I guess you could say... I had terrible luck but an incredibly tough life.
Probably the first time was in elementary school.
"Hey, watch out!!!"
"...Huh?"
'Screeeeeech!!!!! Bang!!'
While crossing the crosswalk with friends after school to go to a gaming café, I was hit by a car, flew far away, was diagnosed with full-body fractures, had metal pins inserted in almost all my bones, and
"Sigh... It's a miracle you're alive. If that car had braked even a little later..."
And because of the scars from the surgery I had then, I was teased by kids at school, called Frankenstein, and
Then... probably the second time was in middle school, second grade.
"Ah, damn those weather forecast bastards said it would be sunny today... Why is it suddenly raining and acting up..."
'Rumble!'
"...Huh?"
'Crack!!'
While riding my bike home, it suddenly started raining, so I sat on a nearby bench to take out my umbrella from my bag and wait out the rain, but a cement structure installed for landslide prevention broke, and I was buried under the debris and dirt pile, rescued after 5 hours, with cracks all over my body, and was told it would take 8 weeks to recover, and
"...So, to sum it up, you were caught in a landslide, but thanks to the bench you were sitting on and the bike that was pushed away, your whole body wasn't covered in dirt, and you had loosened the helmet you were wearing, which ended up protecting your face like a mask when you fell, so you weren't completely buried and could breathe, allowing you to survive for 5 hours buried in the dirt pile? ...How on earth did you do that?"
"How should I know... I was unconscious until right before I was rescued..."
And the third time was during a school trip in high school, second grade.
"Okay, everyone has their seatbelts on, right? I trust you guys, so I'll just sit down?"
"Aw, teacher, of course we didn't!"
"True lol"
"Why would we wear that uncomfortable thing?"
"Ah, I've had stomach pain since last night, so..."
"Hey, this guy's using formal speech again. Where's the bully in charge of him!"
"These guys? Before the teacher gets up and checks one by one, just do it."
"""Yes!!!"""
"Geez, you guys work well together when it comes to this."
Inside the bus with a cheerful atmosphere, I was naturally among them.
"Hey, hey! Ignore the teacher and hurry up and get into the trading card game!"
"Yeah, today I'm gonna crush that damn Coin Toss deck."
Unlike in middle school, when I stayed quiet due to memories of being teased in elementary school, from high school on, I actively socialized with others, made several friends, even got a girlfriend introduced through a friend's acquaintance, and had a somewhat happy period, but
'Bang!! Screeeeeech!!!'
"Whoa?!!"
"What, what is it?!"
"What the hell?!"
'Crash!!!'
"Everyone, grab onto something tight!!!!"
'Shatter!!!'
Due to the sudden accident, I lost consciousness again. . . . "Patient! The patient has regained consciousness!!"
"Quick, contact the guardians! Hurry!!"
And when I came to, six years had already passed.
"...Due to a severe impact on the patient's head and neck, a brain hemorrhage occurred, but due to geographical issues, the patient's transfer was delayed, missing the golden hour, resulting in a coma and becoming a vegetable. And... it took six years to regain consciousness..."
"...Damn"
After that, I devoted myself to rehabilitation, took the high school equivalency exam, and tried to fill the lost six-year gap by overworking myself, but reality was too harsh to catch up with six years.
"Ha, haha... They don't even consider equivalency passers..."
"It's, it's okay, son! There's plenty you can do with your diploma!! For example... well..."
"How about the arts or sports? You liked drawing since elementary school, right?"
With my parents' comfort and help, for four years, I tried to find work that suited me, getting certificates in drawing, architecture, woodworking (furniture), bartending, interior design, cooking, and other things that somewhat fit my aptitude, but
"Sigh... In the end, I circled back to working part-time at a convenience store."
Sadly, reality wasn't easy. Despite having multiple certificates, I always got rejected because of the peculiar circumstance of being a vegetable for six years and having only an equivalency exam for education.
'Ding!'
"...I should just focus on working for now."
After that... I'm not sure if this is lucky, but with the help of my father and an uncle who had been friends since childhood, I started working at a convenience store in a building owned by the uncle.
'I can't burden my parents any more than this, so I need to work hard...'
Current time 9:55 PM, with less than 5 minutes left until the next shift guy arrives, a customer suddenly came in.
'A customer 5 minutes before closing...'
Fortunately, it didn't seem to be a peculiar customer like a drunk or someone who catches pigeons barehanded and asks to exchange them.
Huh? You ask where such customers exist? I didn't think they really existed either...
'...Why is the guy who usually comes about 10 minutes early so late today?'
Hoping the next shift guy arrives before the customer checks out, I was looking towards the front door when
"..."
The moment I noticed the customer who just came in was subtly staring at me while pretending to pick items, my instincts started screaming that this customer was dangerous.
"..."
I was seriously considering running out the back door even if it meant getting scolded by the boss, when
'Ding!'
"Oops... Sorry I'm late! On the way, my stomach suddenly hurt, so I stopped by the bathroom... Uh... Excuse me, customer? You shouldn't use items that haven't been paid for yet..."
The next shift guy came in just in time and made eye contact with the customer who was secretly taking out a cutter knife from the displayed goods, and
"Hey!"
"...What?"
I reflexively shouted to dodge and pressed the emergency report button on the POS machine.
'Scrape! Slash!!'
At that moment, the customer's demeanor changed sharply, and he swung the cutter knife towards the next shift guy, but
"Ah!!?"
Fortunately, the next shift guy fell backward, only getting a slight cut on his cheek.
"Damn it!?"
"...Huh?"
But the guy immediately ran at me and stabbed the cutter knife into my hand that was pressing the report button.
"Ugh?!! What the hell, you crazy bastard?!!"
"Shut up and get the money out now!!!"
Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking at this moment.
"Damn! Fuck you, you bastard!!!"
"You damn bastard!!!"
Honestly, I should have just given the money then, but I can't change the past, and the opponent, heated up by my defiant attitude, put force on the blade stuck in my hand, broke it, and swung the cutter knife at my neck, but
"Cough?!!"
The blade didn't just cut; it completely embedded itself in my neck.
"Wh, what the hell!!?"
Apparently, the perpetrator didn't intend to go as far as murder, as he panicked for a moment, then skillfully pressed the buttons on the POS machine to open the cash drawer, grabbed large bundles of cash, stuffed them roughly into his pockets, and hurriedly ran outside.
"Hey?! Y, your neck is bleeding?!!"
As soon as the perpetrator ran away, the next shift guy ran to me and quickly started to stop the bleeding on my neck, but
"Q...quick... amb...ulance..."
"I already called one, so hang in there!!"
"Then... keep... talking... to me..."
"O, okay, so don't talk any more than this!!"
My consciousness began to fade, and
'Ah... I shouldn't worry them any more than this...'
The next shift guy seemed to keep talking to me, but his voice grew increasingly distant.
"Bro... amb...ulance... came... hang... in... there..."
'Ah... I'm... losing... strength...'
And so, my life, short but eventful, came to an end. . . . When I regained consciousness again, what I saw was a bright, shining white room everywhere.
'Where... is this?'
"This is really... a pitiful child..."
In the room that had nothing just a moment ago, someone in human form appeared holding a large crystal ball, along with a throne like you'd see in a fantasy movie.
'...Who are you?'
"Normally, lack of luck has its limits, but... this is a bit too much..."
She casually looked at my life reflected in the crystal ball and then started pitying me.
'Who are you to look at someone else's life... More importantly, where is this place?'
"Since you haven't committed any notable sins and have a kind heart... Alright! I'll specially give you a chance!"
No matter how many questions I asked, she only said what she wanted, making me think, 'Maybe she can't hear what I'm saying?' but
"Ah, your voice is heard very well by me, so don't worry too much."
Her response that she could hear me made me dumbfounded.
'What are you trying to do...'
"Hmm... How to explain this... Ah! Well, I'm something like the administrator of the world you lived in, so don't think too strangely about it~"
'...Administrator?'
"To put it simply, yes~ Of course, it's more like a subcontractor of a subcontractor... Ahem! Anyway, I can't say more than this, so please understand~"
'Ah, yes...'
"Aw~ You're so nice. Other kids would have said something back~"
'...'
"Anyway! As an administrator, after reviewing your life, I'll give you a choice."
'A choice?'
"Yes! Unfortunately, you can't be reincarnated in the same world, that is, Earth, but I'll give you the option to go to a world that suits you or that you desire!"
'...What kind of storybook talk is that?'
"Huh? Well, because it's true?"
'...What?'
"Hmm... Is it okay to say this much? About how this world operates."
The story I heard from her was a bit hard to believe.
'...So, you're saying that until now, you've been sending dead souls to other worlds, then receiving souls of the dead from other worlds, erasing their memories, and letting them live new lives?'
"Yes! You summarized that long story well and briefly?"
'Earlier, I said it was like something from a story, and you said that's right...'
"Right! Occasionally, even after erasing memories, people remember bits of their lives in other worlds through dreams or inspiration and turn them into stories or art~"
'...Is that so.'
"Anyway, back to the point! Now I'll give you that chance too. Is there anything you want?"
'...Anything I want?'
"Like super special powers or being born as the child of a rich family, those kinds of things, right?"
When she asked if there was anything I wanted, something came to mind first before anything else.
'My parents...'
"Huh?"
'I want to see how my parents are doing after I died...'
"..."
Perhaps my answer was unexpected, she hesitated for a moment but then handed me the crystal ball.
'Mom... Dad...'
In the crystal ball I received, along with my funeral portrait, I saw my mother crying loudly in front of the coffin and my father trying to hold back tears while comforting her.
"Having someone who cries for you like that is a great blessing, I think. On the other hand, it can also be a curse..."
After the funeral, my father trying to return to normal daily life and my mother missing me, who can't come back, crying helplessly in my room, then gathering strength repeatedly, made my heart ache, and
'Mom... Dad... I'm sorry... Really... I'm sorry...'
"..."
Eventually, as I shed tears, she approached me and quietly started patting my back.
'I promised not to worry them any more... I'm sorry... It's all my fault... I'm sorry...'
"..."
After crying for a while, I finally calmed down.
"...Are you a bit calmer now?"
'Yes... Thank you.'
"Whew... Then, could you quickly choose what you want?"
'I already chose something...'
"What I showed you earlier of your post-death situation is something I can naturally show if you want, so there's no problem at all, so don't worry."
'Is that so...'
"...Since there's not much time left, I'd appreciate it if you quickly tell me what you desire."
Something came to mind from the scene of those left behind after my death.
'Then... is it possible to not die?'
"Which are you referring to, immortality or invincibility?"
'Uh... What I'm thinking is closer to invincibility...'
"Then what form of invincibility do you desire?"
'I don't wish to live long... Just'
"Just?"
'I just want to live without dying until my natural lifespan ends... Because I don't want to see anyone sad because of me again...'
"...Then, the ability you desire is 'the ability to live without dying until the body dies of old age'?"
'...Yes.'
"It's possible, but... let's add one more thing here."
'Huh?'
"I'll give you the ability to live without dying until the body dies of old age, along with a highly adaptable body."
'...Is that okay?'
"Well... It shouldn't be a problem. Except for getting some nagging later."
'Then... will my memories be erased now?'
"Ah... about that part."
'Is there some problem?'
"Ah, it's not so much a problem... Rather, it's become better, I should say?"
'Huh?'
"Well~ Before we send souls to other worlds, we first have them reviewed by the higher-ups, you see?"
'And?'
"After seeing the report on your past, they said, 'Compared to the karma accumulated in life, they lived a considerably unfortunate life, so this time, we'll specially not erase their memories.'"
'Uh... It seems like they're handling things too carelessly...'
"Well, even if the higher-ups seem to do everything carelessly, they have their own insights, so it's fine. Isn't good news good?"
'No, what kind of...'
"Now, it's time for you to cross over to another world..."
'Um... My personal hope is for a fantasy world...'
"Heh~ This part is similar to other people~"
'Ahaha... Since most of the stories I enjoyed are fantasy or adventure types, I have a bit of a romance for this kind of thing.'
"Hmm... Then, among the stories you know, a world where your abilities can be fully utilized..."
'Wait, are these worlds really real?'
"Well... Not exactly the same, but there are places quite similar... Ah, found it!"
'...What kind of world is it?'
"The world you'll go to is the world from the series called 'Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?'!"
'Uh... That's a series I stopped watching in the middle...'
"Unfortunately, there's really no time left now! I hope a joyful life awaits you ahead!!"
'Huh? W, wait a minute?!!'
"I'll put the information about your abilities separately in your memory, so don't worry~"
And so, I was sent to the world of 'Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?'.