Vol. 1 Chapter 2 - Reincarnation
Where is this?
I regained consciousness for some reason and looked around.
Nothing. I should be inside the car, falling off a cliff. But there’s nothing.
Everything was white, it made my eyes hurt. It’s maddening.
I could move my body and I could speak. When I raised my head, I was greeted by the sight of a man.
The man had black hair and wore black framed spectacles, black suit, black tie, and white shirt under. He looked like a regular salaryman.
[Welcome, nice to meet you. I suppose you have some questions in mind?]
[Eh? Question? Where am I…?]
[Is it strange that you, who fell off a cliff, are still alive, and that you are here?]
[Eh, yes… I mean… I died, didn’t I…?]
[Indeed you are. You have been confirmed dead.]
The man told me in an indifferent tone as if it’s only natural, like how I’d burp after drinking cola.
[Erm, I mean, I feel alive right now though…]
Correcting his posture, the man answered.
[Sorry for the delay. My name is Kanaya Sanuhara, and I belong to Division 3 of the Reincarnation Management Bureau. I’ve come to complete the procedures for your next life.]
What is with this guy?
Reincarnation?
Management Bureau?
Kanaya Sanuhara?
I don’t get it…..
The man continues to smile faintly.
[It’s understandable to be confused. It’s the first time most creatures are here. Let me explain first. This place is called the Reincarnation Management Bureau. Think of it like a customs office. It is a system that allows you to choose your next life according to the『Virtue』that you have accumulated during your lifetime.]
[Virtue…huh. I used to be a teacher, but I’ve only done normal things. Even so, I wonder if virtue…is something that’s accumulated…?]
I’ve been working so seriously and normally so I’m sure there’s something in store for me.
[Of course. The future of the children you guide as a teacher will also give you some points, and just having no criminal record will give you a very high score. If it’s your point, you can choose quite a few.]
[Choose? What do you mean…? I can choose what I want to become for my next life…?]
Shit, am I really dead? I mean, is that even a surprise considering where I am right now? And looking closely, I’m wearing a white coat. And my head is also wrapped in white cloth. What’s this!?
[Yes. There aren’t many choices, but please take your time to choose.]
1st: Heaven.
2nd: Hell
3rd: Another World
[E-excuse me~, is it possible to be reborn in Japan again?]
I’m curious about Heaven, but Japan definitely seems safer. A reply comes in no time.
[Pardon me, but you don’t have enough『Virtue』. If only you stayed alive a little bit longer. Leaving your parents and lover behind is a huge minus.]
Are you kidding me!? Are you saying that reincarnating back to Japan is much harder than entering Heaven?
[Allow me to explain. First of all, Heaven is a nice world. You wake up in the morning, and sleep when the sun sets. Meditate with everyone else during the day, increasing your virtue. Meditating inside your dream while sleeping also increases your virtue. If you spend a hundred years doing that, you’ll accumulate enough virtue to reincarnate in any world you want. It’s the first recommendation.]
I see. So, it’s recommended.
[Next, Hell, is also recommended. It’s literally hellish torment, but it’s perfect for the lazy because you just have to let yourself go without thinking about it. You can get permission to reincarnate in as little as ten years.] (ED note: can I go to this hell)
But, who wants to go to Hell?
[Lastly, another world. I can’t recommend this. I say this because it’s much harder to accumulate virtue here compared to the other two. Let’s say you can gather 3 virtues a day in Heaven. In Another World, you’ll be lucky to accumulate 10 even after working so hard for a full year. Speaking of which, under this same equation, you’ll get 5 virtues per day in Hell.]
Hell actually sounds amazing.
[Well, even in another world, you can live a normal life just fine without having to care about the afterlife.]
So, it’s heaven but not heaven at the same time.
I don’t know the difference, but is it different from the paradise that everyone imagines?
[Can I ask you a few questions? Does that mean that the other world is not Earth? I’ll be born as a baby right?]
[That’s right. Of course, it’s not even the universe you know. The world itself will be different. And as for reincarnation, it’s a little distinct as you can choose to be reborn as a baby or as you are as is.]
[Um? By “as is,” do you mean that my abilities, physique, and intelligence are the same as they are now?]
But, doesn’t Another World also sound convenient?
[That’s right. However, there are language and common sense problems so I recommend that you be born as a baby.]
What the hell. Rather than being thrown into a place where you don’t understand the language or common sense, you have no choice but to start over as a baby… No, wait, okay?
[What will happen to my memory? What kind of world is this different in the first place?]
[You can also choose according to your virtue. If you do too much, your virtue will start from zero in the next life. There are two different worlds that can be reborn now. One is in an era equivalent to Earth’s medieval times, but develops around magic. The other is the early modern world, a world where there is no magic, but with a little more effort, an industrial revolution is likely to occur.]
This guy, are you intentionally keeping it brief despite saying that you’d explain?
[I would like to ask you in detail, but if it is my virtue, is it possible to carry over memories? And magic, you say!? Will I be able to use magic as well!?]
If I can use magic, then it’s a go. But medieval times were dirty. The public order seems to be bad and the sanitary conditions also seem to be bad. Besides, I don’t want to die right away just after reincarnating.
If it’s before the industrial revolution, maybe if I did it right I’ll be able to make a lot of money? Maybe I should go there if I can retain my memory…
[It is possible to leave the memory as it is. Virtue is enough. Magic also depends on effort, but it can be used. Please think of it in the same way as practicing guitar or piano.]
Magic… There’s something about it that really draws me in. For modern people, it has a charm that cannot be ignored.
Isn’t it alright to brave a little danger for magic? Such a sweet thought crosses my mind…
[What kind of magic do you have? Also, from my point of view, is magic the only thing I can think of as an extraordinary ability?]
[The magic is just like what most Japanese imagine. In addition to magic, there is something else called personal magic. Fire, water, earth, wind spells are examples of normal magic. Personal magic is infinitely different. For example:
– Magic that can immediately scratch the itchy place,
– Magic that transfers urine and feces directly to the toilet without going to the toilet,
– Magic to clean your hands,
– Magic to keep your hands clean in the first place,
– Magic that makes people always returns a greeting when you say hello,
…And so on. There is no end to it.]
[Anyone can learn normal magic, magic that can create fire or water, right? What about personal magic?]
Maybe it will come in handy unexpectedly?
So, it’s like a special ability certain RPG characters have.
[That’s right. Anyone can learn it depending on their efforts. Personal magic is all about talent, so I can’t say anything. Not everyone has the ability.]
[Can’t I learn it firsthand with my points?]
If my thinking is correct, with enough (virtue) points I could learn magic, or even that personal thingamajig instantly. But if I’m wrong, then I guess I’ll just give up.
[Certainly. Well, I didn’t think it would be useful information, given that it will cause you to start with less virtue.]
He sounded a bit disgusted. But I must know. Therefore I will ask as many questions as I can.
[Then, can I have a magic that forces people to keep their promise?]
[Of course it’s possible. But as there is already contract magic in that world, you actually don’t have to pick a personal magic for that specific intention, you know?]
[That’s good to hear! Then compared to personal magic, what are the costs, coercive power, and ease of use?
[Personal Magic costs almost nothing. At most, it’ll cost a small amount of your MP, or Magic Power. In terms of cost, clearly using Personal Magic is a lot cheaper than the aforementioned contract magic. I cannot say for sure because it is highly dependent on the magical power of the other party in comparison to yours. But generally, it costs about 10-20% of the difference in magical power between the two parties. If your magical power is higher, then the cost will be pretty much negligible.]
[Does that mean that as long as I increase my magical power with points, I can use the personal magic to make virtually anyone to keep promises as much as I want?]
[That’s right. Memory, personal magic, high magical power. You have enough virtues to satisfy all these.]
Oh, will this work? It’s strange that it’s cheaper than reincarnating in modern Japan. Well let’s make sure.
[The magic that keeps promises that I envision is that『Whatever is promised based on the agreement of both parties will be kept』. For example,『You borrow money from me. If you can’t return the money in time, you have to block your own nose and mouth so that no air can pass through』. Is that kind of thing possible?]
[You are very thorough, aren’t you. The magic can cause someone to die, but only if it was specifically specified in the deal. Having said that, I believe this particular personal magic is indeed more cost efficient, since it has equal binding power to that of the regular contract magic. However, extensive use may cause other people to want to kill you.]
[Thank you for your kind answer. I’m thinking of deciding on the medieval one, but I hope I’m not troubling you by asking more questions. Isn’t there a way to get all the information quickly? Kanaya-san is like an angel, aren’t you? You can do it, right?]
It would have been easier for me if I had done this from the beginning.
[Ah. I can certainly do that, but it will affect my assessment. I’ll try to slip in bit by bit on your infancy during my free time. That said, I sincerely hope we don’t meet here again anytime soon. Alright, Piggy-sensei?]
[Thank you. I will do my best for Kanaya. Thank you very much.]
I have regrets and I feel sorry for my parents and my girlfriend, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Let’s do our best from scratch in the next life.
But, why did he call me Piggy?
I worked so hard for the children.
I guess I’ve accumulated a lot of『Virtue』as well thanks to that. Making my afterlife much easier.
Even so, this guy’s attitude is getting worse and worse. Is it because this also counts as office work for him?
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On the other hand, Kanaya Sanuhara loosened his necktie and took a breather.
[Fuh~, I finally made it. Ah, I’m tired.]
I guess he’ll die a similar death in a similar life anyway. He’s been here a hundred times already, but he’s not making any progress. You think it’s your first time here? Stupid guy.
If you honestly accumulate virtues in the heavenly world, in the future, you could’ve been reincarnated not only in Japan, but also a world with an advanced civilization of a different dimension or even a peaceful and tranquil world.
I was surprised just now, but it shouldn’t be a world where you can live with that kind of trash magic. He has used up all of his points in this reincarnation, so if he doesn’t live a little longer and accumulate virtues, he probably can only become a bacteria in his next life. Then, there will be no way for him to accumulate virtue. He’ll be stuck in that kind of life for eternity.
Well, even so, it might be better than becoming a criminal and accumulating『Karma』and going to hell for a thousand years. What do you want to do? Well, I don’t know what that pig is thinking.
I wonder why that monster wants to return to Japan, that he wasn’t even fazed by the fact that he’d be living in a medieval world full of monsters. Is it because he’s also a monster? Whatever. Well, I hope the next customer is a normal guy.
[Ka-na-yaa! You slacked off halfway through again! I’ll report it to the section chief! I’m telling you to treat the reincarnated people with empathy and courtesy, right?! I don’t think you did just now!]
[Ah, senpai, no, I was doing my best halfway through. But when he started asking me difficult questions, it became more and more troublesome.]
[I don’t know what happened, but just say you can’t explain it and cover up appropriately!]
[You’re right. But well, I was getting tired of that guy’s crap.]
[Well, you must have had a hard time with him, didn’t you? Fighting monsters you can’t defeat every day seems to have worn your spirit down.]
[So you know after all. By the way, what department is in charge of that kid and his parents after they die? He probably won’t get a criminal record, so maybe Section 5 or something?]
[No, I mean, even the higher ups are arguing about it. None of the departments want to deal with it. If it’s a criminal who has a criminal record or escaped, then Section 6 will be in charge.]
[Then… What if there is no department that would deal with him?]
[Then it will be impossible to reincarnate. He’ll be stuck in this hall forever. It’ll be like hell with no end.]
[That’s a lot of work, isn’t it? It would’ve been much better to go to the actual Hell]
A reincarnation management office that governs the reincarnation of all life forms. A modern monster that is shunned even there. Do they have no afterlife?
