Chapter 1: Really God, Matsuda?

Chapter 1: Really God, Matsuda?

Well, shit. I was dead.

I’m not going to lie, I totally thought it would just end. No lights, no music, just blank static. But nope. Instead, I found myself sitting in a chair that defied gravity, staring across a sleek table at Morgan Freeman. To make matters stranger, I was casually sipping a Diet Coke. Hey, don’t judge me. It was the only thing that felt remotely familiar in this endless void.

In my previous life, I had lived a completely normal existence. I distinctly remembered having a wife and a daughter, though their faces were frustratingly blurry now. If my math was right, I must have been somewhere in my fifties when I passed away. I couldn't remember exactly how I died, my name, or any of my friends' names, but a strange instinct told me this was exactly how the process was supposed to go.

"Um, so... God?" I muttered, feeling incredibly stupid for asking. "Why do you look like a famous actor I know?"

God chuckled, the sound deep, warm, and carrying the exact smooth cadence of the Hollywood icon. He smiled kindly at my confusion.

"Well, I don't actually look like this," he explained, gesturing to his face. "It's just that your generation has adopted this particular image as my default appearance. I aim to please."

He paused to let me process that, then continued before I could open my mouth."Alright, I know you have a mountain of questions, so let me give you the quick rundown of what's about to happen. First—yes, I can read your mind.

Duh. I made the universe! If I couldn't read a soul's thoughts, I wouldn't be much of a deity, right? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. Second—yes, all those fictional worlds you know actually exist. At least, any world where I exist in their legends or mythology. And finally, no, you aren't going back to Earth Zero. That life is officially over, and it is time for you to move on."

A cold spike of dread hit my stomach. Earth Zero? Moving on? I had a really bad feeling about this.

God caught my sudden anxiety and grinned. "Don't worry too much. Here is how the transition works: your new body will grow up normally until you hit the age of maturity. During those early years, your past-life memories will stay locked away. Once your new brain is mature enough, those Earth Zero memories will merge smoothly with the ones you’ve built in your new life."

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around the logistics. "Okay, wait a second. So you're saying for the first several years of my life, I'm basically going to be on autopilot?"

"You could call it that," God confirmed with a nod. "But don't panic. Even though 'young you' will be doing his own thing, you are both the exact same person. Think of it as a mercy. I can't have an adult soul having weird, existential thoughts while drinking from a mother's breast, right? Awkward!

Plus, if you had your adult awareness too early, you'd have too much time on your hands. You might inadvertently mess up the timeline trying to save some poor black cat from being experimented on or something."

That was a oddly specific example, and it only made me more nervous. "So, am I going to a world I actually know?" I asked, hoping for a bit of solid ground to stand on.

"Oh, you definitely know the world you are going to!" God said, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips that sent a chill straight down my spine. "In fact, it's one of your absolute favorite anime worlds. Just keep in mind that it won't be a cartoon anymore. You will be living in a real, flesh-and-blood, three-dimensional universe that just happens to be based on that story."

Suddenly, God’s expression shifted. The humor vanished, replaced by a deep, ancient seriousness that made the white space around us feel incredibly heavy.

"My son, this isn't your first rodeo," God said softly. "This is actually your twenty-first time reviving to live anew. In a way, you have been incredibly important individuals in your past lives across the cosmos. However, you became emotionally exhausted from the weight of it all. You asked to have your memories wiped up until this most recent life on Earth."

I took a sharp, anxious gulp of my soda as he spoke, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"I'm only telling you this because it matters for what comes next," God continued, his expression softening back into a gentle smile. "Because of who you are, you are gifted with powers the natives of your new world could never dream of achieving. Even my own children in that realm will fall flat on their butts in pure shock when they finally meet you."

"Um... so I'm a special soul?" I squeaked, mentally hyperventilating. Images of legendary heroes flashed through my mind. Wow, I now know exactly how Luke Skywalker felt when Darth Vader dropped that bomb. "What about my parents in the next life? Am I like... Jesus Christ or something?!"

God took a slow sip of an unknown beverage that had appeared in his hand. "Well, don't overthink things. Your parents in the next world will be your real, biological parents. But your actual soul? That was birthed directly from my power. You get it now?"

He paused, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And funny you should bring up Jesus Christ. Actually, that particular part was played by you, many lifespans ago."

"Whaaaat the hell are you saying?!" I yelled, nearly dropping my Diet Coke.

Surely he was pulling my leg. God answered my frantic thoughts with a shake of his head. "Nope, it is entirely true. But don't worry. Just because you are my son doesn't mean you have to act like a perfect goodie-goodie. In fact, I want you to live your new life any way you see fit. The choice is yours.

You can be a hero, a villain, a devil, or a total basement loafer for all I care."

He glanced down at his wrist, checking a watch that hadn't been there a second ago, and spoke in a theatrical, booming voice. "Well, it was a grand chat we had in our twenty-first prologue! Now, don't worry. When you wake up on the other side, all the knowledge of your new powers and how they work will be waiting in your mind. Of course, it will still take a lot of hard work to master everything."

At this point, he flashed the wicked, joyful smile of a father who had just pulled the ultimate prank on his kid.

My head began to spin, and my vision blurred into a hazy fog. The white room started to dissolve, but just before the image of God faded completely, he left me with a few soul-wrenching words I knew I would never forget.

"Make sure to give Rias's breasts a few big squeezes for me, okay?" God laughed, flashing me a cheerful thumbs-up.

As the darkness swallowed me whole, I screamed out into the void with the last bit of my fading consciousness:

"No, no, no, no! Please don't reincarnate me as him! Anybody but Issei!"