The voice of the God of Fate coming from my phone sounded both happy and somewhat sad.
"You've done a really good job. Thank you for stopping the God of Luck."
"There's nothing like being thanked by God..."
The key phrase "God of Luck" caught my attention, but I couldn't decide if it was the right question to ask.
"I'm sure you're aware of this, but...the God of Luck was behind this whole thing."
I had always wondered if Chosokabe, who seemed to be a small man, could make it this far on his own. It was expected that he would have abused the miracle of the God of Luck.
"When you say God of Luck, you mean God of Fate's follower, right?"
"...until he turned to the side of the Evil God in that battle."
That battle is definitely the battle between the Evil God and the Lord God that took place a long time ago. The Lord God's side was victorious and the defeated God was sealed in the depths of the earth as an Evil God.
"We followers came to Earth in the aftermath of a battle and lost most of our power. I already told you about the game...to survive, right?"
"Yes, I heard that story before."
"I've had a private conversation with the God of Luck, thinking that now that we've both lost our powers, we can talk openly and I asked him why he had betrayed the Moon God, our master deity."
That's what I'm wondering too. It is somewhat understandable that the evil gods, like the God of Nature, betrayed the Evil God's side by looking at the war situation and drifting to the advantageous side. But the opposite is....
"The God of Luck said [I am the god of both good and bad luck. Because of this, I have been both pleased and resented by humans. Even so, I have behaved as a god. But I've had enough of humans. Thanking for good fortune is temporary. A lifetime of lamenting bad luck, even if it's luck I'm not involved in] and smiled sadly."
I understand what the God of Luck is trying to say. Winning the lottery or being lucky enough to survive an accident. Those people may be grateful to God in that moment. However, the gratitude is soon forgotten. How many of us live every day being grateful for the good fortune we have earned?
But when something bad happens, they blame it on bad luck instead of acknowledging the reality, saying, "It was just bad luck" or "It's not my fault"....Like I did when I failed to find a job.
"He wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. When I tried to convince him that human beings were not worthless, he said, [Then prove to me in this game the brilliance of the people I've given up on.] So I used...Yoshio to show the God of Luck what humans could do."
I found myself more satisfied than surprised by the exposé. Why did she choose such a man as a player of the God of Fate? She wanted to show the potential of humanity by rehabilitating a useless person. I guess that's what she meant.
"The God of Luck used a man who was his player to test the recovering Yoshio. He said it was convenient for him because he was a greedy man who embodied the ugliness of humanity. From there, with the help of the God of Love, he made him fall in love with Seika-chan and turned him against Yoshio-kun."
As a player of the God of Luck, it would have been easy for Chosokabe to become a very rich man. That's how Chosokabe got his money, started a company, became a success, and messed with Seika. He didn't even know that he was dancing in the palm of the gods. I'm not sure what to make of this.
"So you're saying that I and Chosokabe were being used by the God of Fate and the God of Luck to fight on their behalf?"
"Yes....I'm sorry. I'm not sure if you'll believe me if I tell you this now, but I believed in you, Yoshio. I thought that you might be able to clear the clouded eyes of the God of Luck."
There was no way I, a human being, could tell if God was telling the truth or not. But I wanted to believe it. It was the Village of Destiny that had reformed me. And the one who sent me that game was the God of Fate. Even if I'm being deceived, it's thanks to God that I'm here now. There's no need to hold a grudge or doubt.
"I understand. Thank you for talking to me. I feel much better now."
"Aren't you upset that I used you?"
It's kind of funny that even though she is a god, she speaks to me in a frightened voice.
"It's impossible for me to be angry, although I am grateful. I've only been receiving gifts for so long. If I could give a little back, I'd be happy."
Compared to the fact that you sent me the Village of Destiny, which helped me get back on my feet, I have yet to repay you even ten percent of what you have done for me.
"You don't have to ask me these questions to know if I'm telling the truth, do you?"
"I've lost most of my powers since I came here, and everyone used up a lot of their remaining divine power plugging up the holes from last time. If we don't use the Bible as a medium, we're nothing more than ordinary people."
I didn't feel any mystical aura when I met her in Hokkaido, but maybe she wasn't hiding it and was just being honest.
"It is only when we lose our power and become closer to people that we, as gods, may truly understand them. No matter how much we mend our ways with words, those in high places will never recognize the weak, and treat them as equals. God and man are not so different. We can make mistakes, we can stagnate, we can change, and we can start over. I hope the God of Luck understands that...."
Her voice was full of compassion.
"I hope he changes."
"Oh, yeah! I have to thank you for the trouble I caused you this time. Is there anything you want me to do? No sex, okay?
That's an unexpected turn of events. I can't imagine a thank you from God.
"Well, it's too vague for me to answer."
"I see. It's impossible for us to make anything happen. This is not our world, and we have very little divine power. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what you need from me."
Are you allowed to do game things? So, maybe you want to raise the level of the village, or give me a lot of fate points. More miracles that can be used in real life would also be attractive. Right now, I don't have any use for them except to control the weather.
The miracles of fate that can be used in real life, such as "meet someone you miss" and "Meet the person of your dreams" are still practical, but there are also things like "A peddler will come". When I tried to activate "A peddler is coming", a door-to-door salesman came. Since then, I haven't used that kind of miracle.
"Also...how about making Yoshio's old dream come true?"
"What do you mean, "dream?" Could it be...?"
"Yes. You've always wanted to work in the game industry, right?"
I was tempted to say, "How do you know that?" But since she had been observing me, I guess it was only natural that she would have gotten that much information. In addition, it would not be surprising if there was a god with a miracle that could easily find out personal information.
"Yes, well. It's always been a dream of mine."
When I was a student, I even studied scenario writing. When I was looking for a job, I tried to get a job at a few game companies. I guess I don't need to tell you the results.
"Yeah, right. Then why don't you work for us? We're a game company, too!"
"...What the heck?"
A strange voice came out of me in surprise. What did this god just say to me? Are you saying you want to hire me? A human being in God's game company?
"I think I'll ask you to debug the game first, though. I want you to help me find players who are violating the rules."
"Huh? By the way, how much do I get paid?"
I haven't even decided if I'm going to accept or not, but I'll ask questions about what's on my mind.
"In addition to a monthly income of 400,000 yen, we offer an employee discount of half off the purchase of fate points! Furthermore, you can work from home! In other words, all you have to do is play the game for a few hours every day and report what's on your mind, just like before."
What's with the favorable conditions, like those suspicious ads you sometimes see on the Internet? I know because I read information magazines when I was looking for a part-time job. There was no such thing as a part-time or full-time job with such conditions. Such a good deal rarely exists. If this were true, everyone would want to work there.
"That's a crazy good deal."
"Yeah. Why don't you work with us? Oh, if you want, you can work at the head office in Hokkaido. We're gods after all, and there are many beautiful men and women there."
Stop it, that temptation works wonders on me! Working at a white game company surrounded by beautiful men and women. I've seen this kind of setup before in novels and manga. It's an offer I wouldn't normally have to hesitate to accept. Yes, normally there is no need to hesitate....
"I'm sorry. I'm really, really, really torn, but I'm going to have to decline your offer of employment."
"May I ask your reasons?"
I was prepared for her to be offended, but her voice was surprisingly gentle. I wondered if she had anticipated my answer.
"It was because I thought I was too...spoiled. I still help and rely on the people around me, and I've had an easy life compared to others. I'm afraid that if I'm like that, if I indulge in the status quo any longer, I'll go back to being a...bad person."
I've been running away for ten years, living a life of indulgence. I know how easy it is to live life without doing anything. But I also know the heartache of...empty days. I don't want to go back to that state again. That's why I have to destroy the possibility of it.
I can't just take the easy way out. I've been resting for ten years. I don't need any more time off. Besides, I have things I want to do now. I have hopes that are more important than my past dreams. This incident has reaffirmed that for me.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It would have been fun to work with you, Yoshio."
"I'm sorry too."
If this were a game, I would save before this choice and experience both futures. But this is reality. It's not a game that I'll be playing for the rest of my life. Once I make a choice, the other option disappears.
"I'll see what I can do for you in the game. I'll be in touch. Thank you very much, Yoshio-kun."
"Thank you very much for inviting me."
Then she hung up the call.
"This is good, right? I'm not wrong, am I?"
I have no regrets about my decision. Only a little.... I've been so engrossed in the conversation that I've forgotten that he's been around for a while. The expression on his face as he repeatedly shook his head, as if he saw through my regret and hesitation, for a lizard, he has a lot of emotional expression.
"I'd better make a phone call while I'm at it."
I take control of my phone and find Seika's number in the phone book. I made the call without any hesitation.
"Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me more about—"
There were two paths, and I blocked one of them myself. Was it the right choice? What was the destination on the other path? Even if the path I chose was a path of hardship, I don't think I would have regretted it. It was a path that I decided for myself, not one that was decided by others.