Chapter 3: The answer is obvious.

Ah. Right. Gods can read minds. Yay… ahaha… haha… err… I think I need to say something before this turns into an awkward silence…

“How long have you been reading my mind?” I asked, despite knowing the answer.

Her reply was none other than a smug “from the moment you entered this room~.”

I knew it. Why did I forget that tiny detail? Please don’t answer tha—

“Fufufu~, it’s fine. If anything, I’m glad that your attitude towards me was like that rather than a negative one. Even more so considering your circumstances. Speaking of which, compensation! Let’s talk about it!”

Aaaand she answered anyway. Still, I’m glad that the conversation is moving on without any more teasing from this Goddess who totally didn’t just smile devilishly and with a clear intent to tease me more. She totally wouldn’t.

"Or would you like to praise me more? I don’t mind either way~.” She did! “Fufufufu~, I’m sorry. You’re just too fun to tease. I promise that was the last one. Let’s really talk about compensation,” so she said while holding back another of those giggles that I’m somehow liking more and more. “Now, now, pay attention~~. The compensation we offer you is to have you reincarnate in either of the worlds we created with your memories intact and some extras. How about it? Sounds good?”

“In short, an irregular form of reincarnation,” I said with a confidence born from reading so many novels of this genre that even my thought process imitates the narration found in those. You could even say that I know just a teeny bit about where this is going—ok, I know for certain where this is going.

""Indeed.""

They answered at the same time. Heh. That was funny. Oh! The Goddess just giggled! She found it funny too! Man, I'm glad that God and the Goddess aren’t some stuck up beings and instead are kind of...human?

"Well, our being ‘kind of human’ is obvious, no? We created your race in our image after all. Or, more like the framework of your souls rather than your physical appearance. After all, there are more races besides humans, like those you know as elves and so on. At least…they still exist in my world." The smile the Goddess had while explaining all of that to me disappeared when she said that last part. Regardless of her not being my waifu, I feel bad seeing her sad since she is so beautiful when she smiles…even when it was at my expense. Ah! That made her smile! That means…! She is still reading my mind! Please! Your smile brings me happiness but let me have my private inner monologue! She giggled again! I guess she really finds me amusing… She just nodded. This Goddess…oh well.

"Ahem..shall we continue?"

Oh. Sorry, God. Please continue. And yes, if it wasn’t clear, I gave up...

"The extra gifts we can give you depend on the world you choose. In the case of Earth, we can give you an appearance like the one you had before your death, our divine protection and a fate that would make you lead a peaceful life without worries. We could even arrange it so you have a better chance of finding a partner, if you so wish. But you will have to go through infancy and puberty again, as you appearing out of nowhere and having to fit you in would require me to manipulate the world and its people in a far more invasive manner. For example I would need to create an entire new family for you or…repurpose one. And that would be going over boundaries I do not wish to cross. "

Umu, umu. That sounds completely reasonable and not a bad deal at all. I mean, not having to worry about taxes, a mortgage, along with a chance to soothe the soul crushing depression that comes from a lonely heart, is pretty much a blessing. But I really want to hear the Goddess' side of the extras. Not just because I want to hear more of her literally divine voice, although that is a good reason too. She laughed, more openly now. Well, if my mind is going to be an open book then, I might as well be more open myself.

"You truly are an interesting one." She smiled playfully, playing with the locks of her hair. "Ufufu~~, listen well then. If you choose my world, I can reincarnate you in an appearance like the one you had, but instead of going through infancy and puberty I can give you a fully-grown body right from the start. Of course, you will still have both of our divine protections. On the other side, I can't give you a fate like the one Yawue offers you, but in its place, I can let you choose whatever skills and magical affinities you would like to have when reincarnating. I can even give you a holy weapon if you want. As for a romantic partner...it would be like Yawue’s offer, so you’d be able to find a romantic interest more easily, but it is not a sure chance. I suppose you could say my offer is the lesser of the two since there’s the added fact that you will need to fight to survive at least sometimes..."

She looks a bit dejected, but yeah, she is right. A peaceful life versus a life with a certainty of having to fight. A redo of my current life on Earth with no material worries versus magic and other fantastical abilities of my choosing. Umu. I think it is pretty obvious, right? I mean, there is only one answer that is true to me and my values.

"So, what world do you choose? Oh child of my world."

"Tell us. I promise that we are not reading your mind.Not right now, at least. Fufufu~."

"First, I would like to thank you both for giving me this chance, regardless of the circumstances. I promise that I will use this second chance in life to live my fullest according to my feelings." They smile and nod while I deliver my thanks. "Second. Yawue, thank you for the life I lived on Earth. It might have been a bit difficult at some moments, but I was happy, you know? Thank you for my family. I really love them. They accepted me, even with my quirks and likings. All in all, I was truly blessed." I do a light bow to show my gratitude, and he responds by nodding again. Meanwhile, the Goddess looks somewhat dejected. "And that is why I am choosing the Goddess' world for my reincarnation." Oh, so that's how she looks when she is surprised. Cute indeed.

"S-Shush, you. Ufufu~, of course, I’m surprised! I thought you were going to pick Yawue’s world, not mine! May I ask why you chose it?" She asked while trying to hide that surprisingly adorable embarrassed initial reaction behind quite the giddiness. And here’s my answer.

"Because your world sounds amazing! Magic?! Skills?! Holy Weapons?! And I can choose?! For a nerd like me, that is a dream come true! That, and how can I call myself human if I don't choose to explore a new world when given the chance?" Am I smiling? Because I feel like I have a really big smile right now. Oh, she’s just looking at me… wait… she’s laughing to the point of tears. Her voice sounds so lovely. Seriously, I would love to hear her voice every day after I wake up and when I go to sleep. After I hear the voice of my waifu of course. Also, Yawue is just smiling, satisfied. "Your name was Auros, right? I can't remember when I laughed this much, but you, I like you. And not just because you’re fun to tease. I am glad someone like you is going to live in my world."

"Hearing that makes me happy." Truly, it feels very heartening to be told something like that. Especially by a Goddess, if you don’t mind the distinction.

She shook her head at that while still smiling. “Not at all. Besides, it is me who is happy since my offer ended up being desirable enough.” Ok. This is my chance to ask for a certain thing that I really want.

"Ah, I have something to say about that though." She looks at me, a bit perplexed. I understand since it seemed like I was alright with the offer after I chose her world. But I can't back down from this.

"Is there something wrong?"

I look her in the eyes and say, “Not at all. I just…”

To be continued...

Glossary Entry #3:

Umu: A meme. A way to say "Yeah." "Uh-huh." "Mhm." A way to be exposed to it is from anime.