Life... What does it even mean if I myself don't feel happy? Do I still deserve to remain in this world with the condition I'm in right now?
Soon... Spring will arrive, marking the end of my second year of high school, without even having a single meaningful memory.
If she hadn't died back then, would I be able to become a normal student enjoying my youth like most of my classmates now?
Yeah... Maybe I was the only one who considered them my friends, even though reality was the complete opposite.
Three years ago, when I was still in my second year of middle school, I suddenly received terrible news while casually sitting in class.
That short break time, I spent talking about trivial things with my two friends who already felt like lifelong best friends even though we had only known each other for one year.
My homeroom teacher came toward me while panting heavily, and without any small talk, she immediately told me that I had to go home right away because my mom's condition had gotten worse.
At that moment, I panicked and immediately ran out of the classroom. I didn't care that the break bell had already ended, I ran out of the school gate as fast as I could.
I didn't care whether my homeroom teacher would follow me, or maybe just stand there peeking through the classroom window while watching me run away.
It only took around five minutes if I walked, and it would've been even faster if I kept running like that.
When I arrived home, I saw quite a lot of people standing in front of my front door, talking about something that sounded unclear.
Who cares about them!
I forced my way through the gaps between their bodies that were slightly bigger than mine, until I finally managed to slip inside to see what was happening.
My body instantly froze, like ice inside a refrigerator. My eyes couldn't stop trembling because they felt so heavy, as if they wanted to fall out of my face.
A glass filled with water had shattered on the floor, soaking the red carpet near the small sofa that had been there for a very long time.
Beside it, my dad was hugging a woman around his age, hugging her tightly like a body pillow.
He cried loudly before I finally opened my mouth to ask what was happening, and then—
"D-dad... Why is our house suddenly so crowded?"
Dad stopped crying for a moment, slightly turning his head to look at me standing at the doorway, staring at him without being distracted by anything else.
Instead of answering my question, he clenched his teeth hard, biting his lower lip until a little blood came out.
He released his arms from the woman's body while standing up from the floor and quickly walking toward me.
Reflexively, I raised one of my hands to touch him—
Smack!
He harshly slapped my hand away, and my body was shoved back after he pushed my shoulder so hard that my head slammed against the wall.
I couldn't see him anymore after that as he left through the front door, heading somewhere with that miserable expression on his face.
When I looked in another direction, the woman he had been hugging earlier turned out to be... the only woman who was always in my house, welcoming me home after school even though it annoyed me.
Someone who always prepared warm food during winter nights, the woman who stroked my head every time I came home looking exhausted.
She was lying there with her breathing stopped, her feet bleeding with glass shards stuck in them.
There was no blood coming out from anywhere else, but that was already enough to tell me that Mom was dead.
I quickly stood up, ignoring the dizziness in my head as I tried to listen for her heartbeat, checking whether she was still breathing or not.
But unfortunately. Just like the sight I saw earlier, the answer didn't change.
Mom... was already dead.
——
The ambulance arrived immediately and blared its siren in front of my house after one of the neighbors called it.
Mom's body was taken to the hospital to be examined, to figure out what caused her death just from a wound on the sole of her foot after being cut by a sharp piece of glass.
I still remember... I waited in the waiting room in front of the room where she was being examined until nighttime came, when the doctor and his assistant finally walked out and approached me, who was sitting weakly on the long bench with my head lowered.
I lifted my head to look at his face, then he handed me a sheet of paper containing information about how deep the glass shard had pierced Mom's foot.
Then, with a heavy voice, he told me the real reason.
"After her foot was injured by the glass, she lost her balance and hit her head hard against the floor. Her brain suffered a severe impact that caused her to lose consciousness."
"... Did she have any previous medical conditions?"
That emotionless tone, just like every other doctor, entered my mind as if I were being taught by a teacher during class.
Everything entered and settled inside my thoughts, turning into a memory that became extremely meaningful to me.
——
But... Did it really have to rain this morning? Spring is almost here, so why is there still rain in the morning?
After Mom's death, my classmates, for no reason at all, believed that I was the cause of my mom's death.
They started avoiding me just because they were consumed by rumors spread by someone who most likely hated me.
On top of that, Dad never came home after slamming me against the wall with his own hands.
Even now... nothing has changed about the treatment I receive in class. Even though there are a few people who try to talk to me, I intentionally look away just to annoy them.
... How much longer am I going to live like this? Working part-time for such little pay just because I'm still a high school student... Do I still deserve to breathe?
—
I stood beside a girl carrying an umbrella just like mine, waiting for the traffic light to turn green so we could cross the street.
Everything was fine... Until—
While the light was still red, the girl walked across the pedestrian crossing with both ears covered by headphones.
She paid no attention to her surroundings, which made her think the light had already changed.
Worse... I noticed a car coming from quite far away at high speed, about to reach the crossing.
The girl couldn't hear the driver's horn at all even though he was honking repeatedly and frantically.
Damn it!!
I threw my umbrella onto the sidewalk, letting my bag get soaked by the heavy rain that still hadn't stopped.
I jumped toward the girl, then pushed her away as hard as I could until my body collapsed in the middle of the road.
The girl's body fell down, making her uniform just as soaked as mine, and she stared at me with terrified eyes as if she had just witnessed something horrifying.
When I tried to crawl toward her—
WHUSH!
I was too late.
——
...
...
What the hell is this? Why can I still think in this dark place...
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a place completely covered in blinding white.
It felt like I was standing somewhere above the clouds, a place I could never visit with my physical body.
I... still remembered everything clearly, the reason why I died after saving that girl.
But... my memories stopped before my body was truly hit by the car. The last thing I remembered was the car's headlights blinding my eyes before I finally disappeared—
"Oh, you're awake already. How was your sleep?"
Someone with a deep voice asked me, making me instantly stand up and look around to find them.
But what did I find? Nothing. Just the same white place.
"... E-excuse me—"
I tried to call out, but instead I bit my tongue and my voice came out sounding weird.
Suddenly, I felt a soft finger poke me from behind, and when I turned around—
"Can you do it now? You can see me, right?"
A small cloud was floating behind me at face level, speaking with the voice of an old man.
"Um..."
"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry, do you mind my appearance? Well... there isn't much time, I also can't stay here for too long to meet you." the cloud replied.
Ah, okay. Everything is becoming really strange now. A cloud is talking to me, and I'm also standing on clouds... Could it be that I'm already near the gates of heaven or even hell?
"Yukito! Listen to me!" he said.
Huh...? Did he just call my name?
"Listen, just like you remember, your body should already be dead in that world. But not the fragments of your soul that drifted into this world."
"... Me?" that was the first word I managed to say in this place. Short, but enough to restore my ability to speak.
The cloud gently nodded before showing me something that suddenly appeared in front of me.
A box with the same appearance as one from a video game, containing several stats with numbers shaped like question marks?
"This... a screen?" I asked.
"Oh, good thing you recognize it. Basically, this screen is something that will become proof that you're now a resident of this new world."
"A status screen. You can see all the stats you possess, of course, you'll be able to see everything you own after arriving in that world." he continued.
I don't know... I'm not sure whether I should feel happy or sad that I can't die peacefully.
The cloud said that I had already arrived in another world... Does that mean I no longer need to care about that old world anymore?
!!! That's right, even though the soul there and the soul here are different, they still come from the same thoughts. I'm free to do anything in this place while still keeping my memories of the past.
I don't need to go back to that school that only made me miserable, I can finally feel free in this world!
If that's the case... why should I feel sad about that world? The me right now is a fragment of my soul from another world, amazing!
"You're that excited? Well, that's good then. Alright, let this old man send you straight there."
"You'll awaken in the continent of Velmoria, specifically in the kingdom of Necvalion. The threat of the Abbys is drawing closer, which is why they're conducting a Yuusha summoning ritual."
"And luckily for you... you died at the perfect time to become the summoned hero."
Wooh! I just entered another world and my luck already showed up? Awesome!
"Huh?... Eh?"
"Farewell, Yukito."
When I looked down, the cloud beneath my feet suddenly split apart, creating a huge gap that made me fall through it.
The cloud watched me from above, looking pleased after making me fall.
I immediately shut my eyes after seeing a massive city spread beneath me, I was falling directly toward a magnificent castle standing there.
Wait a second... Am I going to die because I get impaled on the sharp tip of that tower?!
——
When I opened my eyes again, I was already standing inside a massive room with a high ceiling that felt like standing beneath a waterfall.
Around my body, traces of a magic circle were slowly fading away. That means... the ritual to summon me succeeded?
The people wearing black robes stood quite far away from the fading magic circle, silently staring at me.
When I looked elsewhere, there was someone wearing a thick red robe covering his rather large body, standing alongside several people wearing full-body iron armor.
A golden crown that dazzled the eyes, blonde hair on his head, and a white mustache stretching above his mouth. This man... without a doubt—
"Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Sahiko Yukito, it is a pleasure to stand before you." I said while bowing respectfully toward him.
The man chuckled softly at my greeting. Before finally asking me to stop bowing and look directly at him again.
"Welcome to our kingdom of Necvalion, Yuusha-sama. I, King Darius Necvalion III, the current king, gladly welcome your arrival here." he said.
"We summoned you because we fear the evil forces of the Abbys will attack this land once again, which is why you are here!"
After the King finished speaking, a male servant wearing a dark blue suit with a white uniform and tie underneath approached me.
He looked quite old for a servant, he must have a lot of experience.
"Yuusha-sama, please touch this magic orb." the servant said.
I held the white-surfaced orb he handed me. It looked almost like the crystal balls fortune tellers used, am I supposed to do fortune telling too?
"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked.
"Try touching the orb a little harder, allow yourself to feel as though you're being drawn into it. Then all of us, along with you, will be able to witness just how extraordinary your status truly is." he replied while folding one arm in front of his chest.
Touch it harder... How do I even—
——
Cring!
Suddenly, the magic orb emitted a blinding light that illuminated the entire room, including the King and his guards.
A few seconds passed after I moved away from the orb before the light finally faded.
When I could see again, the King wore a shocked expression, as did the servant standing beside him.
They were staring at something behind me, oh, are they amazed by my status? Of course they are!
I put on an arrogant expression, placing my hands on my waist while slowly turning around to look in the same direction as them.
"What's wrong, everyone? Is my status so amazing and incredible that it left you speechless—"
> > >
Name : Sahiko Yukito
Status : Hero
Speed : 2
Dexterity : 3
Reflex : 1
Magic Ability : 4
Intelligence : 3
Special Skill : Creation
Additional Skill : —
<<<
I immediately turned back toward the King, staring at him while raising both my hands in confusion after seeing what appeared on my status screen.
"Y-your Majesty, do these single-digit numbers and that one skill mean something extraordinary? I mean, truly extraordinary?"
Upon hearing that, the King immediately gritted his teeth, then showed a disappointed and furious expression toward me.
"W-what? Did we just summon someone with the same status as a civilian?"
"Oi, why? Was there something wrong with the magic circle?"
"Why did we summon such a pathetic human? P-please forgive us, Your Majesty! We will immediately summon a second hero using the remainder of our magic power!"
The people wearing black robes immediately moved away from around me, shifting to another location and creating a new magic circle there to summon someone else.
W-wait a second? Why is this happening?
When I tried to beg the King by approaching him, the guards who had been standing behind him immediately blocked my path.
They crossed their spears directly in front of the King's body, preventing me from getting closer.
Tch, who cares?
I forced myself to grab both spears while trying to push them apart.
But unfortunately, I only became even more restrained there because the strength I possessed wasn't even enough to push aside two iron spears.
"Y-your Majesty! P-please at least let me say something to you, at least allow me to remain a citizen of this kingdom! I promise I won't cause any trouble."
"P-please, explain to me what the numbers on my status screen actually mean. There has to be some kind of mistake—"
Cring!
This time, another light appeared, but not from the magic orb. Instead, it came from the new magic circle the robed people had created beside my old one.
When the light faded, another man stood atop the new magic circle. His hair was yellow like his eyes, with a fairly tall body and a physique that looked well-trained.
His face showed confusion as he looked around with the same expression I had earlier.
The servant who had been silently standing there immediately took the magic orb I had previously held and handed it to the blond-haired man.
...
> > >
Name : Kageya Kuro
Status : Summoned Hero
Speed : 90
Dexterity : 90
Reflex : 80
Magic Ability : 99
Intelligence : 75
Special Skills : Multiple Lightning Spears, Mid-Level Enemy Attraction Ability, Enhancement Magic for Various Weapons, 50 remaining hidden skills.
Additional Skills : All first, second, and third-class magic can be mastered after only one attempt.
As for fourth and fifth-class magic, several attempts are required before mastery.
<<<
"... Y-YUUSHA-SAMA!!"
"Our hero has finally arrived!"
"Hoooh!!"
The King immediately approached Kuro and tightly grasped both of his hands. Did he do that to me earlier?
He raised one of Kuro's hands, showing him to everyone present in the room, proving that they had successfully summoned their hero.
"Give your cheers and applause to our new light, our new hero, Kageya Kuro-sama!!"
The entire room immediately became filled with joyful cheers from everyone present, celebrating the arrival of their new hero.
... Then, what about me?