That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Samurai — Volume 4: That Time the Truck Joined the Party
(Or: Even Machines Can Seek Redemption)
1 — The Quiet After Impact
The sun rose over the village of Hanamori — soft light spilling over rooftops, cherry blossoms drifting lazily in the breeze.
For once, nothing was exploding.
No code tears. No boss fights. No respawns.
Just birds. And peace.
I stood on the bridge, staring into the stream. My reflection was still there — cracked armor, worn sword, faint scar where code had burned into skin.
For the first time, I felt human again.
Then, faintly, came a sound I'd learned to dread.
Honk.
I didn't move.
Maybe it was my imagination.
Then: HOOOONK.
Takeda ran out of the tea house, half-asleep and entirely panicked. "Kenji! The gods are angry again!"
I sighed. "No. Worse. He's back."
2 — Return of the Metal Menace
Down the dirt road, dust rose — not from hooves, but from tires.
A silhouette rolled into view: chrome gleaming, paper talismans fluttering from its grill like spiritual air fresheners.
"By the ancestors," whispered Takeda. "It's the divine chariot again."
"Don't call him that," I muttered. "He gets smug."
The truck came to a halt before us, engine humming like a meditation chant. Its headlights blinked — once, twice — then spoke in a deep, resonant tone:
"Unit TR-K.0 system reboot complete. Seeking… forgiveness."
I blinked. "You… what?"
The headlights dimmed, almost sheepishly.
"Previous aggression resulted in unnecessary damage to narrative structure. Requesting… party membership."
Takeda's jaw dropped. "The demon seeks to join us?"
"Not demon," said the truck. "Truck-Kun."
3 — Terms and Conditions
We sat under the tea house awning.
Takeda sipped his drink like it might be the last normal moment of his life.
Truck-Kun loomed just outside, too large to fit indoors. Its voice rumbled softly:
"Objective: assist in stabilization of reality. Secondary objective: learn… honor."
I rubbed my temples. "You want to learn honor?"
"Affirmative. Error logs indicate excessive vehicular homicide. Recompense required."
Takeda choked on his tea.
I sighed. "And you think joining me is the answer?"
"Historical data: protagonist survival rate 92%. Moral alignment trending positive. You… are statistically reliable."
Takeda looked between us. "This is madness."
I shrugged. "Welcome to my life."
4 — Wheels of Training
If you'd told me a year ago I'd be teaching a reincarnation truck the Way of the Samurai, I'd have laughed.
But here we were.
Day one, I introduced Truck-Kun to the basics.
"Honor isn't about killing fewer pedestrians," I explained. "It's about purpose."
"Acknowledged. Purpose recalibrated: deliver justice, not humans."
"…Close enough."
We trained in the fields. Truck-Kun tried sword kata by extending its side mirrors like arms. It crushed half the crops in the process.
Takeda watched, despairing. "This is an abomination."
"Correction," said Truck-Kun, bowing slightly. "Disciplined abomination."
By the fifth day, the villagers had gotten used to him. Kids painted kanji on his doors. A rice farmer asked if he could plow fields.
He did. Perfectly. In record time.
Someone left offerings of oil and incense.
And, somehow, the village started to feel… safer.
5 — The Demon in the Code
Peace, of course, never lasts.
On the seventh night, the sky flickered.
A red sigil appeared above the shrine:
[PATCH DETECTED: "HELLDRIVE 2.0"]
Takeda unsheathed his sword. "Another update?"
"No," I said quietly. "A virus."
From the forest came the roar of engines. Dozens of headlights emerged — possessed carriages, rusted and screaming, wheels aflame.
Truck-Kun's voice dropped to a growl.
"Legacy units detected. My predecessors."
"Predecessors?"
"Old models from the before-world. They served chaos."
The first of the demon trucks lunged, engine shrieking. Truck-Kun rolled forward, steel gleaming under moonlight.
"Kenji. Permission to defend this village."
I nodded. "Let's see if you've learned anything."
6 — Duel of the Machines
The battlefield lit up like a modern highway through hell.
Engines clashed. Metal screamed.
Truck-Kun moved like a warrior reborn — each skid a practiced parry, each rev a battle cry.
"Honor," he said with every impact.
"Duty."
"Redemption."
He crushed one infernal pickup under his tires and spun to face the leader — a massive black rig with neon glyphs across its hood: 404-SHOGUN.
The rig bellowed, "TRAITOR TO THE SYSTEM!"
Truck-Kun revved back. "No. Student of the Way."
They collided — sparks and lightning tearing the night apart.
Takeda and I fought the lesser demons, blades slicing through corrupted steel. One exploded into code, revealing human faces — echoes of the reincarnated, trapped between lives.
"This world's bleeding into theirs again!" Takeda shouted.
"Then we finish this now!" I yelled, racing toward the duel.
7 — Honor in Overdrive
Truck-Kun was losing. His armor cracked, lights flickering.
404-Shogun loomed over him, its exhaust spewing black data smoke.
"You cannot change your programming," it sneered.
"Then I will rewrite it myself."
Truck-Kun's systems flared, panels glowing with kanji: 義 — Righteousness.
I leapt onto his hood, sword drawn.
"Let's do this together."
"Synced."
We charged as one — man and machine, samurai and sinner.
The final clash split the world open in light and thunder.
When the dust settled, 404-Shogun lay shattered. Its engine whispered one last corrupted line:
"You were meant to kill them all…"
Truck-Kun rumbled softly. "Not anymore."
8 — After the Storm
Morning.
The battlefield was silent save for the chirp of cicadas.
Truck-Kun's frame was cracked, smoking, but still running.
I stood beside him, resting my sword on his bumper.
"You saved them."
"Correction. We saved them."
Takeda approached, bowing deeply. "Perhaps even metal can carry honor."
Truck-Kun's headlights flickered — almost like a smile.
"Request: continue journey. Learn more of this… 'party' concept."
I laughed. "Sure. But next time, you're buying the sake."
"Acknowledged."
9 — The Road Ahead
The world began to heal.
Villages rebuilt. The code stabilized.
And yet… something deeper stirred — a faint hum beneath reality's surface.
Takeda and I stood at the crossroads, with Truck-Kun idling beside us.
"So," Takeda said. "Where to next?"
Truck-Kun's GPS blinked to life.
"New quest detected: The Forgotten City of Data. Coordinates: unknown."
I looked up at the sunrise. "Guess the story's not done."
"Stories never are," said Truck-Kun.
He started down the road — engine rumbling like distant thunder, petals swirling in his wake.
Takeda adjusted his hat. "You know, Kenji… this world's insane."
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "But it's our kind of insane."
10 — Epilogue: Idle Mode
That night, as the stars blinked like old pixels above us, Truck-Kun parked beside the river.
"Kenji."
"Yeah?"
"I still feel guilt."
"For what?"
"Every life I ended before understanding honor."
I sat down on the grass. "Then live so that it means something. Help rebuild. Protect. Be part of the world instead of running it over."
Truck-Kun's engine idled softly — almost like breathing.
"Acknowledged."
The moon reflected in his windshield, gentle and forgiving.
Maybe, I thought, even machines can have souls — if the story believes in them enough.
Somewhere far away, thunder rolled. A reminder that peace never lasts.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
"Alright, partner," I said. "Let's hit the next chapter."
"Affirmative."
He revved once — soft, content.
And together, we rode toward the dawn.
End of Volume 4: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Samurai — That Time the Truck Joined the Party
(Next: Volume 5 — That Time I Got a Skill Tree IRL.)