Forces Converge (1)

"I hoped to keep my word! To train you in a manner that even in your next life, you will never forget the marks of my teaching, but you decided to betray the home that raised you!

Now, look! Pray you are more obedient in your next life!"

A loud and coarse female voice bombarded Nik's senses. It was dark, and by no means should such a rough voice belong to a woman, but he had heard it one too many times. Horrifying laughter attached to this voice echoing behind the closed, lavish door was his nightmare fuel.

Still is.

As the voice boomed: Now Look!

It echoed— Resounding and crashing into the dark space constantly while forcing Nik to 'look' down.

A large basket. Strangely, of his entire life, he didn't remember too much of childhood, but he remembered this short moment. He looked down and saw the metal basket painted brown. The edges and marks on its surface are as clear as day within this dark space. Blood, still wet, marring the edges, slipped down the surface while a pool of blood within the basket held one other head. He couldn't look at 'her' face, but the back of her head lay within— chopped off through the guillotine, and her once long hair was now equal to the grizzly mark of her sliced neck.

"You should be happy, right? The one who betrayed you, she is already waiting for you down in—"

---

"Hey—"

Nik's eyes snapped open, and he instantly sat up while Sayoko looked at Nik with a surprised expression.

"Am I scary or something?" She mumbled while Nik looked around for a moment and gradually calmed down. Even amongst the series of nightmares... this was in his top three. Covering his face with the blanket, Nik stayed silent for a moment. His neck experienced phantom pain until he felt Sayoko patting his back.

"Getting up can be troublesome... I get it," Sayoko mumbled, "But it probably wasn't waking up that got you all riled up, right? Yeah, inability to converse must suck quite a bit, too..."

Patting his back again, she stood up and began readying herself for the day. Meanwhile, Nik silently folded his bedding and found his clean clothes— credits to Kurumi for teaching him the rudimentary use of a washing machine.

'Can't keep on living on short change forever... what good is a new life if I have nightmares and keep acting like a dumb bitch the rest of my life?'

Nik frowned. His thoughts now slowly gathered into one focus.

At least he needed to earn enough AP to learn the language. This was the only thing he could use his AP on currently, but reaching 100 AP and seeing what benefits he can earn with a rank-up would not hurt. He needed to take initiative to stuff Infinity with as many things as possible.

"Ah, you're going alone?" Before Nik could leave, as Sayoko and Souko still ate their breakfast, Mitsuko inquired with her smartphone in her hand as Nik nodded and traced his chin. With a ponderous look, he stuttered.

"A-alright." (Daijobu)

Mitsuko pursed her lips with a short smile, "Seeing you try hard is definitely a pleasant sight."

Looking back and seeing her daughters busy with breakfast, Mitsuko tiptoed forward with an eager grin. "I will teach you a new phrase today."

"Ittekimasu," Mitsuko tapped the tip of Nik's nose and straightened his jacket before quickly turning around and furiously typing away on her smartphone. In a breath, she faced Nik and pointed at the screen: Leaving and Returning.

"Ittekimasu," Mitsuko smiled as Nik nodded in understanding. There was a similar belief in his world, too. Usually, when leaving a stay— temporary or permanent— the leaving party wouldn't just bid a simple farewell. It will always be similar to: I'll leave and return quickly. Or: I'll be back in some time. Not even Nik had remarked his farewell as simply: I'm leaving.

"Ittekimasu."

'You make it too easy,' Mitsuko narrowed her eyes with a wide smile. Seeing a man saying the most natural thing while leaving, Mitsuko, as a 'traditional' housewife, felt compelled to do what came next.

"Go and come back," (Itterasshai,) whispered Mitsuko before leaning in to give Nik a swift peck on his cheek, still unwilling to truly 'handle' him. She wasn't just 'there' yet.

With a surprising sense of ease, Nik began making his way toward the shopping district again. But this time, he made discreet stops at various spots of trash. This was the only thing he could steal without being noticed or looked out for. Things were clear now. Nothing like a blast from the past to make someone realize their aims and focus. Nik aimed to not die. Not too easily, to be precise. But now, after setting this objective, he began to feel a little empty, too.

But the growing AP made him push his doubts away.

'Infinity' was quite clear on what could net him AP.

There was a specific reason why Nik, a professional... woman pleaser, remarked this transition in his life as a simple change of 'job.'

He no longer worked as a whore. That was his job in the previous world. His death brought him a great fortune to him: A new job.

That's the best way Nik could understand 'Infinity.’ AP became a core factor in this.

If one considers Infinity as an organization and not a single, particular entity, then Authority Rank is one's position in such an organization. Any company would have workers, foremen, office employees, and then higher management and executive-level staff— Infinity had individuals with different Authority Ranks.

But if it is just a 'vertical' line of authority, then Nik wouldn't have referred to this entity as a company.

The twist came in the form of 'Paradise.'

Authority Ranks span from 0-10. Right now, Nik was a scrap of this company belonging to the Transmigration Paradise.

In mundane terms, within the mighty organization named: Infinity Pvt Ltd, he belonged to the 'Transmigration' department as the lowest employee.

Nik only knew this. That the paradise(s) were directly below the chief of everything behind all this: 'Infinity.'

Like every organization, Infinity has its own purpose summarized as collecting things. It would take in even the tiniest offering from its member and grant AP. Once AP reaches 100 points, one is eligible for a rank-up and gains a few benefits of a higher authority. Right now, Nik only has the most basic assistance from Infinity: the ability to purchase language and understand his surroundings.

As for what the other benefits are for rank-up, it is on a need-to-know basis. Technically, ranking up might be worse, but Nik is at the bottom, so he can only climb up from here. So, even if Infinity has kept the information of the higher ranks from him, Nik has little inhibitions to following the path granted to him in this second life.

But as Nik's left palm strangely devoured the trash, he realized how hard of a task it really is with how little he earned.

Even the task of devouring things for AP is fraught with restrictions.

First, not a single thing with consciousness can be devoured— This largely categorized every living being, but Nik also felt that the emphasized term 'consciousness' had a more specific tone. This was further signified when the trash bags disappeared, flies and other insects within such things remained in their previous positions and trajectory as if the trash had ceased from existence.

This also happened to be the least complicated condition of all. A few conditions state: Energy still being controlled by a conscious mind cannot be absorbed. Or a few items regarded as one's own in spirit until physically separated completely. But even if Nik hadn't tried it yet, he knew that clothes didn't fall under this category.

Now the deeper Nik thought, the more doubtful he felt.

Still, in a day, Nik became the worldwide solution for pollution and trash management.

Of course, he had to be mindful of his surroundings while doing all that. Unlike scavenging for water and observing it, the eleven large and full black trash bags he sacrificed for Infinity made him more than he thought it would. Maybe there were a few valuable things in those trash bags but they were still tossed out.

The lavish lives some must live...

Nik shook his head.

---

"Tch, that guy again."

One of the middle-aged storeowners scowled at Nik's appearance. The impact of Yuuko's decision was financially sound for the cosplay shop and her own shop. But overall, the various neighbors were quite conservative on this matter, and seeing their young ones, especially women, fawning over a half-naked foreigner, rightly so, the other men couldn't help but feel bitter.

"Did you take out the trash?!" a cruel voice sounded behind the man as he scowled and mumbled, "No... she's ordering me as we speak..."

"What?"

"Almost done!" the man replied. Nik glanced at the individual and was instantly attracted to the bag of trash, but it would be too weird to approach the man for the bag of trash when he is unable to converse.

"You're here!" Yuuko smiled brightly as Nik approached the shop.

---

"I can't believe you're pestering me for a blind date!" Genta mumbled. He wasn't in his uniform but wore more casual clothes. Next to him walked a bespectacled woman. Her neck-long, light-brown hair was combed to the side. Genta’s words make her brown pupils grow stern.

"Stop complaining!" the woman pouted, "Your seniors are kind enough to even cover for you, so make good use of this break, will you?"

"if anyone's need of a date, it's you. It's already been a year since you separated."

"I have to run a very successful bakery," the woman groaned.

"And don't I have my own job, too?" Genta snorted.

"Come on, you know what I'm saying," the woman smiled, "And didn't I leave the bakery to get you introduced properly?"

Genta sighed deeply, "Fine, thanks, Kaya Nee-san..."

"Ah, before we go for the station, can I make a short stop at Amano Bookstore? I have to check something."

"As long as you promise to be quick..." the woman mumbled.

"Hah! That's my expertise."

"On the date, only make the jokes from the cheat sheet I gave you," Kaya gave her cousin brother an unimpressed sidelong glance as his shoulders slumped, "But this cracked up even Shinto-san back at koban..."

Soon, the two reached the familiar flight of stairs leading to the shopping district and walked up to the entrance. The evening has always been a good time for any store owner, especially in the grocery market— due to housewives leaving to buy stuff for dinner every now and then.

"So? Is this a new case? A troubling teen pickpocketing only for you to lend a helping hand?" Kaya inquired curiously.

"You must have a lot of time to watch these old movies... why not peg me as a ronin putting troubled youths in the proper way of life? That would be so much cooler," Genta scoffed, "No, it's just a strange case of amnesia. There are no cases related to this guy at all which makes things even vaguer for us. Other stations have got nothing, too. But I fear that something this mysterious can't be good—"

"Free hugs! And what a cutie!" Kaya gasped the moment they neared the bookstore before jogging forward into the small crowd of women that Nik had acquired. This time, he held the board: Free Hugs! 15% Discount on Shoujo Genre!

Wearing a medieval-fashioned loop-buttoned robe, black and red in color, Nik felt this was way better than standing half-naked on a chilly evening. And he looked quite good in these types of clothing, so he didn't mind smiling sincerely as he hugged others.

Genta watched with a peculiar gaze. Nik did look like someone straight out of a Shoujo rom-com, and if there was a frame of roses behind him, he could not only cosplay as the character but also the manga panel itself.

"What the hell?" he finally mumbled.

"Quick! Genta-chan, hurry and take a picture!" Kaya giggled, wrapping Nik into a tight hug while waving towards Genta as he protested, "I told you to stop calling me that!"

With a groan, he took out his phone and snapped a picture while Kaya continued to stay there until called out.

"Move it, glasses! We all have to buy some books, too!"

Kaya snorted and entered the shop while pulling Genta into the store as Nik waved at them like usual and nodded at Genta with a smile before opening his arms wide for another woman.

Inside the shop, many women and a few men— attracted by the large crowd of women themselves— skim through books out of interest.

"Amano-san, good evening," Genta nodded while Yuuko's gaze settled on the bespectacled beauty.

"Kaya-san? Ah, good to see you, too, Officer Asagi."

"Heh, Yuuko~ You're finally living it up, huh?" Kaya easily slipped behind the counter and inquired while leaning against it. Genta shook his head and frowned, "Let me work, Kaya-nee. Amano-san, Nik hasn't been troubling, is he?"

"No, he's perfectly behaved. And he's a quick learner, too. He already understands a few gestures and words."

"Sure, treat a guy like that as a child," Kaya mumbled, "Have you hugged him, Yuuko? I mean, someone must have had the idea of public hugging."

"I haven't," Yuuko snapped before coughing softly, "But I'm thinking of stopping this. Or, at least, have Nik wear a mask outside, too. It's a little dangerous like this."

Genta nodded and smiled in Nik’s direction, "Amano-san, can I borrow Nik and just ask him about his daily routine? Maybe talking in his traditional language will ease him a little."

"Yes, please," Yuuko nodded.

As Genta left, Kaya glanced at Yuuko and nudged her shoulder, "So? Can't you introduce me to him? Genta's going on a blind date... maybe I can, too," she smiled, making Yuuko look down.

"I don't think it's appropriate. Nik cannot even hold a proper conversation..."

"I think I can find a good place where the conversation isn't a factor," Kaya sighed with a crafty look as Yuuko snorted a chuckle, "You're terrible, Kaya. But—"

"I'm back!"

Megumi mumbled as she entered the store with a tired sigh. Following her was Kurumi, who bowed towards Yuuko slightly, "I'm sorry to trouble you again, Aunty. I'm here to check on Nik."

"It's alright, Kurumi," Yuuko smiled, "Megumi hardly brings any friends."

"Because she's not my friend," Megumi snorted while entering her house as Yuuko frowned, "Don't be rude, Megumi."

When she looked towards the entrance, a new customer walked in behind Kurumi, and Kaya blinked in surprise at this particular individual, too.

"Welcome... Souma-san," Yuuko smiled. Kurumi instantly flinched and quickly looked back.

Adjusting her glasses, Mitsuko looked at everyone present and then nodded.

"I hope I'm not blocking your business. Ah, if it isn't Asagi-san? How have you been?"

***

Alternate Title: The Nightmare; Sayoko is Not Scary, Right?; Mitsuko is Traditionally Eager; The Trash Cleaner!; The Hero a Modern World Needs; A Husband’s Trash is Nik’s Treasure; The Shoujo Mc; The Rivals Gather