by Roy
When I opened my eyes... I was in the pure white scenery I had witnessed twice before.
“Did I come here again...?”
“Yup, you’re here again.”
I turned around at the sound of that voice to see Kufo.
“Nice to see you again, Kufo.”
“Long time no see! But not that long, it’s only been a month since last time.”
“Are Gain and Lulutia not here?”
“Yup. They’ve stepped out for a bit.”
“Huh, gods can step out?”
“It’s not that uncommon of an event.”
“Wow. Where did they go?”
At my question, Kufo made a face of sudden regret.
“Ah... Umm... Actually, they went to your old world.”
“To Earth?! But why? To bring someone over?”
“No no! It’s not like that, not this time...”
Kufo struggled for words.
“This time? If you can’t say it then I won’t ask anymore, but...”
“Mm... I guess it’s okay if it’s you? They went sightseeing.”
“Excuse me?”
Sightseeing?
“Lulutia is going on a sweets tour of your world, while Gain is currently into one of Japan’s idol groups.”
“What kind of reason is that?! Though it’s fine by me... but are they allowed to cross worlds so freely?”
“Generally speaking, gods can’t interfere with each other’s worlds. But we’ve been interacting by taking people and magic energy from Earth for a long time now... and there aren’t many forms of entertainment in this world, you see. Even Lulutia’s tour is because of the lack of dessert variety in this world, not to mention how they all taste bad in comparison to your world’s.”
“Well, I guess that’s true.”
“I went around the Earth’s secluded regions recently, too. As a god of life, I had a look at all the living beings living in harsh environments. Like in the Amazon, the Sahara Desert, Atlantis, and the deep sea.”
“Hey, there’s something strange mixed in there?!”
“Keep this a secret from the other humans, okay? Our dignity as gods is on the line.”
“Don’t just ignore me. And no one would believe me anyway...”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Kufo cackled with childish laughter.
If the scale of his words hadn’t been so tremendous, I would’ve forgotten he was a god.
“But Gain aside, wouldn’t it be fine if you spread more of the sweets Lulutia likes in this world? There are lots of otherworlders here, no?”
“While you have a point, it’s difficult for cooking recipes to spread here. There’s nothing convenient like the Earth’s internet in this world, and sugar and spices can’t be obtained easily either. You know how foods with many spices are considered high-class items, right?”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“There are several things that have been handed down as luxuries of royalty and nobility, but commoners don’t have access to the ingredients for them. That’s why otherworlders who come here don’t have the ingredients to recreate the tastes of their home, and those that do have trouble passing those recipes on to future generations. For example... you recently met a person named Pioro Saionji, right?”
“I did. I thought Saionji sounded like a family name; was he a descendant of an otherworlder after all?”
“Yup. The otherworlder was the son of an okonomiyaki store-owner, a student that was enrolled in a specialty school for cooking. He tried to make okonomiyaki in this world, but he couldn’t make the sauce and didn’t have the seafood needed, so he traveled the world gathering ingredients. He funded his travels and ingredient fees by opening stalls on his journey and making a killing. As a result, he managed to make okonomiyaki to a satisfactory degree, but it didn’t spread. Then, he used the personal connections and culinary knowledge he gained on his path to making okonomiyaki to form a guild that focused on dealing in foodstuffs. That’s the origin story of the current Saionji Trading Company. To put it another way, ingredients were so difficult to source in the time period he lived in, he could only recreate okonomiyaki after traveling the world and forming a guild. Nowadays there’s the Saionji Company and those that imitated it, so foodstuffs have become a little easier to obtain.”
So that was what happened...
“This kind of story doesn’t only apply to food, but other things too. Techniques, knowledge, anything. Not all otherworlders had passion like him — some had the motivation but no ability or knowledge, and many were just unlucky. There are some arts that were lost due to war or interference from other otherworlders too.”
“When you put it that way, it makes sense. But what do you mean by interference from other otherworlders? Did they bring in a better technique?”
“...I can only call it bad luck. A long time ago, there was a medical student who came to this world and spread the knowledge of medicine and disease. But there’s nothing like that around anymore, right?”
“Yeah, the guildmaster didn’t know anything about epidemics either.”
“Actually, the person who came before the last person before you... said she wanted to be a saint.”
“A saint? A holy figure worshiped in churches?”
“Yup, that’s the one. One with a mysterious power that can heal others, yeah. She wanted to do things like that and have people fawn over her. But she wasn’t a bad person. She wanted to be the center of attention, but she also wanted to help other people. That’s why Lulutia, Gain, and I gave her our protection. She couldn’t resurrect the dead but she could heal any injury or disease, was immune to poison and drugs, and had protection preventing sickness, harm, and being restrained. She intended on living her life as a saint that way, but...”
“But?”
What could have happened?
“She could heal any disease, but because everyone else could only use regular healing magic, they couldn’t heal diseases. At the time, there were diseases that couldn’t be treated with the medical science of this world, so those people would die unless they were treated by her. When she saw that, she realized those types of deaths would increase after she was gone... As a result, at the end of her life she gave up everything to use the divine power of the gods. To erase all disease from this world.”
“Erase all disease from the world?! How can that be possible?”
“It isn’t possible. Not normally, at least. But, because she was an otherworlder that had directly received our power, and the fact she had gathered so many believers with her achievements until then, the prayers of all those people amplified her power and gave it a boost. To put it simply, she cheated the system. And she really did give up everything for it. After she used the power, she passed away and her soul was extinguished. Normally one would be reincarnated, but she even used up that power and disappeared.”
“She’s... kind of amazing...”
“She wanted to be a saint out of admiration and had some trouble at the start, but her sense of duty and everything led her to become a real saint in every meaning of the word in the end.
Changing the energy of prayers into power is something natural for us, but... As a result of her actions, people lived practically disease-free for nearly 400 years in this world. Injuries still happened so healing magic remained, but knowledge about disease and medicines to heal them were lost over time, leading to the current state of things. The effects of her actions are gone now, but the lost knowledge won’t return.”
“I see...”
Still, it was hard to believe that one person could do such a thing. It really was like a cheat...
“Ah, as long as you’re willing to give up your soul, you could probably do something similar. Just not to the same extent.”
“Seriously?!”
“When you combine a human soul with a god’s power, you can create a pretty powerful force. That’s what allows us to use your soul to bring magic energy i
nto this world from another world. Although, if you tried to do the same thing as her, you would only be able to erase all disease for a few years at most. In her case, she was surrounded by believers and specialized in healing so it held out for 400 years, but you have no worshipers and your abilities are all balanced. As a result, you have practically no limits to your growth and the speed of your growth is also fast, so with time you have the potential to become stronger than anyone. And the best part is — it’s fun for us to watch too!”
“That’s your conclusion?”
“But there’s nothing else to do in the divine realm!”
Just as Kufo said that, light started glowing around us. That sure looked familiar.
“Looks like our time’s up.”
“Huh, already? ...Oh, I see! Gain and Lulutia aren’t here, so the time you can remain here on my power alone is shortened... Ryoma!”
“What? There’s no rush...”
“I had something to tell you when I called you here! I’ve wasted all our time chatting, so let me get to the point! We forgot to tell you this, but your mind is being influenced by your younger body and experiencing a slight infantile regression! The same happened to other otherworlders too! You may have lived for over 30 years on Earth before dying as Takebayashi Ryoma, but you’re 11-year-old Ryoma Takebayashi here! That’s why you can’t always control yourself or maintain a poker face! You can try to train yourself over again, but don’t push yourself too hard!”
After Kufo said that in a panic, light filled my vision and returned me to the previous room I was in.
What did he mean? My mind was being influenced by my body? I didn’t get it, but... it sounded kind of important?
I could kind of understand the infantile regression... When I worked at the company in my previous life, I was often told no one could see through my poker face. But now I’m often told my thoughts are written all over my face. That was something I was told often as a kid, too... Well, that didn’t change what I was doing, but since Kufo went out of his way to tell me that, I’ll keep it in mind.
I thanked Kufo in my heart, gave a small donation and left the church.
It was starting to get dark, so I returned to the inn for today.
Everyone was coming to the store tomorrow. I should rest early and work hard!
Extra Story: The Ones Left Behind and the Signs of Change
“TABUCHI! Is Takebayashi still absent?!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Any contact?!”
“None yet! I can’t get a hold of him, either!”
“Well, keep trying! A client contacted us about being stood up for a meeting!”
“How is that my problem, exactly...”
“Fuck you, you insubordinate prick! If you’ve got that much time to dick around, then call him! If he’s not coming in, you do his work! Am I making myself crystal fucking clear?!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Then move! Christ... bunch of useless pansies. Hopeless people like him are always pushing the burden onto the rest of us.”
“If that ain’t the truth.”
“And this is supposed to be my senior? You gotta be kidding.”
“So, like, is the chief AWOL?”
“Dunno. Who cares about that old man.”
“But like, we should at least give him a call. He should know how to act like an adult at his age.”
“He’s definitely fired after this. Reckon they’ll let him in tomorrow?”
“...”
A boss that yelled irrationally. Tabuchi, being yelled at irrationally. The young coworkers who watched on and laughed scornfully.
The other employees that worked silently alongside.
They held their tongues, letting sleeping dogs lie as they quietly hoped for Ryoma’s return.
But on this day, Ryoma did not appear in the office.
Because of that...
“Damn it. Why do I have to do this?”
“...”
On a train before the rush hour home, a clearly displeased man and Tabuchi stood together.
“Iguchi, this is inside the carriage...”
The man was hogging a senior seat that happened to be empty and grumbling about his discontent in a loud and self-important voice.
The other passengers couldn’t have felt comfortable riding with a person with that attitude.
“Hah? Shut up. It’s not like it’s packed or anything.”
Tabuchi’s words couldn’t appease Iguchi. Instead, he was glared at.
“...What the hell are you looking at, bitch?”
“Iguchi!”
They must have accidentally made eye contact. He looked at the two middle aged women who were clearly showing discomfort, but Tabuchi stepped in before he stood up.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, let’s...”
“...”
It seemed like he had noticed that he was gathering attention from not only Tabuchi and the women moving to the next carriage, but the rest of the carriage too. Iguchi cast his sharp glare across the carriage, then snorted when he saw the passengers avert their gaze.
“How long are you gonna stand there for? Move it! You’re suffocating me, you fat fuck.”
“Sorry.”
“Tell me when we arrive.”
Iguchi shoved away Tabuchi, who had been standing before him, then took out a music player from his pocket and started listening to music. Seeing him made Tabuchi think to himself.
There has to be some abuse going on to choose him... isn’t there?
His boss had ordered him to make sure Ryoma was at the office tomorrow, even if he had to drag him there. But if all that was needed was a visit to Ryoma’s home, then Tabuchi alone should have been enough. Iguchi neither knew where Ryoma lived, nor had any interest. The only reason he was here was because of the boss’s order.
Not to mention how Iguchi could be summarized in a single word: a delinquent.
After entering the company through his parents’ connections, he was assigned to the rubbish heap that was division three, where he was known for his ill temper and short fuse.
In the documents he submitted for form’s sake when entering the company, he had played up his personality as ‘dauntless,’ but that was just a nice way of putting it. In reality, he simply couldn’t read situations, mind his manners, and had no problems vocally expressing his complaints. He had also voiced similar complaints about visiting Ryoma’s home this time, grumbling as he demanded early departure as a condition for him to go.
Naturally, the company couldn’t send such a person on external projects, so he normally spent his time at the office slacking off on any duties he had. Which was probably why they had chosen him, if it didn’t matter whether he was there or not...
Of course they had to pick the one with the worst attitude, and give him approval to leave early... No matter how you look at it, it’s an abuse of power.
“...You constipated or something? Don’t you look at me, fuck. Your face makes me sick. Turn around.”
For the record, Iguchi had been at the company for two years. Tabuchi had been working for longer and was older, but thanks to his connections Iguchi was higher positioned.
■ ■ ■
“Urgh, what a fuckin’ shithole. That old fart lives like this?”
Accompanied by Iguchi, who was uttering insults from the moment they arrived, Tabuchi rang the doorbell of the corner room on the second floor.
But the person they were seeking was no longer in this world.
“...Hey, asshole! Are you deaf?! You can’t just skip work unannounced!”
“Please wait, Iguchi. He might not be at home. See, the morning newspaper is still here...”
“Oh? So you’re saying he skipped work to go out and fuck around somewhere?”
“He could be hospitalized, or out shopping... Chief lives alone, so he has to look after himself if he gets sick. It looks like we have no choice but to wait...”
> “YOU WOT?!”
Iguchi grew even more infuriated.
“Umm... we were ordered to talk to him directly, and the phone wouldn’t connect, so we came all the way here...”
“Oh, fuck this... Hey, asshole! I know you’re in there! Don’t bullshit me!”
“H-Hey, calm down a little...!”
Iguchi raised his voice and banged on the door loudly.
Since he was dressed in a proper suit, it kind of made him look like a loan shark here for collections.
Sensing that something was amiss, an old man’s voice traveled up from the bottom of the stairs.
“Excuse me. Do you people have business here?”
“Ah? Just who the hell are you?”
“Sorry for making so much noise! We’re coworkers of the person who lives here. We haven’t been able to contact him since this morning.”
“Takebayashi’s coworkers?”
“Yes, do you know him?”
“Let me think... he didn’t seem particularly different when I saw him last night.”
“Hey. Don’t ignore me, you old fuck. I asked, who the hell are you?”
“The landlord.”
“Landlord? Perfect. Open this door.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I may have a key, but I’m not about to open a tenant’s door without prior notice. Are you people really Takebayashi’s coworkers?”
“I apologize for the late introduction. My info is all on here.”
Tabuchi gave a deep bow as he took his business card out of his pocket and offered it.
“Hmm... Do you like robots?”
“Huh? Y-Yes, I love them.”
“He’s previously mentioned a subordinate with this family name that liked robots...”
“That’s him. We work in the same division as that old man, and this one’s a nerd with kiddy hobbies for his age. Now open the door already.”
“...Tabuchi aside, this one here doesn’t know his manners very well. It’s hard to imagine you’re a working adult.”
“You wanna go, asshole?”
“Iguchi, calm down.”
As a hostile mood settled in the air —
“Could you keep it down?!”