The Reincarnation of the Duo

In this pitch-black world, there are two individuals wearing casual clothing sleeping peacefully on the pitch-black ground. Both of their hands are clasped together on their chest.

A man with spikey hair named Hanzou Hattori and a woman with white hair named Saya Shirase.

Both of them are 26 years old, and both of them coincidently died at the same time as 26 years old humans.

Right now they are nothing but a soul that has the appearance they had when they are still alive.

*patter*patter*

Footsteps can be heard walking toward the two who were sleeping on the ground.

He had long wavy blonde hair and a slim body, and apparently, he is wearing a black suit similar to the one the office worker wearing.

And this person is the god of this realm. He was referred to in many ways, but let's settle with Kami.

"Yare yare, *sigh* where should I send these two that I've chosen? Which world are they suited to? We have an infinite amount of fragments and yet it was hard to choose which one of them." Said Kami as he keeps sighing. "...I know."

He was observing how peaceful the two were sleeping that you might forget that these two apparently have a hard life.

If it wasn't for that fact, Kami would have already played a prank, like kicking them in the solar plexus, removing their clothing, or putting a clip on their nose, and many more ideas that he can come up with.

There is also the idea that he would roast both of them like a pig and eat them after he finished cooking them.

Putting that idea aside he cleared his throat and raised his hand and snap his fingers.

"Ngh."

"Ngh."

At the same time after Kami snaps his finger, the two who are sleeping peacefully on the pitch-black ground groaned and seem to be waking up.

"Where...is this?" Asked Hanzou as he shook his head.

While the other just looked around and observed her pitch-black surroundings with a stoic expression.

"You can call this place the realm of the gods." Answered Kami.

"..."

"Oh hoh, doubting are we? Well, I'm used to my doubters. But to prove it for starters..."

Kami again raises a hand and snaps their finger then there is a table that appeared in this pitch-black world, two seats facing the one seated at the other side.

While a Tea set was arranged at the top of the table.

Kami sat down at the lone seat as he prompts the two to sit down in front of him.

Even though they didn't know each other, and being the gentleman he is, Hanzou held a hand toward Saya to help her up. Of course, she is hesitant to take it because she didn't know if she should accept it or not considering that she is not interacting with people other than her parents even once when she was still alive.

When he saw this he just takes her hand gently and helps her up with a smile, then they make their way to sit down with Kami.

***

"*cough* Nice to meet you, I'm one of the many gods out there, you may call me Kami. And if you think I'm a girl then no, I'm a god so my gender is a secret" Said Kami as he winks at the two.

The person with long blonde wavy hair and a slim body in front of them stands up as he introduces himself in a refined manner similar to a butler naming himself Kami as a god.

But that's not what the two were really thinking, about his gender. They just want an explanation but before that.

After Kami introduces himself, Hanzou followed suit.

He doubted the fact the person in front of him was a god but he finds it impolite if he didn't introduce himself so he did.

"I'm Hanzou Hattori, nice to meet you."

"Who apparently died in an ambush." Added Kami which made Hanzou frown.

When he finished introducing himself the girl next to him followed.

"(Saya Shirase, the pleasure is mine.)" Said Saya almost sounding like a whisper.

"Died of an illness," Kami added again.

"I really did die, huh."

"(I really did die.)"

The two of them said at the same time.

Both of them already suspected that fact when they woke up. But now that it was confirmed, they just accepted without complaining.

They didn't know if they should be happy or sad about it.

"Now that the introduction was over, let's get down to business." Said Kami and snap his fingers again and then something happened.

"NGH!!!"

Hanzou grits his teeth as he clutches his temple while Saya was visibly in pain as she also held her head with both hands.

Hanzou, on the other hand, handled it well, whereas Saya struggled.

What happened to the two?

Why they suddenly felt an extreme headache?

So he asked Kami. "What... is that? Images, no, memories suddenly flash into my mind, I don't have a recollection of them so why do I have these memories?"

"Oh, that, well to be blunt. I did make you two share each other's memories. Both of you are already dead so what's the harm?" Said Kami while casually pouring tea into his cup.

"You what!!?"

He looks instantly at Saya who was hugging herself while shivering as she hides her expression through her bangs.

That's right, the memories he just saw, it was the memories of Saya Shirase.

But after processing what Kami said, it also happened to her, she also saw his memories.

"Why did you do that!?" Shouted Hanzou looking back at Kami with an angry expression.

"Well, you are doubting me, so I prove it to you." Kami just answered him casually taking a sip from his cup.

He has the urge to grab Kami's collar but then finally realizes it. He realizes that the person sitting in front of him was a legit god, if he has the ability to do such a thing, then there is a possibility that Kami can do much worse than that.

"Okay fine, you prove it. But why did you use that kind of way to prove it!? You know that whoever sees what I've seen won't be able to take it!?"

"There is a reason why I also did what I did."

"And what that be?"

"Before I answer that, I want to ask first. What do you think of her memories?"

"Think... of her memories?" Said Hanzou looking at Saya who was gradually calming down as she sips some tea from her cup.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I... think we are somewhat similar. We are born to be used by our parents who treated us as nothing but mere tools they created at the same time neglecting their duty to be parents to their children... ...Which made me envious of the other children having happy families. ...But the difference is that they created me to do their dirty work while she was created like some kind of library."

"Okay. What about you? What do you think of his memory Saya-chan?"

Suddenly asking her a question Saya jolts up a bit as she starts fidgeting in her seat.

"I...I um, I... ...I think the same." She pauses and tries her best to continue speaking and give her own opinion. "But... unlike me... he was able to go outside, while I was isolated and fighting in the underground of my parent's mansion to keep living."

"I see... ...Now, that you're dead. You know what that means?"

"You mean we are free from the shackles our parents put on us?" Hanzou said at the same time Saya nodded in agreement.

"Sekai. So now to answer your question from earlier."

Standing up from his seat, Kami suddenly wore a marching snare drum, who knows when, how, and why did he have that?

And Kami starts hitting the snare drum with a drumstick keeping the suspense up.

(What the? Where did that come from? Oh...) Confusedly thought Hanzou but then realize where he was and who was the person in front of him.

Saya was looking at Kami with amazement as she thought. (So this is how it sounds and how they used it?)

With a *bam*! he announces his answer. "Is because you two are similar."

Hanzou hit his head on the table while Saya only innocently tilted her head to the side.

"I'm not wrong though. You two are both sides of the same coin."

"(I should've known. The answer literally come from our mouth... ...But I wonder if it really was it.)"

(Because there are no such things as similarities because there are always differences.)

"Bu-but why are we here? You said earlier that we're dead right? I thought dead people should be left alone in peace and let them sleep for eternity." Surprisingly it was Saya, who is the shy type, no to be more precise, she isn't used to talking to someone due to the fact that she was isolated, but still spoke up.

"You read too many fairy tales. But you are not far too off."

Of course, she knew that they are just in a fictional book she'd read so she didn't really believe it herself. She just wants to mention it.

"Then why?"

The very question has finally been asked.

Always why.

"Let's just say I've chosen both of you as my pieces in a certain fragment."

(Pieces?)

(Fragment?)

Both of them thought tilting their head as Kami continued.

"Let me explain. Let's start with a piece. You can think of it as a chess board piece, obviously."

Both of them listened as Hanzou narrowed his eyes. Even though he was used to being used as a tool yet he doesn't like the sound of it.

"Let me finish," Kami said as if reading his mind. "You two are going to be chess pieces in a certain fragment but if you wanted to. I'm not forcing you or anything."

"Keep going. What is this fragment you keep mentioning?"

"It's this." A crystal fragment appeared floating in his palm. "You can think of it as a world but it's a different kind of world where you once live when you are still alive. You can also think of it as an alternative reality. But you can refer to it as the chessboard where you two, as pieces, will be deployed in."

"So...so basically is just like shogi? After you capture a certain piece on the shogi board, you are not going to drop them on the same board but on a different one?" Saya said.

"It's quite a close answer but sekai."

"Heh, for some reason this sound like you are going to reincarnate us in another world."

"Sekai."

It was only meant as a joke but when he heard that his jaw drop opened.

Saya has heard the term reincarnation and has a general idea about it but only in fiction books, she had read so she didn't believe it. But after meeting a god, it changes everything.

"Oh, let me clear out the misunderstanding Hanzou-chan."

(Hanzou-chan? Weird.)

"Hm?"

Hanzou tilted his head wondering.

"I'm not putting you both on this chessboard to be used by me. My real intention here is..."

Suddenly the playful God calling himself Kami showed a genuine smile.

"...For the both of you to have at least a life you never experience. And the reason why I made you share your memories with each other is basically so that someone knows and understands what kind of life you live before and that both of you won't feel like you are out of place in this fragment and I can promise you of that fact and I meant every single one of them." Kami said but then he added something that quite contradict himself. "Of course, I won't be too lenient to you since I won't send you to a perfect world, because there is no such thing as a perfect world."

The two were surprised by what the god had said to them.

"So I'll give you three choices. The first one is if you like to be reincarnated in a certain fragment with your experience, knowledge, and memories intact with you. Two, would you be reincarnated where you would lose everything you gain in your past life and be reborn to be a new person? And third is if you want to fall asleep in deep slumber for all eternity."

Both Hanzou and Saya take a look at each other for a moment and put a finger on their chin to think through the choices god give to them.

"You can think as long as you needed, there is no concept of time here after all. So you are not wasting my time." Said Kami, but then said something that contradict himself. "But I'm quite the impatient type."

They didn't reply but only remained silent and kept thinking for as long as they needed.

Since time doesn't exist in this pitch-black world they didn't know how long they are sitting in their seat.

"By the way what kind of fragment we will be reincarnated in?" Hanzou break the silence as he asked this.

"Have you read a book called Classroom of the elite? It's quite an interesting book so I try to find if that book also has a fragment here."

"What's that?"

"What's that?"

They asked.

Then silence again befall them.

"*sigh* What am I thinking, of course, you both don't know. The genre and the theme of the book are not a cup of your tea."

"Well, I'm in adventure stuff."

"I like the mystery genre more."

"*sigh* So basically you hate school stuff, well I can understand."

Since in their past life, they didn't experience or attend school even once so they tend to avoid reading a genre like that, so an emotion known as envy won't envelop them deep within their buried emotion in their heart.

"For a quick summary, there is going to exist a school where they nurture their students to be future leaders. This is also another reason why I choose this for you so that you can showcase your abilities in this world without anyone ordering you."

"So basically there is option one, which is because this school exists? Although the school indeed sounds interesting." Hanzou said.

(Leader, huh? Well, to be honest, I'm not suited to be one, but I don't want to be an underling. I'm done being a tool, plus it is such a hassle to be a leader. I'll just have to live my life correctly with no regrets.)

(It's also interesting for me as well. After all, I only gain knowledge but not experience. If he said that the school is nurturing leaders, I wonder if I can become one.) Thought Saya, but then she suddenly shivered down her spine as she imagined being a leader of so many people. (...I think not. Just gaining experience is more than enough. But then again, if he really meant that we're going to be reborn then I have a lot of time to think about what I want to do. I like Mystery stories, so maybe I can become a detective.)

Kami only took a sip as he nodded.

"I've decided. I choose option one. What about you Shirase-san?"

"My answer is the same, option one."

"I see so you've decided... Oh, and this will not be the last time we will speak to each other, I can appear in front of you whenever I want."

"What do you mean."

"Like appearing in your dream."

"I... see."

"I have nothing else to say. Then have a safe trip and lead a good life. Oh, and don't worry about the appearance you will be having, you both will have an appearance based on your preferences."

"Thanks, I guess."

"(Thanks.)"

Kami brought his finger up and snap it as usual and a bright light envelop the pitch-black world.