A normal life, a normal person, that's what I am, or at least what I think of myself to be.
I looked up at the sky, which was clear and cloudless, and everything felt pleasant. I walked about the area till I came to a realization.
'Wait, where am I?' As I looked around my surroundings, I seemed like I was in an unfamiliar place, where everything is out in the open and well-organized, and where many people come and go through a building next to me carrying enormous suitcases. I glanced into a glass that reflected my reflection and noticed that I was dressed for an outing for reasons I don't recall. I had no idea why I was in this situation until...
"Kazumi-kun!!! I'm so sorry we were late; the traffic was horrible." A young lady in proper attire was calling my name and apologizing in a dignified manner. Now that I think about it, I'm glad I remembered. This was Rin-san, the class president, with some of my classmates behind her; we were supposed to meet at an airport for a trip. Bless my nose and eyes, for she's looking lovely today, and that perfume smells wonderful.
"Oh, Rin-san, don't worry, I didn't wait too long," I said. "Are you certain? Because we were meant to be here two hours ago and-" and then she was abruptly interrupted. "Relax Rin-sama, Kazumi-sama here said it's fine, and besides, it wasn't our fault we got stuck in traffic," a foreigner gangster-looking boy who was almost as tall as me, I believe his name was Aaron, tried to calm her down. He's still as handsome as ever.
"But-"
"Yeah, just listen to him Rin-san, moreover we're going on a first-time trip, we can't make the mood go down, right?" Another guy, Kazuto, who was an average height for our age and was carrying a large portable computer set on his back, joined the conversation again, pleading with her not to be negative. He, too, appears to be in great shape. "All right, let's just regroup and see who's here."
Rin then began counting all of us, ending with a nine-person total and a satisfied nod. "Has everyone arrived?" I inquired. "Yes, we're all here," Rin said, "especially Hikaru-chan and Yui-chan, who can't contain their joy."
"Of course, we're here," a girl in all black stated, "after all, this trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we got selected for a national gaming tournament after all." If only she had more time to sleep than to play, she would be more attractive. "Yeah, like Hikaru-nee-san mentioned, this trip is really important, so we will come," replied a girl who was shorter than average, oh yeah, it's Hikaru and Yui. Despite being a few months older than the rest of us, Yui is cuter and shorter than all of us.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" says A boy who was taller than me and dressed entirely in white was whining because he felt he had been overlooked. Haruto was his name. He becomes even more attractive than before, lucky. "And me, too," she said, "after all, I was the one who recommended the competition for you all." Ayaka, an anime addict, was also grumbling. If she wore appropriate clothing, she would be incredibly more attractive.
"Wait," I replied, "I think we're missing one." Suddenly, a car driving in the distance came to a halt in our area, and a girl dressed in luxurious apparel began coming toward us. "I don't think I'm that late, right?" she said to us.
"Of course you're late; you're later than us," Aaron responded. "I'm sorry, but I forgot that we had a trip today," the girl confessed. "It's okay, Choko-chan," Rin responded, "at least you're not late for the plane." After hearing Rin's response, Choko breathed a sigh of relief. She put in a lot of work to appear this well, although she is loaded.
"All right, then, let's get going!" Rin, as our leader and guide, said. We then headed to the airport, where we finally boarded the plane after a long time of running around trying to figure out what to do. After we sat down, Kazuto began playing games on his phone, while the girls chatted, and the rest of us just settled back and prepared for the journey.
The plane then took off, and I gazed out the window, admiring the scene.
'This ain't so bad; I wish it was this peaceful every day.'
But, of course, it didn't last long; shortly after the plane took off, my vision began to blur and my head began to ache badly; I was wondering why I was feeling this way when my body ached in pain as if my soul was being ripped apart.
'What's going on?! This is the first time this has happened.' Until I remembered something from the past, I thought to myself, 'No, this isn't the first time,' but why is it happening now? This will only happen if- No, I'm just crazy; there's no way this is going to happen this soon. This only happens when I'm on the verge of reincarnation.
Why, for God's sake, did this happen when there are so many people involved and on a plane of all things? Is this plane going to crash, causing my reincarnation to begin? As soon as I realized what I'd done, a warning was issued across the plane.
["Hello, this is your Captain, and we are under attack! Please be calm and follow the instructions of the attendants, and-"] suddenly it came to a halt. For a long time, there was silence until an explosion was heard from the cabin. People began panicking about what was happening.
Rin then called all of our classmates on the plane to form a group. "OK, we have to stay calm; we're in grave danger, but we still have a chance of surviving," Rin replied, shaking with anxiety.
"Guys, you have to listen to me, we are not going to live, I'm sure of it, but there's something I have to tell you," I said just as one of our classmates was about to say something.
"What are you talking about, Kazumi-kun, Rin-san just mentioned that-" Choko continued, but I cut her off again, saying, "No, we're not getting out of this alive, or at least not in this life." "Listen to me, this is partly my fault, but I had no idea it would happen so soon, we won't be alive in this life anymore but we can live again and when we wake up again, we might not be the same, okay?"
"Are you guys familiar with the idea of reincarnation? Since I've reincarnated twice before, so there's a chance you guys will as well. Although like me, you will lose most of your memories, we may yet meet again, so live your life as you like but, if possible, find each other."
"Kazumi-sama, why are you talking about nonsense right now? We're not in a movie or a book, but-" Haruto continued to speak until he noticed how serious my eyes were and stopped. "Are you involved in anything about in this matter, Kazumi-sama?" " he asked.
"Not directly," I explained, "I only felt the pain I normally feel before reincarnating when I boarded the plane, which meant I was doomed to die in here, but you guys were also entangled in this mess." He then looked at me, puzzled, but eventually stopped because he was convinced; he then turned to everyone and said, "Remember me, ok guys?" "
Hikaru then began to doubt Haruto's sanity because he had just accepted all of this nonsense, but suddenly someone said something. "Hikaru-nee-san, do you think Kazumi-san would be lying in a circumstance like this?" it was Yui who interjected, "Besides, if what he claimed is real, at the very least I'll be able to reincarnate like the characters in the books I've read; doesn't that sound like fun? " Hikaru then hesitated, as if unable to respond, before simply saying, "Just allow me a few seconds to say goodbye to my present life right now."
Everyone else in my classmates nodded, as if they agreed with what I stated, and began texting goodbyes. We regrouped after a while before hugging each other one more time.
"I'm still hesitant about this," Rin replied, crying. "At the very least, I want to have hope of surviving, even if it's this way." The rest of the girls began to cry, but we boys hugged and kept our emotions under control.
"Guys," I said sadly, "let's see each other again in the next life." "Fine," Ayaka responded, "but I'm still pissed that I'm going to die early because of you." I just smiled and didn't say anything.
While all of this was going on, the plane was already falling and was on its way to hitting the ground. We said our goodbyes at that point and promised to find each other and be friends again. And, just before the plane crashed, I took one last look at my classmates, no, friends, before hearing multiple voices overlapping, all saying the same thing, "I love you, Kazumi-," despite hearing it spoken in different ways, I understood what they said. That's the last thing I heard before the plane crashed.
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I opened my eyes, if I had any, to see a familiar sight: eternal darkness. Every time I die, I return to this location for an unknown amount of time. You can't see, feel, hear, or smell anything; you have no sensations. It's as if I'm floating around in nothingness. This is where you will forget practically everything, including pain, feelings, and experiences, except for a fragment of memories.
Then I began to think about what I and my friends had done before we died. 'Man, they were late; they took so long that my memory grew hazy, that I forgot what I was doing there,' I then wondered, 'Why did Aaron and Kazuto call me -sama when I have done nothing to earn it?' Oh well, I don't recall.
'I feel awful about Yui considering that this type of reincarnation is not the one you generally see in books because we merely get reborn in the same world but different periods, meaning reincarnation on another world is impossible even for me,' I thought after some time had passed.
That confession, too...do they have to confess it when it's too late? Aaron and Kazuto will feel envious, especially because they both had a crush on one of them. They also believed all I said, even though it seemed ridiculous; they were hesitant at first but eventually listened; is it because of the circumstances? Is it because of hope, or is it because of fear? I'm not sure, but I am certain that they believed in me.
I then began to reflect hard and realized that, given that I was the only one I knew who experienced reincarnation, my friends might not even reincarnate. Of course, I haven't died in the presence of other people to see if they can reincarnate with me, but there is still a possibility they won't. I'm just hoping they'll be able to.
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'How long have I been in here?' and 'Have I been in here for a long time?' Those are the question I've been thinking about for quite some time. I'm not sure, I don't have anything to estimate the passage of time here, but one thing is certain: this is taking longer than it has in the past. When I die, I stay in here for a while and wait until I see a speck of light; when I see it, I am immediately drawn to it and begin a new life; however, this takes a lot longer than usual.
Perhaps I can no longer reincarnate, which is why I haven't seen any light. Or perhaps something is interfering or something else is going on that is causing this to take a long time. Something is wrong in either case.
While I was contemplating various explanations for why this is happening, I noticed a light that was unlike any other light I have seen before reincarnating. Every light I have seen before reincarnating has always been bright white, but this was different. It's purple, dark purple, and it appears to alternately glow brighter and dimmer, like an LED light. And its shape is unusual as well; instead of a dot of light, it resembles a star or a cloud? Or is that a blob? It's something, and it appears to take on several forms. It appears to be alive.
Perhaps this is why it's taking so long in here, but what is it? It immediately moved and was going towards me till it reached my chest, or at least where my chest should be if I were in a body, and I felt something flowing into me when it made contact with something. For the first time, I felt something in this place, and I could sense my body, but it was strange; it didn't seem tangible, then is this, my soul? Whatever it is, I feel whole again, as if I've been missing a piece of myself the whole time.
I suddenly heard a voice just as I was happy over something.
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[Individual □□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□, Confirmed. All Conditions are met. Starting [Complete Reincarnation].]
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It has a robotic tone to it, but sounds female? What exactly is going on? This isn't how I usually reincarnate; what are the conditions that I met? Is it because I have felt a sense of being complete? Also, does [Complete Reincarnation] mean that it isn't complete every time I reincarnate? Maybe that's why I can't recall most of my memories every time I reincarnate, and it's no surprise that each of my bodies has a flaw every time, such as memory loss or a weaker body.
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[Initiating [Skill Creation], Confirmed. Transforming every important positive trait of the Individual □□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□ to Skills, Confirmed. Transforming every important negative trait to positive Skills, Confirmed.]
[...Failed. Too much information to Transform. The Astral body and Vessel are unable to contain everything. Only part of the original list of skills will be given, Confirmed. The rest of the skills unable to be given will be stored until the Individual □□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□ can handle them, Confirmed.]
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What the hell is going on? Skills? Is it possible that what I have right now is an astral body? What's going on? This isn't my regular reincarnation, and what's the deal about these skills I'm getting? Is this a sign that I'm being reincarnated into a different world?
[Confirmed. Finalizing [Complete Reincarnation]....Confirmed. The Individual □□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□ will now awaken.]
Awaken? What the hell is going on, ugh, I'm dizzy, wait, I'm dizzy? My head hurts so much right now. What exactly is going on? I'm dizzy and have a headache, yet I don't have a body? Could it be that I now have a physical body? I'm starting to feel tired.....
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While I was still in pain, a thought occurred through my head, 'If I'm going to be reborn into a different world, I'm going to make sure I get powerful enough to protect those close to me so they don't die with me again,' I thought before passing out.