--
Everything was silent… People lay sprawled on the ground, and the air was thick with tension and fear.
One of the thieves shouted sharply:
> "Everyone on the ground! Don't move! We're here to steal only—don't make us take lives!"
I dropped to the ground without thinking, my body pressed against the dirt.
But my eyes caught something that made my blood freeze.
A little girl, no more than five years old, holding a red lollipop, walked toward the thieves with innocent curiosity.
One of them turned, raised his gun, aiming directly at her head.
I didn't think. I didn't decide.
I just charged.
I ran with all my strength, grabbed the girl, and then the sound of gunfire echoed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets tore through my body.
I fell, the child clutched in my arms.
As the light faded from my eyes, I felt regret.
But not the regret you might expect.
I didn't regret dying… I regretted not finishing my favorite novel.
---
When I opened my eyes, I was in a bright white office.
Behind me, wings of light, and in front of me, a stunning angel holding a few papers, her expression one of mild exasperation.
She said coldly:
> "You, the nameless soul… it's your turn."
I stammered:
– "But… I have a name!"
She smiled with a faint, ironic grace:
> "And I am a goddess. Follow me— I don't have all day for a single soul."
I walked behind her, observing a place that felt like a mix of heaven and an administrative office.
I finally asked:
– "Where… am I?"
Without looking at me, she replied:
> "You're at the Reincarnation and Redirection Agency. We're going to the Gacha machine to determine your next fate."
I paused and asked hesitantly:
– "Will… will I keep my memories?"
She glanced at me with mild contempt:
> "No. They'll be erased. Why do humans from your planet always insist on this? Those novels you write made you believe in systems and magic! You're all oddities."
I had no reply. Words failed me.
Then we reached a massive machine that looked like an old arcade cabinet.
She said:
> "Pull the lever seven times. You're lucky—most souls only get one pull."
I asked in disbelief:
– "Why… why seven times for me?"
She handed me a sheet of paper:
> Merits: ∞
Demerits: 84,342
I scanned the list, finding the reason written in tiny letters:
> Saved a little girl from death.
I said to her:
– "But… it was just saving a child? Why infinity?"
She smiled with her usual coldness:
> "Do you think all souls are equal? That girl has a real name, and maybe one day she'll invent a cure for cancer… or even save the universe. Who knows?"
I stood before the machine, my hand on the lever, my heart screaming: Should I escape before my memories are erased?
But the angel's hand pressed on my shoulder as if she could read my thoughts.
> "Pull it now."
I pulled the lever seven times.
Glowing spheres appeared, and I carried them to the Reincarnation Room.
The angel said:
> "Open them, and let's see what you got."
I opened the spheres, and my face twisted between laughter, shock, and anger.
I shouted:
– "What the hell is this?!"
But before I could react, she injected me with a needle.
Light swallowed me, and then I fell through the Reincarnation Gate.
---
And so… my next life began.
---