Chapter 2: The Hero Candidate And The Accidental Casualty

""Eh?""

The woman looked out of place to Koichi, with her shoulder-length black hair pulled up with an upswept hairpin and her kosode (short-sleeved kimono) dyed in a tranquil pattern.

She appeared to be an "ordinary" figure with ideal balance because of her slightly thick eyebrows, deep double eyes, nose, which was neither high nor low, somewhat thick lips, and small mouth.

The woman in kimono was surprised at the sight of the two of them.

"Why are there two of you?" The strange woman in kimono asked no one.

The two were feeling odd about this situation they found themselves in, and were a bit nervous at the "seemingly" mistake of a situation they are involved with.

"Um, excuse me, have we died?" Gotou asked.

"Uh- oh, yes, you've died, I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Uwaaa! I knew it!"

".....w-what"

What had been a mystery and a doubt before turned into a real situation, although it is strange that they believe what the woman said at face value there's nothing more strange than the fact they are at a strange white space or some kind of place that they cannot remember and are pretty sure cannot be found on earth.

There's the possibility they are kidnapped and were being pranked by a cruel reality show, but just being recently in the face of death that was fresh in their mind, rejects that ridiculous and stupid notion.

The immediate excruciating pain, and extreme state of mind. It cannot be erased with a ridiculous thought.

However the thing that bothered them the most, are the strange woman's words.

Does that mean there is supposed to be only one of them in this place?

If that's the case, Gotou thought that one of them could be brought back to life again. He wishes for the other Gotou Koichi who seems to bear the same name as him to be alive again. As it seems like he has a huge regret in his back for leaving his mother, looking at his unresponding stand.

It's not that Gotou thinks he wants to die.

But it was just if he did die right now, he would have no regrets as he can see patterns on what is about to happen to them, feeling the familiar atmosphere he read in his light novels.

The merit he could gain from this is more than better than staying in and continuing his boring and presetted life.

Study, Work, Die.

He doesn't want to live just for these boring three stages of life.

Gotou have a free mind that can soar in the sky full of ambition that is unfit in a modern world.

He wanted something more.

He doesn't see the situation they are in as something negative but a brimming opportunity. All he has left to do is wait for that opportunity to arise and take it in his hands.

'Hopefully, this situation is what I think it is.'

"Um, Excuse me, Mister Gotou Koichi?"

"Yes!" Gotou this time is the only one who responded.

Seeing this the woman asked once again, this time looking at the downcasted Koichi.

"Um, how about you Mister?" She said,

".....I- uh, my name is Gotou Koichi as well,"

The two Gotou Koichi look at each other, although one of them is not really excited and still surprised at everything.

"You have the same name as me?"

Gotou asked the downcasted Koichi.

"....."

Seeing his state, he can't help but sympathize with him. He heard earlier he has a mother that he left, and it seems like they are close to each other , which makes him extremely sad of the thought of leaving his mother behind.

Although Gotou also has his own familial connection and he also loves his own family. He can't help but be embarrassed at his own attitude at his situation and the news of his death.

He had seemingly adjusted abnormally quickly, and was anticipating what would happen next.

"Let's see here. It spells (after) for Go, (Wisteria) for Tou, (Tiger) for Ko, and the (first) for Ichi " (Go tou Ko ichi)

"Ah, that would be me."

'It was me!' Thought Gotou, who's weirdly excited.

"How about you, other Mister Gotou Koichi?"

"...mine is spelled "After", "East", "Happiness", and the unit for "one" (Go tou Ko ichi)....."

"I understand..... Well, then Mister Gotou with After East, please wait for a little while."

Then the woman in kimono began to speak to the East Wisteria Gotou.

To summarize, this strange woman in kimono is an Administrator of the world, a God-like being, or straight up God in the human sense, if you will.

Seeing her demonstrate some of her prowess to further prove her point that she is one, by changing their environment to lushly green hills and grass to the darkness of space.

To say that the two Gotou are beyond surprised is underestimation of how much this event shakes their world.

Even the unperturbed downcasted Koichi was forced to stand up and pay attention due to the rapidly changing environment.

After that she went and told that this (Wisteria) Gotou will be reincarnated in another world later. Gotou, who often read light novels as his hobby, could easily understand it. Still, Koichi didn't seem to be familiar with that area, and the woman who was the administrator was not very good at explaining it either. In the end, as a result of Gotou's supplementary explanations, Koichi finally understood what was going to happen to him.

The place of rebirth is a fantasy world of swords and magic.

Although its historical background is close to medieval Europe, the magical culture makes it challenging to compare civilization with this world.

The civilization's technological advancement was impeded due to a heavy superstitious belief that anything weird happening will be explained by simply saying, "It must be magic." Or "by God's will", which in fact does exist.

Although with all of that explanation, Koichi is still lost.

It seems that Gotou will be born into a family with a delicate situation as the would-be third son of a Knight family.

Still, with the current unrest in another world, there is a high possibility of an all-out war in the near future, and the higher his knightly achievements, the better he will be able to rise above lower nobles.

In a world where the already mentioned magic and skills exist, what's even more exciting is that after reincarnation, he will be born with a cheat ability.

That is, his memories will be intact once he's born, meaning all the knowledge and experience he gained on Earth will be remembered in full, and Gotou rather believes that is already a bonus as it is, with how low the level of advancement in the other world, he can take advantage of that.

But that doesn't stop at that. With a body that was given by the strange women in kimono aka administrator here, he will also receive a boost in all stats, in other words, his body will be much stronger and resilient compared to common humans of that world, well according to the goddess there's all sorts of monsters and creatures in there so it's only natural to boost Gotou's body.

If Gotou wants to, he can become strong enough to walk into the Demon King's castle and defeat him on his own.

Hearing that estimate, Koichi is slightly impressed at how straight the road to success is for Gotou.

"In other words I can be like the Isekai Light novel protagonists, like R*mi*u, A*nz, K*m*ko, or K*z*ma?"

"Yes, although I don't know who you are talking about, but yes."

'Uncultured'

Lastly, he can choose five separate skills from the already given "Standard skill set" from what the administrator said was already a guaranteed skill.

"That extra skill, can I request it or do I have to choose?"

"You can't request skills as it was already made and predetermined what effect it will cause."

"Then where should I choose?"

"Oh, pardon me."

The strange woman raised her hand in front of Gotou and a hovering transparent computer like a hologram window appeared with 7 bold and big words in the window.

Gotou started taking skills he thought were useful.

"Huh? Is that all?"

"Yes, the limit of skills you can take is 5, so please do choose carefully."

After a while, Gotou has chosen his skills, after his long consideration on how the skills will be useful exactly to him, performing an elimination.

Although he felt bad for Koichi, for picking all the most useful and strongest skills and leaving only two skills left.

It's weird that he can take five skills though, when all of the skills displayed are seven overall, which meant the first take is advantage over others, and fortunately he was first to choose.

He can't exactly be lenient and let the others take advantage and come on top of him.

If he's going to another world, he has to make sure he's the strongest.

"Okay, I'm good now."

"It's time to go. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Before going to the administrator's side, Gotou talks to Koichi to say his farewell.

But seeing the still darkened face of Koichi, Goutou decided to cheer him up a bit.

"Well, nice to meet you, Gotou Koichi. Thanks for saving me again."

".....um"

"If we're going in the same world, perhaps we will meet again. By then, may we be able to speak to each other well and you have found your own happiness again.

Don't be down for too long, your mother's going to be even more sad."

".....I see. Thank you, see you,..... I guess." Koichi said his own farewell as well, and exchanged pleasantries with Gotou.

"I wish your mother well."

"Then, I'm going to begin your reincarnation."

"Bye~."

With a flash of light, as if sucked by heaven, Gotou dissolved into particles of light and was pulled upwards in a speed no human eye could follow.

After a very light farewell, the other Gotou disappeared.

"....."

"Now then..."

The administrator suddenly wrinkled her forehead at Koichi.

'.....huh? Why is she looking at me like that?'

"What should I do, Mister (After East) Gotou?"

It's probably a way to distinguish between (After Wisteria) Gotou and (After East) Gotou, but being called that out of the blue made Koichi raise his unenergized eyes a bit towards the administrator.

But as he didn't mind it, he didn't point it out. As of right now he have many things to think, being called weirdly is least of his problems.

".....w-why are you asking me? Do I have a choice? .....Can I make a choice?"

Koichi died together with somebody else, who together have done a good deed of saving a child in a truck accident, but in exchange they're the one who died.

So here, Koichi was unsure of what to do.

Or is there anything left for him to do?

"Umm, you see, to tell you the truth, the person who was supposed to come here was (After Wisteria) Gotou, you know?"

The word reverberated in Koichi's mind.

'Eh?..... What does this mean?'

The administrator's explanation adds to Koichi's confusion.

He feels like he's done something completely useless and foolish to the core.

"I died right?"

He can't believe he's gone, especially if it was for something he tried to do to help.

"Well...I guess?"

The administrator's unsure response leaves Koichi feeling even more lost, angry, and frustrated in something, something he regrets.

Koichi regrets that he died, that he tried to save the child only to die, if his death is inconsequential and was accidental, what was the purpose of him dying.

Why did he leave her mother alone?

Why did he decide to be a hero for nothing?

He should have left that child to be saved by Gotou alone.

He should have left him to die too.

He should have left them to die.

He wonders if his death had any meaning at all.

"Hah.....so my death is inconsequential, I- died, I died too!"

Koichi's voice cracks with emotion as he grapples with the unfairness of it all.

It feels like his sacrifice was for nothing. That it would happen anyways without his intervention.

"I left my mother alone!....I-uh..."

Guilt floods Koichi's heart as he thinks about his mother.

If there's anything he wishes to do, he wishes he could go back and change what happened.

When Koichi's eyes lost color, as if he had given up, the administrator dropped to her knees.

"...Haha seriously the world is unfair. Well, to be honest, there's no point trying.

I guess it can't be helped that I'll disappear like this."

'I guess...it can't be helped that we're always at the end of the rope... I'm sorry-'

".....mom"

Koichi can only slump down as he has given up the struggle to live.

There's no point trying, the god herself in a way said that he died meaningless, he wasn't supposed to be here, it was an accident, he doesn't matter at all.

As if saying his life has been worth nothing.

No less than a worm.

He doesn't matter at all, well he kind of figured it out since the beginning his life took a turn.

He knows he's worthless, nobody cares about him, about his feelings aside from his mother.

His mother Ayumi, the kindest mother, has brought life to a worthless child like him.

His strong mother even birthed a worthless baggage such as him.

Is the only one who cared for him, he didn't have the same dream as everyone, he didn't have the same thoughts of everyone who wanted to have everything, full of selfishness.

All he wanted to do was to repay the kindness of his kind mother. That's all.

Yet....

Yet all of it has gone to sink.

Nothing matters at all.

He can't help but be bitter towards all.

Ahh, how selfish the world is.

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