“Ah, you’re interested in this world? I recommend it. It’s a fantastical place with both advanced science and magic, after all, not to mention an intergalactic empire. It’s really quite fun. People live long lives there as well, so you can look forward to living much longer than you did here.”
I’d chosen without thinking all that much, except how crazy it all sounded.
What had I even lived an honest life for? For this? To be deceived, laughed at—without even being able to take revenge for it?
It’s so unfair! If this is what happens when you’re good, then I should have enjoyed my life more. I should have worried more about my own happiness without sparing a thought for other people. Good karma isn’t worth shit. It’s all a lie. And if that’s the case, then I wanna live for myself.
I’ll live for myself as a villain who tramples other people underfoot.
“Hmm, in this world…if you want power, you’d have to be nobility. These people are culturally advanced, but for some reason, the feudal system made a big comeback at some point. It’s quite interesting.” The Guide continued his explanation as he watched me writhe in pain. “I’ll make it so you’re born into a noble house. You’ll start your next life as an aristocrat with a silver spoon in your mouth, as they say.”
I wanted to smile at his words, but I didn’t have the luxury. I was in so much pain now that I couldn’t even respond. My soul, however, would live on past this body, and I would never forget this day. Living an honest life is idiotic. If I’m going to be born an aristocrat, then I’ll be able to do whatever I want in my next life. I’ll rule with an iron fist and be as evil as I please.
The Guide was doing his part, setting things up for me. “A count sounds good. That would put you in charge of a planet.”
That sounds great. A pretty important position. I’ll be an evil mage—no, I’ll be ruling over a planet, so an evil lord? Anyway, I’m gonna enjoy myself.
“So you’ve made your peace? I trust you’ll have a nice life next time, then…”
Yeah. I think I will. I’ll make my next life a good one. My life as an evil lord.
At that point, my consciousness faded into darkness.
✦ ✦ ✦
The Guide looked down at the man, who had died with a smile on his face. He twisted around, grinning with insane glee.
“An unhappy life? Gimme a break! People as unhappy as you are a dime a dozen in this world! You think you had it bad? You’re deluded!”
With a snap of his fingers, the image of the man’s ex-wife and her lover was projected into the air once again. Cackling obscenely, he observed the pair.
“You two sure came in handy, didn’t you? Well, I’ve enjoyed myself enough. Let’s wrap this up.”
This man who called himself a Guide was decidedly not the type to wish for another’s happiness. Just the opposite, in fact. He looked down at the dead man in front of him and laughed, pointing his finger.
“Who do you think made you unhappy in the first place? It was me! I just wanted to see how far I could make a good person fall. I got a lot more fun out of it than I thought I would, though, so I came up with a continuation to make it last.”
This Guide was basically a creature composed of malice who loved unhappiness and lived on it as sustenance. Negative emotions, especially from people he made miserable, were his greatest nourishment. He had done it countless times; the man lying before him was just one such victim.
“Now then, before the main course, I should polish off the hors d’oeuvres.”
He reached out and touched the image, and black smoke poured out of him. It coiled around the pair in the projected image, but they didn’t notice. As they discussed the dead man, their cheerful conversation started to change.
The man’s smile faded, his expression turning grave. He said to the woman, “Well, we’ve both had our fun, haven’t we? I think it’s about time to end things.”
“Huh?”
The Guide chuckled, relishing this turn of events. “Now, show me how far you will fall.”
Dumbfounded, the woman dropped the knife she’d been holding. “Wh-what are you saying?”
“I’m saying our little play-relationship is over. It’s run its course, right?”
She looked lost, bewildered. “Are you joking? If you’re serious, then you know you’re going down. You think I don’t know all the things you’ve done?”
The man was cool in the face of her threats. “If you want to put up a fight, then by all means, do it, but don’t forget that the lawyer who helped you with your divorce is a friend of mine. If you make a scene, you’ll be the one who ends up in hot water. I’ll expose you for setting up your ex-husband and helping his boss embezzle from his company.”
“Wh-what about your daughter? You’re just going to abandon your own child?”
“Legally, it’s his kid, right? Plus, he’s paying child support, isn’t he? I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
When she realized he was being serious, the ex-wife could only tremble. She barely managed to squeeze out, “You said you loved me.”
“And I did, but I’ve lost interest—that’s all there is to it. If we both enjoyed it while it lasted, that’s fine, right? Just find your next love.”
“I can’t do that!”
The ex-wife clung to the man, but he peeled her hands off him and made to leave the restaurant. “Don’t touch me. I’m not interested in you anymore.”
“Wait, please, listen to me! I’ll do anything! Don’t leave me!”
The ex-wife pleaded desperately, but the man simply looked at her with eyes like ice. They were nothing like the couple who’d been happily chatting a few minutes earlier.
“What are you, stupid? You really thought I was gonna marry a cheater like you? Use your head, why don’t you? If your ex-husband fell in love with you, then he had terrible taste.”
If those words were true, then this man had never loved the ex-wife from the beginning. When he’d said he loved her, he’d lied. Realizing that, she couldn’t even bring herself to speak anymore.
Clapping gleefully, the Guide said, “Fantastic! What will she do next?”
The ex-wife’s despair flowed into him. He gobbled up her rage and sadness—all her negative emotions. They filled the Guide’s heart, satiating him.
With clenched fists, the woman hung her head. “I left my husband for you.”
“Your ex-husband. And you enjoyed driving him into a corner, didn’t you? Don’t pretend you’re the victim here. You were the one who left him.”
“You said it!” The Guide laughed in agreement, then read the ex-wife’s thoughts. “Oh my, she’s reconsidering him now, even though he’s already dead. Women sure are tough. It’s too bad; the man who loved you is dead, and his last desire was to have revenge on you!”
The Guide cackled, banishing the scene in order to enjoy the next step of his plans. “I look forward to seeing if you try to go back to your husband, or if you try to find a new man. Unfortunately, happiness will never come to you!”
He’d made sure either option would only lead to more unhappiness. That was what it meant when the Guide stepped into one’s life.
“Now then, I have to guide his soul…to a world where lives are cheaply consumed. A happy world. For me, that is!”
The Guide couldn’t stop smiling, thinking about the world he was about to enter.
“By the time he realizes it, it’ll be too late. This is going to be so much fun. ‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this!’ he’ll cry. He’ll be filled with resentment, anger, sadness…and it’ll all be directed at me! He’ll hate me, and his hate will only nourish me!”
The Guide, who loved nothing more than the negative emotions of humans, spread his arms wide. He simply couldn’t contain his mirth when he imagined the feelings his scheme would soon produce.
“Whether he becomes a villain and sows despair in that other world or becomes unhappy himself and overflows with hatred for me, I win! Now, it’s time for my fun to begin!”
No matter how things went, he was certain to enjoy himself. The Guide’s anticipation reached the point of ecstasy.
“Oh, it’s almost time. I’ll return here after I finish guiding his soul. These fools…they all rejoice when they hear they’ll be reincarnated. These are truly fantastic times. All it takes is a few sweet lies and they fall for it.”
He picked up his bag excitedly and, with a snap of his fingers, summoned a lavishly decorated wooden door, which looked completely out of place in the shabby apartment. This was his means of traversing the many realities. The Guide turned the knob and opened the door, revealing a swirling mass of black and purple. He stood there for a moment, lifting a hand to his chin in thought.
In a corner of the room, a small light seemed to observe the Guide. The vague light watched him in secret, but it gradually grew larger and took on a more defined shape. Its outline was blurred, but it appeared to be a dog. After casting a forlorn look at the deceased man, the figure of light glared at the Guide, though it went unnoticed.
“I don’t know how I should make the most of this. Let’s see, first I’ll have to decide where to reincarnate him. It’s fun enough putting him in a happy family and making him suffer afterward, and I did just do that…but maybe better to have him work his way up and then knock him back down? I wouldn’t want him thanking me for the opportunity before the fall, though.”
The Guide clapped his hands together. “Well, I’ll play it by ear for now, though at the end, I think torture and a public execution would be good. I’m looking forward to seeing him curse me and die in despair. Ah! I can hardly wait.” The Guide embraced himself and squirmed with mad glee.
“Your next life should be longer than this one. Longer and more painful as well! I do hope you’ll struggle throughout for the sake of my happiness!” Making up his mind, the Guide headed through the door looking rather refreshed. However, unbeknownst to him, the little dog made of light leapt through the door with him.
When the door to the other world closed, it vanished from the room, whose only occupant now was the man’s lifeless body.