"Hey! Stay with us! Somebody call an ambulance, quick!"

It was raining that night. My body was in unbearable pain as I lay on the ground, gasping for air. The cold raindrops poured over me, adding to the chill that was spreading through my bones.

My vision blurred, and my head spun. I could hear the voices of panicking bystanders and the distant sounds of sirens. But those sounds were slowly fading into the background while my thoughts grew louder. How did this even happen?

Oh, that's right... On my way home, I saw a kid trying to cross the road and a truck headed straight for him. Against my own will, my feet moved on their own, and before I knew it, I was in the middle of the road. I pushed the kid out of the way and ended up being the one to get run over by the massive high-speed truck.

I wasn't trying to be a hero or anything like that, but I just couldn't stand by and watch that kid get flattened by the truck. And in return for my "heroic" act, I was awarded the most painful thing I've ever experienced... death.

It's almost kinda funny actually... I'd laugh right about now if my ribs weren't destroyed.

But then again, what would I have done if I had gotten home tonight? I live in a single room apartment completely devoid of life. I work part-time as a dishwasher in some restaurant, earning barely enough to scrape by. Heck, I'm surprised I was able to live for this long.

I'm 30 years old and I'm still a virgin. Like what the hell? I knew people who lost their virginity when they were just 15... yet here I am. But who'd blame girls for not being attracted to me? I look like a grumpy, hairless cat.

Looking back, I guess I should have made more of an effort to interact with people. I have no family and no friends to speak of. I've been alone for as far back as I can remember. I've always wondered who would cry for me when I die. But now I see that I don't have anyone like that.

Back when I was a kid, there was a time when I found a stray kitten in the alley behind my apartment. Despite having almost nothing for myself, I took it in and cared for it with whatever scraps I could find. That kitten was the only friend I had, and the day it ran away, my heart broke all over again. I guess even then, I couldn't hold on to anything good in my life."

"..."

I take back what I said earlier about death being the most painful thing I'd ever experienced. Yeah... It's clear now that the most painful thing... is the life I've lived. If only I could start over, I'd do so many things differently.

"If only I could..."

Those were my final words as I shut my eyes and departed from this world. That was the end. Or so I thought.

***

All of a sudden, I found myself sitting in a vast white empty space that seemed to stretch on forever. I was bare-skinned, the lower half of my body concealed by the thick fog that was present in this unfamiliar landscape. Even though I couldn't see the surface beneath my feet, I knew that it was not normal tiled floors. It felt as though I was standing on water.

"Is this... heaven?"

At the time, being in heaven was the only thing that came to mind. But my assumption was incorrect. I was startled by a stentorian voice that came from behind me.

"I assure you, this is not heaven."

I gradually turned around to see just who it was that had spoken, only to receive the shock of my life. My eyes widened, with fear etched inside my retina. My entire body froze in place and I could barely breathe.

It's only natural, for what was before my eyes was nothing I had ever seen before. A snow-white being with a towering stature. The sclera of his eyes were black and his iris were gold.

"Welcome, Tadano Sato. Fear not; I mean you no harm. You stand at the crossroads between life and death, a spirit caught in transition. Your fate is not sealed yet."

Yeah, no. It doesn't matter how many times you tell me to calm down, nothing about the current situation puts me at ease! In my moment of fear, I managed to muster up some courage to speak.

"W-who are you? Where am I? And how did I get here?"

"For the time being, my identity matters not, the same goes for where you are and how you arrived. All that matters is that you are here."

I thought that asking questions would help me understand what's going on, but if anything, I'm even more confused now.

"Tadano Sato, the recent play of events has caused you to dispatch from the world of the living. What you are now is but a spirit that stands between death and rebirth."

"Wait, so I'm not dead yet? And I have a chance to be reborn? A chance to start over?!"

It sounded way too good to be true, but still, I couldn't help but feel excited. Being reborn and getting a chance to start over was something I wished for. Up until now, my life has been full of nothing but regret, but now, I have a chance to live a better life.

"I want to be reborn."

The nameless being nodded his head and added, "An excellent choice."

A blinding bright light began to radiate around me. My excitement was mixed with a tad bit of fear. This is what I asked for.

***

A bright light enveloped me, and I felt my consciousness slipping away.

"----WHAA----WHAA----"

The sounds of a crying baby. Loud and annoying, yet at the same time very adorable. Either way, I wanted to tell that baby to keep it down.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by a flood of sensations—warmth, softness, and a rhythmic sound that was oddly soothing. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt heavy. When I finally managed to peek through my eyelids, I saw the face of a beautiful woman with golden hair and eyes that sparkled like stars.

After the sounds of crying stopped, I realized that I was that crying baby.

"Hey there little guy. You're as cute as your mom, ya know that?"

Said the beautiful woman while smiling. One thing was clear to me, I had been reincarnated as a newborn and the woman who held me was probably my mother.

"Right then, we need a name for you... how about Nerior."

And just like that, my new life had begun.