Pure tranquility could be sensed in this space where nothing distinctive could be seen. Only the pure white surface was spread all around.
Amidst the empty void sat a person in his early twenties with dark bags under his eyes and a tired expression wearing him down. His back was arched, hands hanging down his knees and enthusiasm seemed to have long been lost from his raven eyes.
The other person in the room or to be precise the deity who had summoned the tired soul after his death was cheerfully smiling at the man and patiently waiting so the man could ask the most common question a dead person asks after entering the Paused domain.
However, the deity was well aware of why the man seemed so tired and spiritless so the blond woman didn't wait long and spoke her mind out.
"Congrats~You died~"
"..." The man slowly lifted his eyes and through his parted bangs, he noticed the woman standing on the podium some meters away but his expression remained the same. There was no difference whatsoever even though the woman was no less than a true goddess.
"How rude to not be even a little flustered in my presence." The lady who seemed to be in her mid-twenties, pouted with her arms locking over her bountiful chest.
"...I am shocked...I really am. " The man, for the first time after dying, spoke with his heavy tone carrying his lie.
Given that the deity could read the mind and emotions of anyone, it was simple for her to deduce how the man was blatantly lying to her.
Nevertheless, she didn't stress over it. In the first place, she was just trying to lighten up the mood and proceed to the topic at hand with a healthy atmosphere.
But alas...the man didn't have a past that things like dying could have made him shocked. If anything, the goddess sensed a little sense of happiness emerging out of the man.
She decided to ignore that part and move forward...
"Kasuragi Hayato, since you have saved over twenty thousand children and fifty elders in your lifetime, I grant you another shot in life. This time it would-"
"I refuse. Please throw my soul into the void of nothingness and let me rest in peace. ".
"... " This time, it was the blond lady who found herself at a loss of words to form a response to his explicit antagonism toward life.
"It doesn't work like that, child. You have to exhaust your Karma points or your soul would highly affect the other neutral ones. If you commit crimes in your lifetime then you have to pay for the consequences in Satan's pit before your soul can submerge in the holy river of Life and Death. So even if you want, your soul won't be able to rest just now. "
The goddess seriously had an apologetic expression when she expressed the facts to him. His expression twisted slightly, clearly not prepared to spend another lifetime.
He soon followed with the question which the lady very well anticipated, "And what if I suicide soon after I am reborn?"
"You might not remember this meeting so the point of suicide doesn't stand. But if you wish to keep your memories intact and kill yourself right away, then this process would start from zero since rebirth doesn't exhaust your Karma, your wishes and deeds does. "
Mid explanation, the man pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes shut. He already expected this cliche and knew he couldn't escape this procedure if the higher being had decided it for him once.
He remained silent for a good while. Trying to prepare his next sentence which could sound the least rude to the divinity.
The Goddess couldn't help but sigh upon hearing all his internal monologue which surely would have put many deities in a foul mood, considering how a mortal was cursing them relentlessly.
But she was chosen for the job since she already was aware of how to deal with those who didn't know divine etiquette and such.
The lady waited patiently before the man finally parted his lips and asked in a hoarse tone, "Can I get to keep my memories intact?"
*Nod*
"And can I be reborn in a fictional world if possible?"
*Nod* *Nod*
Already aware of why the man wanted to reincarnate into a fictional world, the goddess didn't bother asking him the reasoning behind his wish.
The man seemingly relaxed a bit before he allowed his back to rest on the chair comfortably. He really was paranoid with a normal nine-to-five and wanted some thrill in his life.
"Okay, let's go with the karma things, if you may. How did I end up saving those many children?"
Hayato remembered saving a bus from falling into the river as at the last moment he took control of the driver's seat and despite being shot by the hijacker, crashed the bus into the nearby emergency barricade.
He died soon after but it seems he was able to save the passengers somehow. Well, something good about the driving classes he attended after graduating from University. But he doesn't have any recollection of the incident where he saved those many children, at all.
"On December 25th, when a girl was about to jump from the bridge, you didn't only save her but also motivated her to move on from her breakup. That woman later became a social activist and fed many children using her wealth and expanded her services throughout the continent."
Hayato's eyes widened as the image of a fat girl flashed across his mind whom he pulled away from the railing of the bridge which had a deep river underneath. The fact that she was fat yet had a boyfriend who recently cheated on her describes that the girl must be rich. But Hayato had no idea at that time or he might have...
"*Ahem* Please refrain from tainting your reputation, Hayato-san, and focus on the matter at hand."
The blond woman coughed roughly to shoo away Hayato's not-so-polite thoughts.
"Hmm, please continue."
The blond woman snapped her fingers before a silvery grey screen emerged in front of Hayato. It wasn't a stat panel like it's shown in typical fan fiction or web novels, but rather a bar meter showcasing some numbers.
[Karma Points: 3000]
[Points utilized: 0]
"This...? "
"It would allow you request for wishes in accordance to the world you would be transmigrating to. You can earn and exhaust them in your new life so don't worry about over-expenses and wish to your heart's content~"
****
A/N: - Drop a comment if you liked the first chapter.
The fiction of Mahouka has been written to some decent point but the fact that I need to put my focus into it by reading the LN once again when I already am writing Solo leveling ff....kinda stretch.
I have recently read JJK manga and the world of curses is more simple and easy to understand compared to Mahouka, so yeah.