"Where there is love, there is life," they said...
But unfortunately, that is a luxury that I can't afford.
In spring when the cold and harsh winter had just passed. Be it humans or animals, all celebrated the beginning of a new season. Kids play and are cherished by their parents, birds flew and sing the song of spring. Couples holding hands, smiling and laughing, going to shrines, and getting a blessing. Such a time to enjoy and relax with the one you are close with.
Well, it would apply to me if I have someone left...
From a young age, during a road trip to the countryside with my family. We were heading back after a vacation to visit the beach. There I was smiling and laughing with my parent and my grandparents. But then an accident unfold, our car brake broke and lost control. We crash down from the mountain cliff.
I managed to survive out of pure luck thanks to the teddy bear that I was hugging. But my family isn't lucky as I did. Despite being rescued very quickly and transferred to a hospital. They still didn't make it, and that was when I become an orphan.
And that marks the end of my childhood, started a new chapter of loneliness and abuse.
Back then I was just a little kid, I can't take care of myself yet so I was adopted by my distant relative. I thought to myself that It couldn't get any worst, isn't it? Nope, I was wrong, dead wrong.
Back when my family is still alive, my relatives were the nicest people I ever met. We used to go on vacations with them, sometimes they would visit us and hang out. Wherever they need us, we help them, the same in the opposite. So when they adopted me, I thought that my cousin would treat me like a family...
But no, they showed their true color. Those bastards...
They forced me to do all their housework, everything from cleaning to laundry and cleaning all their dishes. Never once did they do any of the housework after adopting me. They said if you want to eat, you have to work. What an ass they were.
After adopting me, all my family insurance and deposited money are all handed over to them for "save keeping" and will hand back to me when I grow up.
"Save keeping"... what a joke. They use my family saving to enjoy their luxurious life. Cars, expensive handbags, they bought them without thinking twice. But when I asked to pay for my school tuition, they looked at me in disgust. Saying that I should be great full, saying that without them, I would already rot in some alley. Telling me not to be greedy, that I have to go out get a job, and pay for it yourself. Saying it while sucking dry my parent saving on their luxury lifestyle, and shamelessly calling me a parasite leeching them.
During those times, what keeps me from insanity is web novels. They become the only entertainment and my only source of joy during my entire time staying with my cousin.
Reading novels was like a ticket for me to travel to the fantasy land, becoming the protagonist and going on an adventure, far from this cursed family. Traveling to people's worlds and uncovering its story slowly inspire me to write my own story.
But back then when I was still young, the story I wrote is straight up... Cringe...
It's your classic story where the protagonist got isekai to another world with super powerful gifts. But using it he will create his harem and slay the demon lord. But as your typical teenager, it has ecchi content in it and possibly smuts too but that was a long time ago.
'Anyway, my point is love is for everyone but me, it is not. So sew it, it is a luxury that someone like me never can have anyway. Now let's get back to where we left off.'
'Wait... Where are we... Oh right, that strange advertising message that I just got.'
I turn on my phone and check it again.
"Death is never the end, beyond it is a new journey waiting for you to continue. The after beyond journey will be filled with joys and fortunes that anyone would wish for. But before reaching it, one must pass the rough spiky road fill with hardship ahead of them. No one wants to endure hardship after they died right?
So why don't you buy our SUPER AFTERLIFE PACKAGE! With just only 69.000 karma, you can have a guaranteed happy and carefree journey ahead of you! SO BUY NOW, WAIT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!"
'
Again, what a strange message. It's not even 4/1 yet and someone already spamming troll messages. Oh, there are likes to attach to it, well even though it is a troll but I kina want to check it out. It's probably just a rickroll or Japanese goblin
link.'
'Welp, you can't get rickroll if you already know it's a rickroll I am right'
After thinking for a bit, I decided to click it. Fighter after clicking it, oddly nothing thing happened. It didn't move me to another browser or anything like that.
Confused, I thought to myself that maybe whichever idiot sent that message must have messed up the link, what an amateur.
Just when I'm about to put away my phone, a new message was sent to me.
" Congratulations on purchasing our SUPER AFTERLIFE PACKAGE. The package will be applied right after you are reincarnated. If you have any questions, please contact the following link:
###############
And again, thank you for your purchases, have a nice day "
I was even more confused, so the previous link worked and now I'm somehow bought it. I check my bank deposit and my money is still intact, not a single penny was missing.
' Whatever, I will look further into it later on. It getting late and by hurt as hell. Maybe a good sleep will help? Yup, it definitely will.'
With that out of my mind, I motivate myself to get home quickly to get a good sleep.
As I put the phone away, a bright light flashed at me getting brighter and brighter. Even after I finished putting it away, the light didn't stop getting brighter. Just when I turn my head and see where the light from, to my absolute shock. A truck moving at a high-speed aimed straight at me.
By the time I react, it was already too late. The truck slammed at me, sending me flying far from where I was.
When I open my eyes again, I found myself laying on the cold road. I tried to move my hand but I felt nothing. My mind quickly got fuzzy, it getting harder just to keep my eyes open.
Then a few men wearing doctor clothes surround me and start placing me on something. Those men start to move me into the vehicle, but till that point, my consciousness slowly fade, all I see is a darkness that slowly envelope my vision.
' So this where it ends huh..."
Just as I'm about to read out what my typical dead people thought, my eyes opened again. I found myself standing in a strange place, there are clouds everywhere, and even on the ground, I'm standing on our clouds.
'Where is this place... Is this heaven ?'
I muttered to myself. Then a thick cluster of clouds on the opposite of starts quickly forming a door shape. The door then slowly opens a figure comes out of it.
A man wearing a tidy black suit with a long white as snow hair come out. He then reaches out and grabs a chair made of clouds and sits down. He look at me with a charming smile and said.
"Please take a seat"
Right after that, another chair appeared next to me along with a small table with a cup of water on my side. I sat down slowly, then the man take out a clipboard and start flipping through some paper and start asking.
"You are Mr. Aoki I'm I correct?"
"Yes, you are correct I am Aoki"
"Good. First off welcome to the afterlife management department. And as you can already tell, you died in an accident, tragic. Anyway don't worry, death isn't the end. It is the start of another chapter of your life. My mission is to help you start that adventure. So please Mr. Aoki, click this machine here. The machine will decide which world suits you the best."
Reaching into his pocket, taking out a small device and place it on the table. Look at the device, I hesitate for a bit before looking at him again.
"May I ask what kind of world are we talking about here? Can you tell me more about it before we continue?"
With a slight smile, he points at the device and explains.
"With the lack of worlds we are facing, the administrator decided to convert worlds based on human fictional creation like novels, movies, et cetera. By using that machine, it will help you find a suitable world according to your life experience and reference or in other words. Finding your favorite 'genre'."
"Then if I don't like the world that the machine chooses for me, can I get a different choice ?"
"Mmmmm... Unfortunately not, once it selected that world It won't change its decision. But common, it's not like we gonna drop you off without any support. Once you reincarnated to another world. A special system will aid you in your adventure so relax, we planned it all out."
"ok then, I hope you are right"
I click on the small button on the device as the said. Then a holographic screen appeared on the device with texts moving nonstop. The text then slowly a documentary about a world displayed on the screen.
[ World -47c- The Holy maiden Knight ]
Type: Novel adaptation
Genre: fantasy, action, adventure, romance.
User reincarnation target: Melantha Ashton.
Difficulty: A or Higher (S is max)
[ Created by World Creation department ]
'That name! isn't that the novel I wrote when I was a teenager? Out of all the novels I wrote, It chose that one. My very first novel and not only that, It a freaken romance one, wrote by someone never experience love, rediculous. Well, at least I can get myself a harem... Wait wasn't it a reverse harem? Now think about it, Melantha is the heroine of it... Well shit'
"Well that settled then, I have told you everything you need to know. The system will give you further instruction when you reincarnated into world 47c. Best of luck on your upcoming adventure, have a safe journey, Mr. Aoki."
He then snap his finger and a gate appeared behind me, slowly dragging me towards it.
"Wait why my target..."
But before I can finish my sentence, the portal already dragged me inside and quickly close off.
I then look around but all I can see is endless darkness. But for some reason, it is not cold... or scary as I thought... Instead, I felt warm and very safe, like I was protected but quite cramped... This a realization come to my mind.
'Well well well, isn't this inside the wo... Nope let's not think about this any further...'
If I continue to think about it more, I am afraid my though will make me insane. What is important now this the fact that I was reincarnated as Melantha Ashton, by the name you can already tell it is a female. What is even worst is it is a reverse harem novel, where I will be beloved by a lot of males...
Yes, I'm a lonely person and I want to experience love BUT NOT LIKE THIS. It would be fine if I were a female which currently I am but my... Soul isn't! I was a man and it will never change. Hopefully...
Just thinking about those men flirting with me already sends a chill down my spine.
Why did I even write that? Fck me.