Chapter 1 Shit, I’m going to die
「O-oi. That’s Manai Zero.」
「The guy who even yakuza 1 are rumored to avoid? Shit, his eyes are scaryyy」
「That’s not it. He has yakuza backing him.」
Tch. I can hear you, you shits. I’m just trying to get home from school, but this is what I get?
「Oi! What the fuck are you bastards looking at!? Aahh!?」
Stop picking a fight with every single guy you see. They’re clearly spooked.
「Eeek! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!」
「If you got business with Zero-san, come say it straight to his face!!」
「I don’t have any! I’m sorry!」
Stop freaking them out. All I want to do is go home. But I keep getting entangled with pretentious bastards…
「Get your ass over here!」
「Eeeeeeeeeeekk」
「Stop it」
「B-but Zero-san, these guys…」
「I said stop!」
「Yes! You guys got lucky. Hurry and scram!」
「T-thank you!」
They fled in a panic. Stop looking at me with those frightened eyes. I didn’t even do anything.
Everyone is the same. Selfishly following me around and bringing out my name. These guys just want to use me too.
Once I get home, my family will look at me like they’re seeing a monster. Getting freaked just because my eyes are a little scary.
「Man, Zero-san sure is amazing! The other day, he one hit K’Oed some idiot with a front kick! Serious respect! Even yakuza will give you way on the same road! You’re the strongest high schooler!」
「Tch. That guy was just weak.」
「Haha. Your trademark unrestrained brown hair is on point today too! Is it natural?」
I can only hear it as him telling me to maintain my hair better.
At any rate, it’s all just miserly guys who don’t like me. All they do is pick fights, and all that spreads is my bad reputation. There’s no one who understands or loves me.
These clingy guys keep talking about shit I don’t give a damn about. I want to get home asap.
「Right! You wanna take a rest at the park, 2 Zero-san? I’ll buy you a drink!」
「I want to go home…」
「Just for a little bit! Just for a little bit, please!」
「Tch. Only for a while.」
There’s a problem with me not being able to refuse too. Ah, so annoying.
Don’t get so noisy just cause I decided to spend some time with you guys at the park.
Tch. So bothersome.
「Huh? Look, Zero-kun 3 . There’s a ball and a kid coming out from the park…」
「Aahh? What’s wrong with tha…」
I can hear a sound. It’s the sound of a truck.
Shit!
「Hey kid, stop!」
「Eh?」
Damn it. It was too late. Meeting my eyes, the kid stopped right in the middle of the road. Shit!
I still might be able to make it!
「DAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!」
I just barely reached him. I was able to thrust the kid away somehow. If I can avoid the truck like this after, then I’ll be fine.
The truck was already right beside me.
Shit, I’m going to die.
Thud! The impact ran through my whole body.
The truck sent me flying. There was only supposed to be a short interval before I hit the ground, but I saw the world in slow motion.
This is that. The revolving lantern 4 . I only see guys who got scared when they saw me and guys who who are crying.
So it ends like this. Scaring people and making them cry and being hated.
I fell unconscious.
「Damn it…」
An? I can move my hands? There’s no pain either. There’s nothing wrong with my body.
Rousing my body, I observed my surroundings.
There was a massive amount of books as far as I could see and the smell of dust. What the heck is this, when I thought I was hit by a truck, I came to a library.
No, it’s not a normal library. I don’t know how long it continues, and there’s an abnormal amount of books here.
Thump thump. At the sound of collapsing books, I turned around.
「Cough, cough. Ueehh, maybe I should’ve hired a janitor…Oh? Is there a visitor?」
There was a black haired guy with pretentious looking glasses. Is he a librarian? His pale face and aura seems to fit just that.
Our eyes meet. He averts his eyes…It’s what always happens.
「Uhh, ummm…」
「Oi, where is this place?」
「Yes! This is the place where memories and records are gathered!」
What is this guy saying? Memories? Records? So this isn’t a library?
「I don’t get what you mean. Why am I here?」
「Eh? Why, you ask… L-let me check on something. No, is it ok for me to check on it?」
「Tch. Do what you want.」
He opened and closed books, took them out and put them away.
What’s with this guy. There’s no way things about me would be written in a book.
Or what, is he actually a doctor or something?
「Ahhー Yes! It’s here! Manai Zero. Second year in high school. While trying to save a child, you were run over by a truck and died. Is this…correct?」
Stop looking at my face for every single thing. He’s a bean sprout Glasses that pisses me off.
「It’s right, but it’s not. Aren’t I alive? So the kid is ok?」
「Y-yes. The child got away with a few scrapes! Also, that is…You have died, without a doubt.」
「Like I said, I’m alive」
What’s with this guy. Is his head strange? I feel like what I’m saying isn’t getting in his brain.
「Erm, living humans can’t come to this place. Meaning, you are unmistakably dead.」
「Living humans can’t come? Dead? In other words, you’re talking about the world of the afterlife.」
「Y-yes. That sort of thing.」
Tch. So the afterlife really existed. I thought that since they’re dead anyways, people would just disappear.
…Death, huh. I see, I died.
At any rate, I was hated by everyone. As long as the kid was safe, then that’s good enough for me.
「I got it. That’s enough. I can’t really believe it, but I died. And so, what should I do from now on?」
「You sure are fast on the uptake. There are lots of people who can’t accept it.」
「There was nothing good about living anyways. Dying by saving a kid, it’s not too bad.」
「T-that’s not–There are people who grieve over your death!」
There aren’t.
But I couldn’t voice it out loud. It felt like an extremely sad thing, and I couldn’t admit it. Though I knew it, I couldn’t say it myself.
「Tch. Just leave it. I asked you what I should do from now on」
「It’s not fine! Please look at this!」
What’s this? A crystal? It’s that thing used by fortune tellers, right?
Something rose to the surface. What is this?
「Please look closely.」
「O, ou」5
He was scared of me just before now, but he began speaking to me in a dignified manner. Did he get promoted from a glasses (megane) to someone insightful (megane)? 6
Hm? What is this?
What I saw in the crystal was…My funeral? Why are they crying?
「You can see, can’t you? There are people who are saddened over your death.」
I couldn’t say anything.
My several followers who I only thought wanted to use me. My little sister who was always scared of me. Multiple people from school.
「Zero-san! Why did you die, Zero-san!? Weren’t you supposed to be invincible!?」
「Big brother! Big brotheeeeeeeeeeerrr!」
The hell. So I wasn’t hated?
Didn’t I make you carry my stuff? Wasn’t I not the type of person who you would reach out to? Weren’t my eyes scary? You’re freaking loud! 7
What the hell is this.
「You might have been feared. But you weren’t hated.」
「What’s the use of knowing something like that now. Aren’t I already dead? And aren’t my parents making faces like a load has been lifted off their shoulders?」
「Yes. There are people who think that way. But I wanted you to know that it wasn’t just people like that.」
「…Ou」
Shit. Some junk got into my eyes. I just didn’t notice it.
But I’m already dead. I can’t do anything.
「Hey」
「Yes」
「Something, anything is fine. Isn’t there any way I can tell those guys something?」
「I’m sorry…」
「I see. Sorry for asking the impossible.」
Well of course, something so convenient won’t exist. But, I feel like I’ve been saved a little. Even though I don’t know if this is real or not, I sure am simple.
「Thanks. That’s enough.」
「I understand. I’m sorry for only being able to show you. But I wanted you to know.」
「Ou, thanks.」
Averting my eyes from Glasses, I wiped my tears. He didn’t notice, right?
I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. All that’s left is to ask what I need to ask from Glasses.
「And, what’ll happen to me from now on?」
「Yes. About that, I have a proposal.」
Proposal? Isn’t there only the choice for going to heaven or hell? But well, I’m in a good mood so I don’t care either way.
「I think I’ll make you reincarnate.」
「Reincarnate?」
What is reincarnation? Does it mean I can revive?
「Unfortunately, I’m unable to return you to your former world. But I’m able to reincarnate you to another world.」
「Is that right? I don’t really get it. What do you mean?」
「Umm… It means you can lead a second life.」
「Second life? Is it that when everyone dies, they get to revive in a different place?」
He smiled and shook his head. What are you laughing at.
「Truthfully, there’s a strict inspection to go through. In regards to you, I’ll use my authority to give you permission.」
Authority and such, what kind of self-important things are you spouting, Glasses? Or were you some Big-shot Glasses? No, he has an underling’s face. There’s no mistake.
「Now then, without further ado I’ll reincarnate you.」
「Oi, what about my reply…」
「I’m not listening! I’ll have you reincarnate!」
「Ain’t this coercion!?」
He ignored me and opened the documents? Papers? Files? and rolled something that looked like dice.
Well, he should give an explanation at least. Moreover, a second life, huh? …This time I need to put in more effort to do better.
「Alright! I’ve decided!」
「Ou. Where am I going? America? France? Or will I go from Tokyo to Hokkaido or something?」
「No, no. It’s another world steeped in spirits and magic.」
「Hah?」
「Reincarnators get one skill. The skill I’ll give you, who wanted to be loved, is this! 『The Man Loved by Spirits』」
「No, wait a moment」
「Now then, off you go!!」
「Didn’t I say to wait!?」
My body was engulfed in unpleasant feelings. The ground tugged at my body.
A hole? Is this a hole!? A hole at my feet!? I’m falling, I’m falling, I’m falling!
「That’s not enough of an explanatioooooooooooooooooonnn! And who the hell are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!」
Mustering my strength, I raised a question while I was falling.
Uoooooooooooohhh! I’m seriously falling!
「My apologies. I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? More or less, I’m the Chief Executive of the After World. Saying it so you can understand it easily, I’m what you’d call God. Now try your best!」
Hah? God? So you weren’t some underling Glasses?
While thinking such things, just like how my body was falling, my conciousness also fell.
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