In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You - only you - will have stars that can laugh.
--
When Jyushimatsu first found out he was going to join his brother in the afterlife, he could not believe it. He knew it had been coming for a while and was expecting it ever since he decided to become a NEET, but still, this was something else entirely. His brothers didn't really understand why he didn't like being a NEET because they didn't see how much it meant to him, nor did they understand that he didn't want to leave behind people who still believed in him and wanted him around. He loved his parents more than anything , so he gave whatever left from his bank to them. Even when being a NEET he always kept a healthy body and work from the house, his wealth and health accumulated far than most ordinary businessmen. He did martial arts and learn many things but the most happy moments of his life were reading novel and comics, writings many kind of literatures , playing games and world building a game named World Role Online.
It was not his fault that even if he played on the world, or read the world and was learning all kinds of knowledge about everything and anything, he wasn't satisfied with all these things. His mind just would never settle down to the normal human things that other people do. The same way every day when he woke up, no matter what he was doing or where he was, he felt that all these activities didn't help at all. The thoughts of his childhood haunted his whole life and even though he got over it, he couldn't erase them completely. Sometimes when he thought back of his past, he remembered everything again like nothing happened in the first place - he saw them again - he saw her again. Every time he tried to get rid of those memories, new ones just popped up and made him feel worse.
He didn't know what to do and how to fix all the troubles that were plaguing him. He couldn't stop thinking of her whenever he looked up at the sky, but it felt wrong, like there was someone standing right next to him watching over him. He never told anyone what he felt during that moment because that would only make it sound weird and even though he felt good, he also felt like something was off. He couldn't help feeling that his feelings towards his family wasn't really real. Not anymore.
But then one day, he heard a voice that said something which changed everything. It was an old friend - someone he hadn't seen in years. Her name is Yuki and she was a very nice person. She was a writer and she was working on a book about the world. She was writing about the world and its inhabitants and she asked Jyushimatsu if he wanted to read it. He agreed immediately and started reading it. He didn't find it hard to understand it - there was no plot or anything - it was really easy to understand and that was what intrigued him the most. He couldn't stop thinking about it for days on end. He started asking his friends and everyone else he met, but nobody had any clue what was inside that book, either.
And now, here he was. After almost half a year, he finally reached his goal, he was actually a part of the world that Yuki wrote about. Now all that was left was getting the courage to open that door. The words of encouragement that Yuki wrote for him rang through his head like bells.
"I believe in you!"
"Jyushimatsu! Do your best!"
"Don't forget me!"
He didn't know where they were coming from, he couldn't even begin to guess where they came from or if they were true. But he felt like he needed them more than ever before.
So he took a deep breath, opened the door and walked into the darkness. He was scared, but he continued.
"What's going on?" Someone asked beside him. Jyushimatsu turned around and saw a tall, thin man looking at him curiously. He noticed there was a long black coat covering most of his body except for his eyes, which were pure white. He felt a shiver run down his spine, like someone touched his shoulder.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Where's Yuki? How did you find us?" He asked quickly and nervously. The guy just stared at him for a few seconds before answering.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about." He replied calmly. Jyushimatsu felt relieved, but he still felt uneasy.
"Yuki, my sister. She's a writer and she wrote a book about the world....."
" No , your memories are wrong. She wasn't your sister , you both are not even blood related. You are adopted cause her parents wanted a son . Her one sided crush for you have been kept for a long time. She tried to tell you countless times but you didn't notice anything. Not to mention many girls have fallen for you but you never replied, well I can't fully blame you as few of them were fake or a set up trap but at least from a Hundred love letters and confessions 70 % were true interest and 10 % they fell head over heel , the 20 % traps and fakes though. "
" As your listings of good karma , you've been helping many older people , some young people and most of them ending up helping that 10 % girls and some of 70% one. and the chains of good karma of yours accumulated too much because not only in this life but all of your previous lives , you did many good things even when you're almost the lowest possible positions. As such , you're going to have another reincarnation but this time you'll have to mate . This world is unrestrained much more than all of your previous lives.
Dangerous, almost no morality , a chaotic environment and if you mate , you'll get a fortune of 1000 million gold coins that is more than the entire GDP of Japan in that world . If you refuse, the money you spend on it won't help you, but at least your karma will change for good. If you choose not to mate, however, you have to go through hell. And that's why, no matter how strong your spirit is and no matter how many wishes and promises you have, your life can't change for good without mate."
"...what?! But, wait! If I do this, am I doomed?" Jyushimatsu asked frantically. That was when the tall thin man answered :
"No, no. you won't be dead. Only soul. But the opposite if you mate ,this world is full of life. Your life isn't over just because your soul is gone. You will grow stronger and smarter as you get closer and closer to your mate. At the same time your heart and mind will become more and more powerful, because you will need to learn and adapt to different ways of thinking. You will be able to use more power and strength as time goes on. Your lifespan will extend . Any other questions? "
That answer stunned Jyushimatsu into silence; he could hardly believe what had just happened. His first instinct was to reject the offer, but after hesitating for a short while,he accepted. The answer was no, so the tall thin man turned away. He stopped and turned around once more after leaving for a few seconds.
"One last thing before you start. When you're ready to move on, I'd appreciate it if you don't waste this opportunity. You should live a fulfilling life with your family and your friends ; you'll meet many beautiful girls and young men. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being gay or bisexual in this century, even if you're born as a woman. The world is full of things that you're capable of loving. Don't let others take advantage of you for money or for your looks." With these words he went further away " you don't have to worry about losing your way anymore. That will be our parting gift to you. Farewell."
The man left him alone after that. A strange warmth filled his chest, as if there was a flame inside of it. His hand moved toward it and caressed it gently with his fingertips. It felt soft and warm. It was a superpower like the power to heal wounds that he himself didn't know. Suddenly, it hit him what it meant. It must be some kind of superpower.
"This power.." He whispered to himself.
"This power," a deep yet familiar voice said in front of him.
"Is yours. It has always been.
It just that he never knew existed before. It gave him a sense of peace and joy. The only thing that made it even better was knowing that this was the last warning he would receive. If he chooses not to listen this time, he would regret it later on. That was their final warning before their fate ended and everything would return back to normal or so he thought but when he opened his eyes the ceiling look so big and there were some strange people around him. Everyone and everything looked bigger than what he remembered.
" Am I getting smaller? "
he tried to see his hand and found out he couldn't move so much.
he was carried and brought to a beautiful woman in the luxurious bed. She smiled softly and stroked his cheek lovingly.
"Don't worry dear Frayn , mother here for you. "
"Who are you?" He mumbled but came out "u AR u " and closed his eyes. It was too bright for him. The sun was shining into his room and he felt so tired. He was born as a baby once more as his new life began.