Prologue 1 - I messed up
As great as it was that I managed to join a company despite still being a recent graduate, it was a black company... There I was forced to work as a corporate slave again and again for five years, until one day I unfortunately died as I approached my 30s.
That day, I was in a hurry because an unfortunately broken alarm clock had led to me oversleeping; and maybe it partly happened because it was raining and the ground was wet. If I got there late I was 120% sure the boss who was all talk and did nothing but still took all the credit would be giving me a sarcasm laced scolding for all eternity, so I ran with all my might.
A minute to go until my train would be at the ticket gate. It would have been incredibly convenient if the platform was right next to it, but unfortunately, getting to that train required one to walk for a while even after getting past the gate. I could probably barely make it in time, and if I missed this I’d be late for sure, so I couldn’t afford to lose it.
The announcement came, telling that the train was coming.
“Shiiit!”
I was running down the stairs skipping one step at a time, and then I’d have to climb up someother stairs ahead. Why was getting to the platform this much trouble? I knew complaining wouldn’t help but if it weren’t for these stairs I’d easily be getting there in time.
The train’s departure is announced. And there I was still climbing those other stairs. Please don’t rush in while the doors are closing you say? If I don’t do that I won’t make it!
Still climbing I was now met with a not-small crowd of people on the stairs as pa.s.sengers were getting off the train -- continuing in a straight line was impossible. I somehow kept running through the crowd avoiding everyone and the train entered my field of vision. Luckily there was some time left after the announcement before the doors would actually start closing.
(I"m gonna make it!)
Thinking that thought as I kept running I saw something that should only be seen with a glance. I would realize it later but this was in its truest sense the deciding moment.
Nearby, to be precise a few steps ahead of me and to my left, a black haired schoolgirl like you’d find anywhere had slipped on the wet stairs.
From below I ended up catching sight of white panties. Polka dots.
That girl had a blank expression on her face, not realizing yet what had happened. For some reason that scene was moving for me in slow motion, so I could see even that small detail.
And I just instinctively knew it. If I left it alone this girl would come tumbling down the stairs, get hit everywhere and die. I’ve never had great foresight, and there were no signs I’d ever have it. If I had that sort of ability I probably wouldn’t have gotten nothing but red marks in English.
But for some reason, this time I was very sure what would happen; I could clearly see the scene floating in my mind.
What to do, that thought did not even occur.
Before I was thinking anything my body was moving on its own. If I’d simply kept going there would have been a commotion and I’d still have gotten into the train to be at the company on time, and worst case, the train would’ve been stopped because of the accident and I’d have gotten a good excuse out of it. I didn"t have time to think such things.
I moved my leg that should be going forward one step to the left. With that step the grazing of clothes that would’ve happened from the girl falling past me of course became her whole body crashing into me instead.
The result was obvious. Having used all the force I could muster to move that one step, I could not hold my ground, and as if being carried away by the girl we both started falling down the stairs together.
The slow motion had simply ended and the field of view that had began to rapidly accelerate began to rotate at high speed too. I didn’t know what was what anymore.
But even in that situation I somehow managed to embrace the girl’s body and head, desperately trying to protect her.
Don! That dull sound rang and my field of vision went dark. It seems I’d fallen to the very bottom.
I opened my eyes and looked at the girl lying on my chest but I didn’t see anything that looked like a serious injury on her. I then looked around at my surroundings in a dazed and dumbfounded state. How I’d ended up in this situation wasn’t something I immediately understood.
Anyway it was good that she was safe. The effect of pushing your body...
But, I had taken the full hit and now my body wouldn’t even budge. No, the girl was still lying on me so that much seemed obvious.
For the time being I tried to ask her to move but my mouth didn’t work well. Somehow my voice came out as an undistinguished groan.
(What? My vision is... )
It"s becoming increasingly blurry. Something is wrong.
The girl’s eyes now met mine, and as I realized that she immediately let out a horrified scream. I just saved your life here; responding in a way like you just encountered a pervert, really hurts. As I was thinking that...
A gushing sound came from the back of my head.
Because I couldn’t move my body I could only turn my eyes to the side to look. There a strange red puddle came into view. It was strange that I didn"t see this puddle earlier.
People started to gather around. I wanted to get up quickly so I wouldn’t cause a scene but like before my body wouldn’t move. I had no control over it at all..
The station staff came and said something in my ear. They’re asking if I’m alright? You can tell that without asking. I’m completely, absolutely fine. I hit my head but I’m still fully conscious.
...Hit my head? From that height?
That"s right, at the end I remembered I’d received a strong impact to the head. It"s easy to predict what happened after my head was. .h.i.t.
Then, from that height without a proper landing and ending up cushioning the girl’s fall too on top of that... It was obvious what the natural result would be.
(Ah, this, it’s my blood isn’t it?)
The red puddle; that was something that came from my head. It appeared that I was bleeding heavily from the back of my head..
(Is this… death?)
The consciousness that was so clear before was steadily fading; it seemed there was no mistaking it. Who would have thought? That it’d be that way... And to think I would die while saving a stranger.
While thinking of that I was strangely calm.
I just felt it was annoying to die here like this. This way it only looked like I got dragged into this and died. I was intentionally trying to protect that girl. I didn’t regret my decision.
Maybe that was just because this was what the true feeling of death was like, but even so it was still better than having my last thoughts be ones of regret. In a sense being able to die satisfied like this was the greatest happiness.
I wanted to just sleep like this, but I saw the girl on my chest looking at me with a stunned expression and changed my mind. If I died now this girl would definitely end up thinking someone died because of her.
Me dying was the consequence of my choice and not her responsibility. In truth, I’d always had the choice of letting her die and going to the company.
Even now I was actually thinking of going to the company; I really was a corporate slave.. Sheesh there was no helping me.
That"s why, I mustered my last strength...
"Ah......"
If I desperately gathered strength I could let out a voice. I could barely talk the way I was. I really had to use my last reserves to move my mouth.
"Y, You... Are, you, hurt?"
It resembled broken attempts at foreign language. The voice coming out was hoa.r.s.e and so much like a whisper that I was worried it wouldn’t be heard, but the girl noticed I began talking and brought her ear to my mouth. Should be fine if it was like that, I figured.
Upon seeing that, the people around us turned quiet. It was nice that these people seemed to have consideration.
I wished to see her reaction if it was possible but it was becoming painful to hold onto consciousness.
In order to not end this without saying anything I decided to just say something right away.
But what to say? Thinking up something that’d erase this girl’s guilt was too difficult...
While hesitating, I decided to say the same thing I’d thought about back at the stairs.
"Pol, ka, dot."
There wasn’t a more unsuitable thing to leave as my last words. But I was dying anyway, so it didn’t matter to me.
"I could clearly... see it."
The girl had a blank expression for an instant trying to understand what I was saying, before finally realizing and having a really stunned look.
Now I’d probably go from being an unfortunate bystander to being a pervert, but considering I was dying it still didn’t matter. Small price to pay if this keeps the girl out of a serious guilt trip.
......No, it’d be the worst when my parents are told about this. The tale of the man who died after seeing some panties would probably be pa.s.sed down. That"s too bad.
Well, there was no taking it back now, no helping that.
I couldn"t hold onto consciousness anymore. The moment I relaxed my conscious was swallowed by darkness and gone.
(￣^￣)ゞ
Prologue 2 New Game
When I opened my eyes I could see the sky. It was perfectly clear with no clouds.
Having just woken up I desperately tried to move my somehow immobile head while thinking,
(What time is it now?)
I didn’t hear the sound of the alarm clock so I shouldn"t have overslept. No, the alarm clock had broken.
(Huh? Broken and overslept, isn"t that......)
My conscious was awakened at once. That"s right, I should be dead. I fell down the stairs and hit my head.
(That... I’m still conscious like this means I didn"t die?)
Then that was way too embarra.s.sing. What was I thinking trying to act cool like that just because it was my last chance? No, those last words weren’t even trying to be cool. Rather those last words were an unprecedented level of uncool.
Well, I was alive after all so I didn’t care. Even I didn’t particularly like the thought of dying alone. I didn’t want to die period; I wanted to live. There are a mountain of things I still want to do.
But what should I say to the company?. I wonder if they’d accept it as being sick leave -- it was a questionable thing. After hitting my head as hard as I did, that I just barely recovered from extreme injuries was what I wanted to believe.
As I was thinking about that matter, I realized that this situation was strange. Even now this clear sky without a single cloud in it was definitely what was being projected to my eyes. My current location was somewhere outdoors for sure.
I had bled out pretty badly; I had definitely fallen down the stairs and lost consciousness. Normally I would have been carried by an ambulance to the hospital. I certainly hadn’t heard about an innovative hospital where you gazed at the sky. And according to the forecast it should’ve still been raining for a while. This clear sky itself was strange too.
It was understandable if I’d slept for a long time, but if that was the case then where was this? There was no reason to have injured people sleep outdoors for days on end.
I surveyed my surroundings and found nothing in sight . Not even a building. All I found around me were trees and gra.s.s and not much else. I didn’t even find any sign of any people being nearby.
(And my body feels heavy. It is hard to move as if had no feeling in my legs...)
That’s what I thought as I got up, and then looking down I found that my legs weren’t even there.
They didn’t exist so it was obvious they had no sensation. What a simple conclusion.
"I see I see. My legs aren’t there. Ahahahaha...... Ha?!"
Wait a second. My legs aren’t there? I should have fallen down the stairs and strongly hit my head. Why would my legs be missing?
There was necrosis and they had to be amputated? As if that could happen from hitting your head!
I didn’t understand this at all.
In this moment of extreme confusion I heard the sound of water splashing. When I turned towards it, I found that something that looked like a lake was there. Now I certainly found it dubious that something like that was even there, but I decided to save that for later. For now I needed to go see what condition I was in.
For some reason, even the absence of my legs didn’t prevent me from moving around and I somehow managed to make it to the lakesh.o.r.e. Even so my body sure did feel rather difficult to move.
At any rate, trying to check my condition by looking at my own reflection merely turned out to leave me speechless. What I saw didn’t help matters at all.
As for why, what was reflected there was...
“W, what is… this?!”
My body was jiggling around; a sphere shaking on top of something and pretty much looking like jello.
(￣^￣)ゞ