Chapter 1 - Guess I Died, So Long~ Bear-well~

So... I died.

The end.

Thank you everyone for reading this short web-novel!

I'm sure the author is extremely happy that you people still stayed beyond the prologue chapter!

Or... not.

I'm sure I was already dead.

That numb and cold feeling at the end of my excruciating pain could only be interpreted as being 'dead'.

But sometime after said 'death' however. my consciousness returned.

Still bleary eyed, I saw something pinkish bobbing around on my right.

I reached out to touch them, but suddenly something hard hit the back of my neck so I passed out again.

An hour has passed or maybe more(?), I finally stirred awake once more.

I opened my eyes. Still delirious, I blinked a few times and adjusted my eyes to my surroundings.

Hold on, why is the concrete soft? I touched around some more until I noticed that I was laying on a soft and comfortable bed in a room that's 10 times more comfortable and fancier than my room at home.

I scanned around the room a few times until my eyesight landed on a weird figure crouching on the side of my bed.

Instead of seeing a grim reaper or an angel after my death, I saw a bear-like creature.

At least, that's what I thought it was.

Ok, sorry I'm not sure if it's even a bear. After looking more closely, I noticed that it's actually a costume. It's white, has a cute face, and wore something that suspiciously looks like an apron. Instead of two small ears on the top of its head, it has two giant ears on the sides of its head.

After some deliberation, I guessed that this creature could pass as a giant koala or mouse or monkey too.

We looked at each other awkwardly for a long time, until the bear(?) looked away first, reached out from under its apron and took out a mini white board. He(?) reached inside his apron once again and took out a marker, opened the cap, and started writing on the white board.

He wrote,

'Hello! Welcome to the Interworld Transmigration Office of the illustrious Yggdrasil!'

Inter... what?

Dumbfounded, I replied "Thank you? I guess..?"

He cocked his head a little to the right, stepped back a few steps, then proceeded on looking me up and down. He stared at my face again, this time a little more intensely.

I looked back nervously at the bear, and said, "Is there a prob- EH?!"

Before I could finish my sentence, his hands grabbed me from under my arms, then he picked me up easily with his paws(?).

Panicked, I started flailing around helplessly until he gently put me down again.

He began to write again,

'Sorry, sorry... It's just that you are so unbelievably calm, like a person who died peacefully in his sleep instead of being hit by a passing speeding car!'

This bear! What is this guy's problem?! And how is he so strong?! Even if I looked skinny, I'm still a 75 kilograms fully grown male,

But this guy actually picked me up easily like picking up a kid, no, a cat!

Even after that humiliation, apparently he's still not done. He cupped my head with his fluffy paws, looked closely to each side of my face, and started poking my face a few times.

After a few more pokes,

he began writing again, 'Do you realise that you're now dead?'

I nodded in response, and he wrote again,

'Do you realise that there's no way you can come back living your past life ever again?'

I nodded again.

The bear seemed to had just released a deep sigh, and wrote,

'Don't you have some lingering attachments to the world of the living? Or maybe some resentments?'

Reading that sentence, I started going through all my past experiences as a living human for around 26 years,

I'm Rezin Emmett, the only child of the normal Emmett family. My relationship with my parents is good, and I love them a lot. As for an attachment to them, I'd be lying if there's none, but I'd always been taught by my family to face life head on. If I or any of my family members were to die, we must let them go with pride and move on. So, I don't think my family is going to appreciate it if I said that I have an attachment to them after death. There's also my friends and co-workers but, if I were to cling to them, instead of being happy, I think they'll just be troubled by my hauntings.

Although, remembering that annoying author who destroyed that beautiful brotherly story...

Sighing heavily, I said to the bear, "Well, there is one resentment... you see I've been reading this one novel-"

He suddenly clapped his fluffy white paws, and wrote,

'Wow, that's perfect! Only that one resentment? No wonder you're so calm! In these busy times, Al would be pleased to meet a perfect candidate like you!'

Perfect? What does that mean?

He danced around cheerfully, and then wrote again,

'Since you're already calm and all, let's speed things up shall we? Please follow me to the soothing room. C'mon!'

After making sure I'd read the whole thing, he took my hand and hurriedly dragged me out of the room.

Soothing room? What the heck does that even mean? And what is this place's name again? Inter something something office?

But before I could make sense of what the bear just told me, I got overwhelmed once more when I saw the sight outside my room.

The moment I stepped out, sounds of loud falling water could be heard, the smell of damp but refreshing greeneries, serenaded with sweet sounds of singing birds. This place looks like an enormous greenhouse except there are hundreds, thousands of rooms, complete with outdoor lamps and dark wood doors.

Instead of white clouds and golden roads, apparently the afterlife looks like a greenhouse themed 5-star hotel.

We walked for a while until arriving at the elevator. Once we got in, the bear typed a code on the keypad and tapped his ID card on the censor. After a few beeps and a ding the elevator started moving down. From the elevator glass, I watched as the view changed from forest themed 5-star hotel into a brightly lit professionally built office.

The elevator ding-ed once more and we started going towards the long office corridor.

Being a corporate slave before I died, this view makes me feel a little homesick somehow.

After walking for a bit, the bear stopped, and began patting my back a few times to get my attention.

'We've arrived! Please go inside the room! Al, our soul soother is waiting for you inside. Don't worry, I'll stay right here in case you need something.', he wrote.

Reading his reassuring sentence, I replied, "Thank you for accompanying me, Mr..?"

He nodded and wrote, 'Bear. Call me Bear! Now, go in, go in~!', accompanied by a mini bear doodle on the side.

So It IS a bear, I thought. I smiled, nodded to him politely, and opened the door.