1 Chapter 1: A Mournful Death

All I feel is pain.

I slowly open my eyes. The first person I see is my little sister, behind her are our parents. My parents are standing in the doorway, waving their arms like crazy people.

I can't focus on anything, everything is too blurry.

They look like they're screaming, but I can't hear them.

I can't hear anything.

This is the worst this disease has been. This disease that no one else has. The doctors don't know how to cure it. But they do know that it's a very unlikely to be cancer. They haven't even found the origin of where the disease is in my body.

I try and get up, but that only made the pain worse. I can feel myself screaming, but I can't hear it. It's weird, is this how deaf people feel. I look at my sister as she puts her head on my bed. I try and reach her, but she seems so far. I reach to her, as a big brother it's my job to comfort her.

I put my hand on her head. What am I suppose to say? That'll all be okay. No, I'm most likely going to die in a few minutes. I have my hand on her head and start slowly rubbing it.

[Don't cry.]

At least I think I said that. She looks at me and gently hugs me while sobbing uncontrollably. I see in the corner of my eye that she is speaking, but I can't make out the words.

[Stop crying and let me see your face.]

I didn't say "for the last time", for obvious reasons. My parents finally came in the room with a person in a white coat. The person in white checks me and backs away with a sad look on his face. He tells my parents something and leaves the room. That probably means that there is no helping me now.

My parents and sister stand over me, tears in their eyes. They're saying things to me and I think I can figure out what they're.

[Stop crying. I don't want to see you like that.]

I watch them wipe they're eyes in attempt to get rid of the tears, but they fail to do so. How much time do I have left? Seconds? Minutes?

My eyes feel heavy, my body aches with pain, but I keep enough of my consciousness to say my last words.

[I love you.]

I close my eyes and almost instantly, the pain went away.

I hear a voice from in front of me.

[??: You're finally here.]

I open my eyes and found a man in his mid-forties, he had a slim, muscular build, black hair with gray streaks, and a face I can never forget, my dad's.

[MC: Dad?]

[??: Is that who you see?]

[MC: What do you mean?]

[??: I am not your father, I only look like your father. When anyone looks at me, they see the person that inspired them the most.]

The memories of all the times me and my father hanged, flooded into me. Eating with him, playing with him, him taking care of me when I was sick. Everyone flooded into my mind. My sister, my mother, my aunts, my uncle, my friends, the neighbors, but I didn't feel an ounce of sadness nor happiness when I thought about them. I wonder why?

I look around for the first time and in all directions it's just an endless white void. I assume this is the afterlife and the one in front of me is God or an angel.

[??: You are correct, I am God.]

[MC: How did you know what I was thinking?]

[God: That's a secret.]

[MC: Why am I so calm? I just died and now I am face-to-face with God.]

Though I was really just talking to myself, God replied.

[God: Because in my presence you feel an overwhelming amount of calmness, that nothing can make you feel not calm.]

That makes sense. The reason why I don't feel neither sadness nor happiness.

[MC: So, why am I here?]

[God: You are here because I am going to give you a choice that I don't usually give.]

This is starting to seem like a typical isekai storyline. I wonder if I'll get a harem, or be overpowered, or both, hopefully both if possible.

[MC: What choice would that be?]

[God: Koichi Yoshikawa, do you want to be reincarnated to another world or continue on to the paradise known as heaven?]

I knew it.

[MC: Will you give me a moment to collect my thoughts?]

[God: Sure, I quite have some time to spare.]

What should I do? I can have another life in a different world, or I can go to paradise for the rest of time. This is kind of a hard choice. Not. But I do kind of want to know why?

[MC: Why am I getting this choice?]

[God: Because you were a good person and you died a death that you didn't deserve.]

[MC: Then what about those other kids that don't get to live normal lives because of the world's problems.]

I wanted to get mad, but I couldn't.

[God: They deserved it because of their other past lives.]

[MC: What do you mean by that?]

[God: Everyone is born three times. If you were a good person at least two of those three times, then you can go to heaven, if you were a bad person for two of those three, then you go to hell.]

[MC: That didn't answer my question.]

[God: It means that if you were a bad person in your first life by being a rich racist person, then you'll be born as a poor person that was bullied because they have a different color.]

[MC: Oh.]

I can put the pieces together.

[God: I'm giving you this choice because this was your third life. For some reason you got an incurable disease and died way sooner than you were suppose to. You were also a good person in all three of of your lives, so even if you end up being bad this time, you'll go to heaven.]

Died way sooner than I was suppose to? So everyone has a fate, I guess.

I have one last question for God before I can make my decision.

[MC: What will happen to my memories?]

[God: The memories you have now, will be kept with you to this new life. If you forget your memories, then you'll have to wait until you die again. You get all your memories from all your lives when you go to heaven.]

I guess I can make my answer now.

[MC: I will accept this new life that you have gracefully offered me.]

[God: Good good. Then it is settled.]

He raised his hand-

[MC: Wait. Before you do that, how would my illness-]

Without letting me finish my question, God snapped his finger.

What I wanted to ask was, "How would my illness have been cured?" But I guess I won't find out anytime soon.