PROLOGUE: DEATH AND REINCARNATION
It was just your typical kind of life. I graduated from college, landed a job at a sort-of-big general contractor outfit, and with my older brother taking care of our parents for , I was currently enjoying all the myriad benefits of the bachelor-pad life. Age thirty-seven. No significant other.
I wasnt exactly short or frumpy or hideous or anything. But when it ca to the opposite sex, apparently I had nothing to offer. Id made efforts along those lines, with varying degrees of dedication, but by the third rejection, sothing fizzled out within . Besidesreally, at this age, I was kinda past the point where a girlfriend needed to be my main focus. Work kept busy enough. Plus, it wasnt like I was gonna die without one.
Im not making excuses, all right? Its just that I started thinking
Oh, hello, sir! Sorry were late!
There he was, walking toward , bursting with all that youthful energy of his. He and the beautiful woman next to him. His na was Tamura, one of the guys who worked under , and she was Sawatari, the front-desk lady and pretty much the it girl around the office.
These bums asked to see because they were getting married and wanted my advice. In other words, this eting was the whole reason I was brooding over why I was such a failure at personal relationships. I was leaning against a telephone pole at the intersection where wed agreed to et after work, thinking to myself.
Nah. I nodded a greeting at Sawatari and asked, Whatd you want to talk about?
Oh, good to et you. My nas Miho Sawatari. Ive seen you at work a lot, butum, I guess this is the first ti Ive spoken to you, huh? It makes kind of nervous, sohow.
Im the one who should be nervous, lady! my mind griped to itself. Its not like Im any good at speaking to won. How about a little sympathy here?
Any way you looked at it, I was the wrong person to ask. I knew nothing about love. They were doing this just to spite I was sure of it. Pretty sure, anyway.
Oh, theres nothing to be nervous about, I replied. Satoru Mikami. Its good to et you, Ms. Sawatarialthough youre famous enough around the office that you hardly need to even introduce yourself, huh? Tamura and I went to the sa college, and we kinda hit it off during his training period, so thats how we know each other.
Famous? Oof! Not famous in a weird way, I hope?
Oh, yknow. I hear stories about you dating Kayama or ssin around with Mr. Kihara in managent
Sohow, I decided that picking on her would be a good idea. I just ant it as a passing joke, but it made Sawataris face turn a bright shade of red, her eyes watering up a bit. It was cute, in a way. People were always telling to tone that stuff downthat I needed to consider peoples feelings more or, if not that, at least make it funnierbut I couldnt help myself. So mark that down as another failure. Maybe I really do have a crap personality.
Tamura took that chance to intervene, giving Sawatari a pat on the shoulder. Dammit, Tamura! So blessed with the natural charm you need to live a decent life I wish people like you would just explode!
Aw, stop being an to her, he admonished with an effortless smile. And dont worry, Miho, hes just having a little fun with you.
Cool, refreshing, and completely guilelessTamura was impossible to hate. He was still just twenty-eight, quite a bit younger than I was, but we got on well nonetheless. I probably owed him at least a few congratulations
Hah, sorry, I said, figuring there was no reason to let my jealousy devour . I cant help but needle people like that sotis. But no point standing here on the sidewalk. Wanna get sothing to eat while we talk?
Aaaahhh!!
Screams. Chaos. What isWhats going on?!
Move! Ill kill you!!
I turned around to find a man sprinting toward , a backpack in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other. I could hear shrieking. He was coming my way. With a knife. A knife? And at the other end of it
Tamuraaaa!
The mont I shoved Tamura aside, I felt a burning pain run across my back. My body balled up as it collapsed to the ground, trying to withstand the shock. I couldnt tell what had happened. I wanted to move, but I couldnt.
Get the hell outta my way! the man shouted as he ran off. I watched him go and then checked to see how my companions were. The suddenness of it all had reduced Tamura to a stupor, but he was unhurt. That was good. But, man, was my back burning. So hot. Beyond anything Id describe as pain.
Whats up with that? Its too hot Gim a break.
Confird. Resist Heatsuccessfully acquired.
Did I Did I just get stabbed?
So Im gonna die from a stabbing? Holy crap
Confird. Resist Piercing Weaponsuccessfully acquired. Following up with Resist lee Attack Successfully acquired.
M-Mr. Mikami, youre bleeding You wont stop bleeding!
I really didnt need to hear that right now. Was that Tamura? I thought I heard so kind of weird voice. If it was Tamura, then so be it.
Im bleeding? Well, duh. Im only human. If you stab , Ill probably bleed all over you, yes.
Damn, this was starting to hurt, though
Confird. Cancel Painsuccessfully acquired.
Um Well, shit. All this pain and panic was starting to screw around with my consciousness.
T-Tamura Shut up. It Its nothing big, all right? Quit worrying
Mr. Mikami, youre The blood Tamura tried to hold up, face drained of color and looking about ready to break into sobs. So much for that bravado from two minutes ago. I tried to see how Sawatari was doing, but my vision was too fogged up to manage it.
Now the burning feeling on my back was starting to fizzle out. Instead, an intense, frigid cold was attacking from head to toe. That Thats probably bad People die once they bleed too much, dont they?
Confird. Constructing a blood-free body Successful.
Hey, whatre you talking about? I cant hear you too well
I tried to speak. And failed.
Shit. I think this might really be it Like, the pain and the heat were pretty well gone by now. It was just cold. Cold as hell. I felt as if I was gonna freeze in place.
Who knew dying could keep you so damn busy?
Confird. Resist Coldsuccessfully acquired. Combined with the previously acquired Resist Heat, the skill has progressed to Resist Temperature.
Just then, what remained of my increasingly oxygen-deprived brain cells chanced upon a flash of brilliance.
Oh, craaaaap, the files on my hard drive!
I summoned up my remaining wells of strength, striving to relay the final regret I had left in life.
Tamuraaa! If If anything bad happens to take my computer, okay? Put it in the bathtub, turn it on, and just fry everything on the disk for , man
Confird. Electricity-based deletion of data Cannot execute. More information required. Substituting with Resist Electricity Successfully acquired.
It took a mont for my plea to register with Tamura. He gave a blank stare. Then he snickered.
Ha-ha! Thats just like you, isnt it?
Even if it was just a snicker, it beat having to depart this plane of existence with a grown man blubbering on top of . Id take it.
All I wanted was to show Sawatari off to you, too, he continued.
Pfft
Hah. I knew it. That bastard.
Its fine, okay? Make her a happy woman.
I wrung out the last bit of strength my body had to offer.
Just kill my PC for
It was just your typical kind of life. I graduated from college, landed a job at a sort-of-big general contractor outfit, and with my older brother taking care of our parents for , I was currently enjoying all the myriad benefits of the bachelor-pad life.
And I was a virgin.
Imagine that. Floating off to et my maker in completely unused condition My manhood was probably crying its single eye out right then. Sorry I couldnt make you a real grown-up. If theres such a thing as reincarnation, Im gonna go on the attack next tiI promise. Ill hit up everyone I see, stalking my prey before I go in for the kill Okay, not like that, but
Confird. Unique skill Predatorsuccessfully acquired.
I an, here I was, lookin at forty without ever losing my virginity. Like an old sage ditating in the mountains. Another few years, and I probably couldve been the great sage of celibacy. Not the road I wanted to take in life, but there you go.
Confird. Extra skill Sagesuccessfully acquired. Evolving extra skill Sage into unique skill Great Sage Successful.
Hey, soone mind telling whos talking? What do you an, unique skill Great Sage? Soone tryin to start sothing with ? Theres nothing unique about that! If you think Im finding that funny, Im not! Thats just an, man
Before I could continue down that train of thought, however, I fell asleep.
Weird how deaths nowhere near as lonely as I thought itd be.
That was the last thought I had on the mortal plane.
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