Kichiro opened his eyes, finding himself surrounded by a seemingly endless void. He blinked a few times, unsure of his surroundings.
In that brief moment, something began to emerge from the darkness in front of him—a small yellowish light that quickly grew in size and took a more tangible form.
The figure in front of him resembled a woman. She was bathed in a bright yellow light emanating from her, with light yellow hair cascading down her curvy yet plump frame and golden eyes.
Kichiro was stunned and unsure of what he was feeling or what was happening. Had he fallen asleep? Then why did it feel so real? The confusion brimming inside him was cut short when a velvety voice spoke.
"Welcome, I see you've awakened."
The voice was soft and melodic, like a mother's to her child. The emotions that had welled up inside him disappeared after hearing that voice.
Kichiro took a few moments to collect himself before asking the only question that made sense right now.
"What's happening?" That was the only thing that seemed sensible to say in this situation.
Even though he was less disoriented than when he first woke up, he was still clueless. He knew nothing about what was happening or what had happened. Who was she? What was she? Where was he? Why was he here? How did he get here? There were too many questions to ask right now.
The being in front of him gave him a soft smile, the sides of her lips curling upwards.
"You may call me Gioia, and you, Kichiro Kame, have unfortunately perished in a car accident while departing from a high school reunion."
The voice of the being in front of him, who he now knew as Gioia, still kept the same soft tone that had calmed him earlier. However, the same effect was not happening now. Instead, it was drastically different and much more piercing.
A grim look painted Kichiro's face, his heart sinking deep into his stomach. It felt as if something had grabbed it and was squeezing it, waiting for it to burst.
"I... died?" he said. That was the only thing he could muster up. The words felt unreal. Even though Gioia had just confirmed it, he still asked. The news was just too unfathomable for him right now. Too hard to swallow.
Gioia closed her eyes briefly, then opened them with a sad, sympathetic look before confirming his question.
"Yes, unfortunately the damage was too great, and you died on impact."
The realization struck him like thunder. Just a few minutes ago, he was enjoying pizza and laughter with his friends, and now...
Cecilia.
"I'm sorry, but that can't be true... Are you a god? If you are, please send me back. I made a promise and—"
Before he could finish, Gioia cut him off.
"Unfortunately, that is not possible."
Kichiro clenched his teeth hard. Was he supposed to accept this quietly? He had just promised her. He had finally seen his friends again.
Before Kichiro could continue his rant, Gioia spoke up.
"I cannot send you back. However, I can offer to send you to another world."
"…?"
"I can send you to another world—a fantasy world where you can fight to obtain great treasures and fulfill endless desires."
Kichiro, who had yet to process dying, could definitely not process whatever nonsense this glowing figure was spouting.
Was she some sort of salesperson?
A fantasy world? Obtain treasure by fighting? Was this some sort of anime?
Wasn't it too cruel to send someone who had just passed away to go somewhere else? To not even mourn for their past lives?
But…could he really refuse?
What choice did he have? He didn't want to cease to exist or whatever happens after you die.
He wanted to eat pizza and drink beer with his friends, hug his mother, and tell Cecilia something he should've told her before. And now he couldn't.
Before Kichiro could ponder for too long, Gioia started talking again.
"Do you accept or deny?" For some reason, the smile that the woman put on seemed a little strange.
Anger, apprehension, and despair all choked up inside the unfortunate boys throat, and the only thing that came out was a low but profound,
"Yes."
Gioia put on a delighted smile and clasped her hands with joy.
"You won't regret it!" she said happily. She then looked over to the darkness on her left with what seemed to be amusement.
Wondering what she was looking at, Kichiro turned his head to see it too. When he turned, it felt like space collapsed, and he was being sucked in that direction. He tried screaming for Gioia to help him, but his voice was mute.
Gioia waved her hands, smiling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, leaving a somewhat unsettling feeling.
"See you soon."
Again everything went black
——-
It was quiet for a while, but Kichiro began to hear very distant and tiny noises. A white light slowly captured the black space surrounding him, enveloping everything.
He began to try opening his eyes, hoping he wouldn't be stuck in the void again.
He lifted his eyelids. The lights around him were very bright to the point he felt like they might scorch his eyes out. He began to cry involuntarily.
He cried and cried until the pain slowly dissipated, and he could observe his surroundings although it was still blurry from all the tears.
The first thing he noticed was a pair of...
Wait..
Were those eyes orange?