage who trapped them in this illusion world. The dark mage was strong enough to create such a complex illusion, so this wasn't going to be easy. He also needed to figure out how to tell his friends the truth without raising suspicion.

They were already suspicious of him because of the dark mage mission they did in the second year.

Henry: "...Well, first of all, I think it's time to go to school."

Dakota: "Huh? School? Do we really have to?"

Henry: "Why do you look so depressed? You don't even know what my school was like."

Dakota thought: Oh, don't worry. I know. I was on Earth too, you know. Well, you don't know that, but still.

Dakota: "No, I don't know, but I've heard stories about how school was before magic appeared 50 years ago."

Ava: "...Wait a minute. Speaking of magic, I can't use it in this world!"

Lucas: "Holy shit, you're right! I can't either!"

The whole group panicked, except for Dakota and Henry, who were already familiar with a world without magic.

Dakota: "Okay, calm the hell down, all of you. Stop panicking! Henry's parents will get suspicious."

The group managed to calm down—not entirely, but at least enough to stop panicking.

Henry: "Alright, now that you're calm, we need to get school uniforms... Oh wait, you guys don't have any. Damn. Well, I guess it's time to go shopping."

Dakota thought: Oh, I hated when my mom said that. I can't believe I have to do it again. I thought I'd never have to, but look where I am now.

The group went to a shop to buy school supplies. Luckily, Henry's parents were rich, so it wasn't an issue.

Ava: "Wow, so this is how people dressed for school before magic, huh? Dakota, do I look good in this skirt?"

Dakota: "Yeah, I guess you do. Now let's get going."

After a while, they arrived at the school.

Dakota thought: Oh, I completely forgot I based this school on my school from my past life. How funny is that?

Lucas: "...This place. Why does it look familiar?"

Dakota froze, his heart racing.

Dakota thought: No way. Could it be? Is Lucas the reincarnation of my friend from my past life? No, maybe it's just a coincidence.

Ava: "Yeah, you're right. It seems kind of familiar."

Liam: "I feel like I'm getting nostalgic just looking at it."

Mia: "It feels like I had a lot of fun in this place."

Dakota stared at them, shocked. Could it be that they were his reincarnated friends? Had they lost their memories? No. He shook his head. It must just be a coincidence. Maybe they'd seen a similar place and played there before meeting him.

The group entered the school, only to find five people chatting nearby.

Henry: "Huh? Who are they? I've never seen those people before."

The group looked confused, but Dakota dropped to his knees, his face pale with shock.

Henry: "Whoa! Dakota, are you okay?"

Dakota thought: ...No way. It can't be... Are they really my friends from my past life? And is that me from my past life? How could this be possible? My friends and I aren't supposed to exist in this world. Could it be that the dark mage knows about my past life? But how could they know? Who told them? Just what the hell is happening?