Chapter 1: Apparently, I Died

“Segawa Ao-san. You have… well, died normally.”

A completely white, empty space.

When I came to, I found myself in such a place.

And then, from somewhere, I heard a woman’s voice.

Segawa Ao is my name, but the meaning of the words that followed—I didn’t quite understand.

Died normally… huh.

“Wait, what do you mean I died normally!?”

Even after calmly taking my time to process the words spoken by this mysterious figure, I couldn’t make sense of them at all.

I’m still here, completely intact, and alive. I mean, I’m only seventeen! Isn’t it way too early for me to die?

“It is as I said. You were on the train, heading to school as usual… and then you died. Normally.”

Why is this person so fixated on making sure I died normally?

“No, I am simply stating the facts. You suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and passed away just like that.”

Did she just casually read my mind?

And what’s with this blank white void and the mysterious voice that seems to know my thoughts? Is this a dream?

But for a dream, this is way too out there…

“Well then, let me show you your current physical state.”

As she spoke, my vision shifted, and suddenly, a familiar train scene unfolded before me.

It was the train I always took to school.

Since it was rush hour, the train was extremely crowded.

Among the passengers, I spotted myself sitting down. Oh, I fell asleep. Well, I did stay up late playing games last night.

“You’re not sleeping. You’re dead.”

My head was leaning against the shoulder of a man in his fifties, who looked extremely uncomfortable.

Damn it, me! If I had to lean on someone, why did it have to be the old man on my right? The cute college girl on my left was right there! Should’ve gone the other way!

But… am I really dead?

I moved closer to my sleeping self.

Right now, nobody could see or recognize me. I could freely float around and even phase through people.

Dream logic, huh? Everything goes.

I carefully examined my own body.

“I’m not breathing…”

Not only that, my pupils were completely dilated, and my skin was growing paler by the second.

“Now do you understand? You died normally. Short life, but good job making it this far.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, thanks for your hard work too.”

—Wait, no! That’s not the point!

I reflexively replied as if I were clocking out from a part-time job, but don’t just brush off my death like that!

“By the way, after this, the old man beside you finally notices something is wrong and realizes you’re dead.”

So I really am dead…?

But my body is right there, undeniable.

Damn it, I was looking forward to that manga release in two days!

The man, panicking, assumes I was murdered right there on the train.

Oh no.

Other passengers see the commotion and jump to conclusions. They suspect the old man drugged and killed a high school student. Chaos erupts—passengers start screaming, running, and fighting. The entire train descends into madness, resulting in thirty-four injuries.

My death is causing absolute mayhem…

The train conductor, seeing the situation, assumes a terrorist attack is unfolding. He immediately reports it to central command, turning this into national news.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

My death is setting off a chain of absolute disasters.

“But that was soon revealed to be a false report. In reality, no terrorism was taking place. Once the commotion subsided somewhat, the public became intensely curious about the cause of all this fuss.”

Ugh, I have a really bad feeling about this.

“After an investigation, it turns out that this disturbance was caused by the death of one high school student. On the internet, that student’s photo, school name, and other personal details were spread around like wildfire, turning it into a festival of chaos.”

This is the worst! What did I do to deserve this?
I was just sitting on the train, and now look at this outcome!

I’m sorry, Dad, I’m sorry, Mom. I died all of a sudden and caused a nationwide uproar—what a nuisance I’ve become.
By now, prank calls must be flooding your home, and the media is probably camped out at your front door.

“Well, that’s how your death went down. So, how does it feel? Did you truly experience death?”

“I did! I totally did! So now, please just kill me already!”

As an ordinary person, I simply cannot bear the thought of becoming a toy for the public. And to make matters worse, my death is putting my family right in the spotlight. The guilt is unbearable.

“No, it’s just that killing someone who’s already dead is a bit difficult—even for me…”

I’m not literally begging you to kill me. That just shows how terrible this all is.

“I see. That is difficult indeed.”

The mysterious figure, who had been unseen until now, cleared her throat and then said to me:

“This is the boundary between the afterlife and this world. I forcibly brought your soul here from beyond. You know the reason, don’t you?”

I don’t.
Why would this mysterious person go to the trouble of summoning me from the dead? Could it be that she just wants someone to talk to?

“Hmm? That’s odd. I was taught that modern youngsters would immediately catch on if I said something like that.”

It seems she didn’t want a conversation partner after all.
But in a situation like this, I can’t help but hope she might let me be reborn in another world.

“Exactly! Another world!”

At that, the mysterious figure instantly picked up on my inner thoughts, as if to say, “Good call!” and her tone lifted noticeably. Then she continued:

“I cannot reincarnate you with all your memories intact because of your parents, but I can send you to another world just as you are.”

Oh! So this is what they call an isekai summoning!
This is insane—who would have thought such a fantastical phenomenon would happen to me? Geez, dying really has its perks.

“The other world I’m sending you to is a bloodthirsty realm ruled by magic and swords. In that world, power is everything—power is, well, power!”

Huh…
You’re really planning to send me straight into a world like that? I’m certain I’d die in seconds. I don’t have any martial arts training at all.

“Perhaps you’ll even receive some sort of cheat ability?”

In stories like these, it’s standard to get a cheat ability when you’re transported to another world.
Whether you go on a rampage, enjoy a slow-paced life, or even become a teacher, the common theme is acquiring immense power effortlessly.

Yeah, yeah, I’m sure that’s the case.
Because if I’m sent off like this without any help, I won’t survive.
Then why on earth is this mysterious person sending me to another world? Could it be some sort of sadistic hobby? Ugh, that’s a bit too much.

“No, please, don’t get the wrong idea.”

Really?
So you’re saying you’ll give me a cheat ability, right?
Hmm, what would be good… I’d love a divine sword, or maybe an enormous reservoir of magical power. Being proficient in all magical attributes would be nice too.

“The ability I bestow upon you is… language comprehension.”

I thought being specialized in, say, physiology might be cool too. But getting hit is painful, you know? That would be a problem.

“The ability I bestow upon you is… language comprehension.”

—I’ve been trying to catch what you’re saying for a while now, but I just can’t hear it clearly.

Huh? What did you say?

“You must be able to hear me perfectly, Segawa-san. I’ll say it once more: the ability I bestow upon you is language comprehension.”

Oh my God!
Is she for real?!

Sure, being able to understand languages in another world might be important. Learning a language from scratch is a real pain, after all.
But normally, isn’t that kind of cheat ability given along with other benefits?
How am I supposed to survive if this is all I get?

I have no strength, no brains, no talent.
This is just as if I were about to be sent to another world without any changes at all.

“It’s all according to the manual.”

According to the manual, you say!?
Oh, come on—give me a break. I never imagined I’d have to deal with bureaucratic red tape even in death.

Can’t you at least consider how it feels for the one suddenly being sent to another world?
Getting dumped alone in a foreign land—you’d think there’d be a bit more support.

“Then I shall extract your innermost wishes from your subconscious and pray that they come true—more or less.”

What the heck, mister? You sound so dismissive!
It’s obvious you’re just too lazy and want to send me off as quickly as possible, isn’t it? I can tell.

“Well then, I too shall pray from the shadows that your life in the other world will be a good one. Off you go!”

With a cheer reminiscent of a theme park cast member, my consciousness faded away.