0 - Prologue
TO cut straight to the conclusion, my name is Midori Akitsu, and I died at age twenty-seven. It was a sudden death, but I guess it was from overworking? I knew I was probably working too much and feeling pretty ragged, but still…
I suppose it was my fault for being so busy that I never made time to go to the doctor. I wonder what criteria they use to determine “overwork” as a cause of death, anyways.
I’m not suffering from delusional love for my company or anything, but I feel a little bad about what “death-by-overwork” will do to the company’s image, even if I was a temp employee, especially when the parent company just went public and started selling stocks.
I worked for a smaller offshoot company, not the parent company, but I hope they don’t go bankrupt over this… Oh man, I can imagine those assholes from the parent company chewing my supervisors out when they find out.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the parent company. They don’t even check on those of us on the front lines, so forget them!
Yeesh, what a mess…
I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly God spoke to me!
I didn’t have much to lose, so I accepted it as a conveniently timed divine intervention and listened to what he had to say.
God claimed that if I accepted his conditions, he would take care of me.
Those conditions included “reincarnation.”
He nonchalantly told me I’d be thrown into a different world called Asdyllon to determine the ultimate destruction or salvation of mankind. That seemed a little extreme, but I tentatively asked for more details.
To sum it up, the humans in Asdyllon justified mistreating the elves, beastpeople, demons, and other species by claiming, “As God’s chosen species, it’s our duty to rule the world.”
No matter the world, humans aren’t all that different, huh? Human history has always been full of things like that, after all.
So I asked God why he couldn’t decide for himself whether or not to eradicate humans. But he responded that he created all species and loves them equally, so he couldn’t.
What a cop-out!
…But wait a minute. Reincarnated? That means I’m really dead. End of the line, right?!
God said it was my fate to die at age twenty-seven, and even he can’t change that… But if I agree to be reincarnated and decide for him whether or not to destroy humanity, he’ll let me choose the manner of my death.
Choose the manner of my death? That doesn’t sound terribly appealing…
So, should I accept his conditions or give up and go with this sudden, probably overwork-induced death?
Hm… Our parent company is affiliated with the government (or, rather, employs several influential former government officials), so they could probably sweep this scandal under the rug…
As I was about to refuse, God suddenly added that he would give me a special ability of my choice.
A special ability…? Like a superpower?!
Reincarnation might not be so bad if I start with a cheat skill in my back pocket!
He asked what ability I’d like, and…
“Unlimited cuddles! I want to play with tons of adorable animals! Emotional support animals galore!” I shouted from the bottom of my soul.
God seemed taken aback by my unusual enthusiasm, but who cares?
For a huge animal lover like me, petting and snuggling with fluffy animals is the best stress relief imaginable. I used to latch on to my parents’ cat, hugging and stroking her even though she always quickly decided I was an enemy and clawed me into a bloody mess.
…Ahhh!!
Oh crap, this means I just accepted his offer, doesn’t it?!
“Wait a minute! Time out! That didn’t count!” I cried.
“I’ll make it so all creatures other than humans automatically love you,” he offered. “You can decide which ones you want to interact with.”
Whoa! That means I can experience unlimited cuddles with animals I never could’ve dreamed of getting close to in this world, like large felines and birds of prey?!
Wait! I need to stop letting myself get distracted! And you too, God— Are you even listening to a word I’m saying?!
“Don’t worry; everything will be fine! I’ve chosen a wonderful family for you!”
He’s skilled at not letting resistance phase him, huh?
Why did my fate end up in the hands of someone like this? Is this because of my deeds in life? If so, I hate my past self!
In any case, I’m going to slap that goofy smile off of his face, and then I’ll depart for this new world.