Chapter 1

Chapter 01 – An Invitation to Another World

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

An Invitation to Another World

It was a long, long line .

These are all dead people, huh… that’s incredible, Hikaru thought .

Tall buildings like skyscrapers reared alongside each other, though devoid of any human presence . There was only the long line of the departed, wearing the same outfit; white summer clothes .

Only one thought raced in their minds: that up ahead they will be judged whether they’ll go to heaven or hell .

Like Hikaru, not everyone just stood in line blankly . Some screamed, and some were hitting on the people in line . There were even those that proposed money-making schemes to them . Hikaru was unlike the other departed . He stepped out of the line and went around to the back of a building .

(Who would’ve thought I’d die like this?)

Hikaru met his end at age fifteen . His name meant “to shine”; he was named as such with the hopes that he would grow up to be a bright young man . But he lived all his life staying in the shadows . He chose to . It was much easier to not interact with people . He couldn’t keep up with the boys and girls his age either .

A traffic accident was the cause of his death . Going to the convenience store at night is not a good idea . One could say he was at fault for being deep in thought, but the driver was to blame as well . Hikaru crossed the street when the lights were green, after all .

(Not like there’s any point in lamenting over it now . The only takeaway I got is that humans die easily . Something I learned personally… Hmm?)

Hikaru felt the presence of people behind the building . Dead people .

「Come on, move!」

「Hahahaha! We died too because of you! Hahaha!」

「You freakin’ idiot! You just had to do it, didn’t you? Well, we’re gonna keep on bullying you forever . 」

Three boys kicked a scrunching kid, sending him flying . Bullying .

(Bullying even in this place, huh? These kids are beyond redemption . I don’t like it . But then again, it’s none of my business . )

It’s best if I don’t get involved… Hikaru started backing away when his eyes met those of the cowering kid .

!

The boy looked at Hikaru and quickly averted his gaze . Something was on the ground behind the boys . A bag . Faint light spilled from within .

Now that he thought about it, Hikaru saw some of the dead carrying the same kind of light as well . A few had it in their hands, some in bags . He understood that it was something very important .

Take it .

Hikaru thought the boy on the ground mouthed the words at him . Take it . In other words, steal it .

「…」

Ignoring him would be easy . But Hikaru’s bad habit got the better of him . His curiosity . He held interest in the “light” that the other dead people possessed . There were those that had one, and those that didn’t; Hikaru belonged to the latter . What would it mean for the boy if he took the bag?

(Does me taking it constitute an act of revenge against the ones that are bullying you? Fine . I’ll do it . I’m curious as well . )

Slowly, Hikaru inched closer . The three boys had their backs turned to him, so they didn’t notice him approaching .

Hikaru always refrained from doing anything dangerous, but right now he was trying to brave the risk . The reason for his actions was simple . Humans die easily . And he was already dead . In that case, shouldn’t he at least satisfy his curiosity?

Hikaru was surprisingly calm . He approached slowly . All he had to do was not get noticed and it would be all right .

The boys were in their early teens; same age as Hikaru or perhaps younger . They kicked the kid with faces full of spite .

Hikaru reached for the bag . Just a little more . Only ten centimeters . Got it—

「Ah . 」

One of the three boys turned around to look . His eyes met that of Hikaru’s .

「What the hell are you doing?!」

Grabbing the bag, Hikaru made a run for it .

「You bastard!」

「We’ll be in deep trouble without that!」

「Stop!」

They’ll be in trouble without it? What does that mean?

「…What the?!」

Something occurred behind him . He looked over his shoulder for a second to see the bullied kid standing up, lunging himself at the three boys . When Hikaru turned at a corner of the building, he could no longer see his pursuers . They were probably caught off-guard by the kid’s sudden actions .

Hikaru ran, and ran, and ran . He dashed through the forest of high-rise buildings .

「Haa… haa… haaa…」

Eventually, his legs gave up . Exhausted, he propped his hands on a wall, panting, and sat down on the ground .

「Did I lose them?」

There were no sounds of footsteps approaching . It was safe to assume he lost the boys .

「Hmm… this kind of adrenaline-pumping action isn’t so bad… So what’s this thing?」

In his hand was a bag that was made by randomly stitching rags together . Light spilled from within it .

Was it owned by the bullied kid? Or the three boys? They mentioned something about being in trouble if they didn’t have it .

「That was some great stealing . 」

「Wha?!」

A voice came from behind, startling Hikaru, and he turned around .

「Who are you?!」

「I don’t have much time . I want you to listen to what I have to say . All right?」

The one who spoke was a boy around Hikaru’s age . But he had blonde hair and blue eyes .

A foreigner? Hikaru thought .

The boy wore rich velvet clothes that looked to be outdated with a corsage on his collar . He looked like a noble in oil paintings found in art books .

(That’s strange . I thought everyone here was Japanese . )

The dead people in line had black hair and black eyes . The same was true for the three bullies and the kid they were bullying . Then there was the outfit . The boy wasn’t wearing the same white summer clothes .

「You’re coming with me to my world . I want to you to live in my stead . 」

「I’m not sure I follow . 」

「I will die soon . 」

The boy lifted his shirt . His belly was stained a deep red .

「…Looks serious」

「I was assassinated . Stabbed by a knife . 」

Assassinated . Now there’s a disturbing word .

「At the brink of death, I sent my soul alone all the way here . You know where you are, correct?」

「The place between death and the afterlife… I think . 」

「That’s right . This is the entrance to paradise where souls receive their judgment . My world has one too . I desperately needed immense power for my own goal . So I researched about the art of crossing worlds . Unfortunately, I could only go to another world’s heaven . Before I could accomplish my long-cherished goal, I was assassinated and am now dying . 」

「You’re going too fast . Give your story in order . I didn’t understand half the things you just said . 」

「I don’t have time to talk about the details . Come to my world and grant my one wish . Then you will be revived once more . Or to be more accurate, reincarnated . 」

「—————–」

Revived? Did he just say revived?

「You can do whatever you want once you’re revived . What do you say?」

「…Okay . 」

Hikaru nodded in agreement . He can be alive once more . That brought him joy more than anything . He couldn’t bear having his amassed knowledge and all his thoughts wiped clean from having his soul judged .

「Well then . I’m now going to perform the world-crossing spell . My name is Roland . Roland N . Zaracia . I’m giving you my body . 」

White light burst and blurred his vision . And just like that, Hikaru’s soul left the place .