What is… fear?
You fear for your country whenever there's a war scare. You fear for your little sister when she suffers from the flu. You fear for your livelihood when you get laid off from your job at work.
But why?
For the most part, I would like to think that it's because we as humans cannot find true happiness without first experiencing the fear of not obtaining it.
Imagine you fall in love with the blonde-haired, obsidian-eyed, absolutely breathtaking woman of your dreams. Any normal person would immediately run off to try to impress her or use their own charms to win her over—whatever it takes. It's simply because it's in our nature to pursue what we want.
But what if she gets a partner?
What if all of your efforts fail to charm her?
What if you just aren't enough?
"Leonal? The guy was alright. A decent worker from what I've seen. Sucks that he went out the way he did. Poor kid."
"Leo? He was one of my best friends. We used to play Neighborhood Fighter back at my house on our days off. His skills weren't anything much further than average, but he managed to beat me every once in a while. Now there's always gonna be a lingering hole in my heart every time I play."
"Leon?~ Did he really pass away? He was one of my favorite students... Well, not because he was outstanding in any way—matter of fact, it was just the opposite. Out of every student I've taught, he was the only one who always turned his work in on time, and he never caused me any problems. That said, his grades were terribly average. It made me believe he was doing it on purpose to hide his true genius or something... Haaaah~ just kidding.~"
Leo?
He was—
"average"
"mediocre"
"unimpressive"
"scarily bland"
As soon as I could shake off that creep-fest of a reincarnation ritual, I woke up in the middle of a very futuristic-looking city.
My first thought was New York City. I had gone there for a "Business Idealistics" seminar and haven't forgotten about it since.
It was also… the first time I went on an outing with Claire.
"Hey kid. What business do you have with my store?" a strange man exclaimed.
I looked up.
FNZCRP Clothing
The carefully lit letters danced in a joyous glow. The soft yet robotic font was something I'd never seen before. It made me wonder just how wealthy the man was.
"I-I'm so sorry, sir..! Just passing by," I explained.
"What?? Are you trying to mock this humble old place or something?! Damn chump," he snapped.
HUMBLE?!
Is this goddamn old man so rich he thinks his own mega-store is humble?
"I'm sorry I made you think that, sir. I think your building is beautiful," I said, almost confused.
To my surprise, the old man's face started turning a furious red, his expression about ten times angrier than before.
It was then that it dawned on me.
I looked to my right.
Then my left.
Then I turned around.
It was beautiful.
Technology I could barely fathom surrounded me in abundance. Every building seemed like a mega-tower, and all the people wore clothing reminiscent of the cyborgs in the anime I used to be obsessed with.
Then I looked back at the store I had just been staring at.
I get it now.
Compared to these mega-stores, it was like he worked in a hut.
My heart sank to the floor as I realized the error I had made.
"YOU LITTLE BA—"
A small tan-skinned girl walked out.
She had short brunette hair and oddly shaped goggles. She also had horns, but I reckoned something like that would be prevalent in my new world.
No.
That's not what stood out.
There was a deep red aura surrounding her. It was almost sickening.
Right above her head were the words:
[Mortal Sins: ???]
"What's wrong, sir..? Did this man harm you in some way?" she asked the old man in a nurturing tone.
Then she turned her gaze toward me.
Somehow, I could feel her killing intent rearing its filthy head.
"You… what did you do?" she said in a chilling tone.
"I- I was just giving your old man's shop a compliment…" I pleaded.
"COMPLIMENT MY ASS!!" he shouted.
"Why don't you just scramble your way out of here? It's clear your intentions are just to mock us so you can get a reaction," she said in a scolding tone.
"Thank you, Zella. I agree with her. You should go," the old man added.
Somehow, I managed to leave the business unscathed, though I was unsure where to go next.
Maybe there's a guild.
Maybe there's some way for me to enter the frontlines for the battle occurring against these mysterious crime lords.
During my stroll around the city, I figured out two things:
• The city is known as "Repetis."
• There don't seem to be any food vendors in the area, despite the fact that there are so many giant stores around.
"Ahh, finally!" I exclaimed.
I found a welcome building for new visitors, so I quickly rushed over.
Fwshh
The doors slid open. I guess that never changed.
There was a notably sizable line at the front desk, but it looked to be moving at a good pace.
Beep!
"Welcome to Repetis! Enjoy your staaay!~" the worker exclaimed.
It was my turn to go up.
"Please hand me your identification and Memoria registration..!" the woman said in a bright and cheerful tone.
"I-I'm sorry, but… I don't have any of that, if that's okay," I explained calmly.
"Oh…" she said in a disappointed tone.
Then she smiled.
"…Well, follow me to the back and we'll scan your memorial prism!" she exclaimed.
"Wait… what's a memorial prism?" I asked.
She looked somewhat dumbfounded, and then she pointed to her chest.
"Everybody has one. It holds your thoughts, ego, memories, and emotions—everything that makes you, well… you!"
But then she did something that left me in utter shock.
She formed a cupping motion with her hand.
Then she gouged her own chest.
Crrrrrk… splsh
The woman pulled out a crystal from where her heart should have been.
Her clothes were stained a deep red, but then—
I blinked.
And it was all gone.
The only remnants of what had just happened were a brightly colored crystal lying right before me.
She smiled at me.
Then she held out her hand once more, cupped the little glowing crystal, and pressed it against her chest.
It vanished.
"In case you haven't heard it yet," she said warmly,
"Welcome to Repetis..!"