Life is cruel.
You work hard.
Then you work harder.
Then you push your body, your mind, and even your soul a little further beyond the limit… and even then, you are not always rewarded for everything you do.
Sometimes, the world simply looks at you, uses your results, praises your usefulness for a few seconds, and then moves on as if nothing ever happened.
Some people say meritocracy is fair.
That effort always brings rewards.
That those who work hard will, sooner or later, be recognized.
Hikaru Fujiwara was living proof that this was not always true.
Work?
Yes, Hikaru worked.
A lot.
He was the kind of employee who arrived early, left late, accepted extra tasks, and still delivered everything with quality. The kind of person any boss claimed to admire, but never enough to actually pay better.
Family?
In that regard, he could not complain. His parents had always supported him. They were good, simple people, already growing old. Perhaps it was precisely because of them that Hikaru kept moving forward, even when everything inside him wanted to stop.
Friends?
He had some.
Or rather, he thought he did.
Over time, Hikaru realized that many people only stayed close when he was useful. When he could help, listen, lend money, solve problems, or make someone laugh on a bad day.
When he needed something, silence came quickly.
Love?
He tried.
He tried to be kind, patient, present, and hardworking. He tried to become someone worthy of being loved.
But he never felt a true connection. He never felt that someone looked at him and thought, "I want to stay."
In the end, his life could be summed up quite simply.
Hikaru worked hard for many people.
And was repaid by very few.
Of course, that affected him.
How could it not?
After yet another exhausting day at work, Hikaru walked back home. The sky was already dark, the city lights shone coldly in the distance, and the sound of cars filled the silence he carried inside his chest.
His shoulders were heavy.
Not just from exhaustion.
But from everything.
From the unpaid overtime.
From the ignored messages.
From the smiles he forced.
From the terrible feeling that if he disappeared, some people would only notice when they needed him.
As he passed near a bridge, Hikaru stopped for a few seconds.
The cold wind brushed against his face.
Below, the darkness seemed inviting in a frightening way.
"Would it be worth ending it all?"
The thought came quickly.
Cruel.
Silent.
And for an instant, Hikaru hated himself for even considering it.
He clenched his fists.
"No."
His voice came out low, almost swallowed by the noise of the street.
"I still have people to live for."
His parents.
Even tired, even broken, even empty, he could not simply abandon them.
Hikaru took a deep breath, trying to push that thought out of his head. Then he continued walking.
Maybe tomorrow would be better.
Maybe next week, something would change.
Maybe, if he worked a little harder, he would finally be rewarded.
What a cruel joke.
As he approached a crosswalk, Hikaru was too distracted to notice that the light was red for him.
It was only one second.
A single moment of carelessness.
One wrong step.
The sound of the horn came too late.
When Hikaru turned his head, all he saw were bright headlights rushing toward him.
Then came the impact.
His body was thrown into the air.
The pain came right after, brutal, crushing, so intense that he could not even scream properly.
The world spun.
The cold asphalt touched his back.
The voices around him became distant, as if they were coming from underwater.
Someone screamed.
Someone ran.
But Hikaru could no longer move.
He looked up at the dark sky, feeling warm blood trickle from the corner of his mouth.
"So… this is how it ends?"
His breathing faltered.
His body would not obey.
Fear finally arrived.
Not the fear of dying.
But the fear of what he would leave behind.
"My parents…"
His voice came out weak, torn apart by pain.
"Who will take care of them now?"
His eyes began to lose focus.
The city lights blurred.
At that moment, Hikaru did not think about money, status, work, or recognition.
He only thought about how much he had tried.
How much he had struggled.
How much he wanted, just once, to feel that all of it had been worth something.
One last whisper escaped his lips.
"I just wanted… to be fairly rewarded…"
A tear rolled down the side of his face.
"I just wanted… a happy life…"
And then everything ended.
Or rather…
Everything began again.
Hikaru did not know how much time had passed.
A second?
An hour?
An eternity?
Everything around him was darkness.
Not the frightening darkness of an empty room at night. It was something deeper. Vaster. As if he were floating in an endless ocean.
He felt no pain.
No cold.
No weight from his own body.
"What is this strange feeling?"
His own voice echoed around him.
Hikaru blinked, though he was not even sure he still had eyes.
"Wait…"
The memories returned little by little.
Work.
The bridge.
The crosswalk.
The headlights.
The impact.
His expression hardened.
"I… died?"
For a few seconds, only silence answered.
Then a deep voice filled the entire darkness.
"Yes, Hikaru Fujiwara. You are dead."
Hikaru froze.
Or at least, he tried to.
It was hard to know what "freezing" meant in a place like this.
After a few seconds, he let out a tired sigh.
"So this is the afterlife?"
He looked around, facing the absolute void.
"Worse than I imagined. Not even a chair? No reception desk? That's a serious lack of consideration for the recently deceased."
The deep voice remained silent for a moment.
Then it laughed.
The laughter echoed everywhere, powerful enough to make the darkness tremble.
"Hahaha… intriguing. Even in the face of death, you still find the strength to complain."
"Complaining is one of the few free things in life."
"Fair enough."
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
"Someone many in your world would call God."
Hikaru fell silent.
As absurd as the situation was, he had just died. After that, talking to God did not sound all that impossible.
"I see."
"You accepted that quickly."
"I got hit by a car and woke up in an infinite void. Either you're God, or I'm having the most dramatic hallucination in history."
Another laugh echoed through the darkness.
"You are interesting, Hikaru."
"Thanks. I think."
"This place is not exactly the afterlife. At least, not in the way you imagine it."
"Then what is it?"
"A compensation room."
Hikaru frowned.
"That sounds like something from a bank."
"In a way, it is similar."
The darkness in front of him began to glow softly. Small lights appeared around them, like distant stars.
"During your life, you accumulated a large amount of positive karma. Effort, sacrifice, kindness, responsibility, patience. You gave a great deal of yourself to others."
Hikaru listened in silence.
"But due to an error in the karma system, almost none of it returned to you."
For a moment, Hikaru could not respond.
Then he laughed.
Not a happy laugh.
A bitter one.
"You're telling me my life was awful because of a divine administrative error?"
"In simple terms… yes."
"…"
Hikaru brought his hands to his face.
Or at least, he tried to.
"That is so ridiculous it's almost offensive."
"You have every right to feel that way."
"I worked until I nearly collapsed several times."
"I know."
"I was used by people who called that friendship."
"I know."
"I spent years thinking the problem was me."
"I know."
God's voice, once imposing, became gentler.
"And that is why I am here."
Hikaru fell silent.
For the first time, the irony left his expression.
"So… my efforts really meant something?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
"Even when no one saw them. Even when no one thanked you. Even when you believed all of it had been useless."
Hikaru lowered his head.
He wanted to laugh.
He wanted to curse.
He wanted to say that those words changed nothing.
But for some reason, hearing them after an entire life of trying to convince himself that everything was fine made his chest hurt more than the accident itself.
"Damn it…"
His voice faltered.
"I just wish someone had said that earlier."
The darkness remained silent.
Then God spoke again.
"I cannot erase what you suffered. But I can offer you compensation."
Hikaru took a deep breath.
"What kind of compensation?"
"A new life."
The lights around him shone brighter.
"A more interesting life. A freer life. A life with more opportunities. And above all, a life where your efforts will be properly rewarded."
Hikaru raised his head.
"A new life…"
"Yes. And with a special gift from me."
"What gift?"
"You will discover it soon."
"Of course. Limited information. How convenient."
"Some mysteries make the experience more enjoyable."
"For you, maybe."
God seemed amused.
"Is there anything you wish to ask before you depart?"
Hikaru thought for a few seconds.
There were many questions.
Where would he go?
What would this new life be like?
Would he have a family?
Would he be human?
Would he be rich?
Handsome?
Could he sleep in?
But in the end, only one question came out.
"My parents…"
His voice lowered.
"What will happen to them?"
For an instant, the darkness became quieter.
"They will suffer because of your passing. I cannot deny that."
Hikaru closed his eyes.
"But they will not be left helpless. Part of the karma you accumulated will be used to ensure they live peacefully for the time they have left."
Hikaru did not answer immediately.
His shoulders relaxed.
It was the first time since his death that he felt real relief.
"Thank you."
"Your gratitude is unnecessary. That was already yours by right."
"Even so… thank you."
The glow around him began to intensify.
God spoke again.
"Your time here is coming to an end."
"Can I choose anything about my new life?"
"I regret to inform you that it does not work like the fantasy stories from your world."
"What a shame. I was already preparing a list."
"I imagined as much."
Hikaru sighed.
"Then just tell me one thing. This new life… will it be worth it?"
God's voice became firm.
"That will depend on you."
"Very divine answer."
"But I can guarantee one thing."
"What?"
"It will not be boring."
Hikaru stayed silent.
Then he smiled faintly.
"A happy life that isn't boring… sounds good enough."
"May you find happiness, satisfaction, and rest in your new journey, Hikaru Fujiwara."
"Rest?"
Hikaru blinked.
"Wait, why did you say rest like that?"
But before he could receive an answer, light swallowed everything.
His consciousness disappeared.
And then…
He woke up.
"Ugh…"
In a small living room inside a simple apartment, a young man was sitting on the floor, holding his head with both hands.
The pain was not exactly pain.
It felt more like someone had shoved a massive file into his brain and clicked "extract all" without asking for permission.
"What a horrible feeling…"
Hikaru slowly opened his eyes.
A small room.
A sofa.
A low table.
A turned-off television.
Closed curtains.
No infinite void.
No divine voice.
No car.
He looked at his own hands.
Opened them.
Closed them.
Opened them again.
The skin was smooth. Young. No visible calluses, no marks of exhaustion, no weight of accumulated years of work.
His heart began to beat faster.
"Wait…"
He touched his face.
Then his arms.
Then his chest.
"I'm alive."
His voice came out low.
Then his eyes widened.
"I'm alive again!"
Hikaru almost laughed.
Almost cried.
Maybe both at the same time.
The horrible feeling he had experienced seemed to be nothing more than the discomfort of having a body again.
A living body.
"Alright… calm down, Hikaru. Let's organize this."
He took a deep breath.
"I died. I talked to God. He said I would have a new life and a special gift."
Hikaru looked around.
"So… where's the gift?"
As if it had been waiting for that exact question, a translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Initiating System.]
Hikaru froze.
"What?"
[System successfully initiated.]
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
The screen was still there.
"Seriously?"
[Welcome to the Super Lazy System.]
Hikaru stared at those words for a few seconds.
Then his expression became incredulous.
"Super Lazy System?"
He brought one hand to his face.
"What kind of name is that for a system?"
[Despite the Host's apparent dissatisfaction with the system's name, allow me to explain my basic functions.]
"You have a sarcastic personality too?"
[Would you like to hear the system introduction?]
Hikaru took a deep breath.
"Of course I would. After dying, talking to God, and waking up younger, listening to an explanation from something called the Super Lazy System feels like the next logical step in the collapse of my sanity."
[Understood.]
The screen glowed faintly.
[The Super Lazy System is a system created to reward the Host for small efforts.]
[Any action involving effort may generate rewards.]
[From getting out of bed, studying, training, cooking, talking to someone, completing daily tasks, carrying out complex missions, or even facing divine beings.]
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
"You put getting out of bed and facing divine beings in the same explanation?"
[Both require effort.]
"Technically, you're not wrong."
[The system will reward the Host through missions, tasks, achievements, personal growth, and spontaneous actions considered relevant.]
[Main Objective: Assist the Host in building a comfortable, safe, and happy life, in which it is possible to obtain great results with reduced effort.]
Hikaru read everything in silence.
Once.
Then again.
Then only one word escaped his mouth.
"Wow."
He stayed still for a few seconds.
"No, seriously… wow."
Hikaru stood up carefully, still feeling strange in his own body. His eyes remained fixed on the blue screen.
"So basically, this system wants to help me work less, earn more, and live well?"
[Simplified summary, but acceptable.]
"That's amazing."
[Correction: that is efficient.]
Hikaru smiled.
For the first time in a long while, his smile did not feel forced.
"A life where my efforts are rewarded…"
He looked at his own hands again.
"Even small efforts."
His expression softened.
Maybe God really had kept his promise.
Maybe this time, life would not be just a series of failed attempts.
Maybe this time, Hikaru could live for himself.
He took a deep breath and looked at the blue screen with determination.
"Then, Super Lazy System…"
[Yes, Host?]
"What's the plan?"
[Answer: Do the minimum necessary today to guarantee the maximum comfort tomorrow.]
Hikaru fell silent.
Then he nodded, completely serious.
"That is the best retirement plan I have ever heard."
It was far too early to think about retirement.
Especially because Hikaru had yet to realize a few important things.
He had yet to realize that his body seemed to be around seventeen years old.
He had yet to realize that, in this new life, he had returned to being a student.
He had also yet to realize that the world he had awakened in was not exactly ordinary.
In fact, it was a relatively dangerous world.
A world where ordinary people could end up crossing paths with geniuses, monsters, demons, angels, heirs of powerful families, dangerously perfect girls, and all kinds of problems a lazy young man would definitely prefer to avoid.
But for now, let Hikaru enjoy his happiness.
After all, he died after a lifetime of unrewarded effort.
And was reborn with a system that promised the exact opposite.
What comes next?
We still do not know.
But follow Hikaru Fujiwara in his pursuit of the greatest dream of all.
A peaceful retirement…
At seventeen years old.