“Kenji, please, calm down and listen to me.”
That was the phone call announcing his parents’ death.
Kenji, who had just begun his second year of college, took a leave of absence, returned to his hometown, and stepped in to run the family business. He didn’t know the first thing about it, of course, so Mr. Kato, the former managing director, took the role of president. Kenji became the vice president.
The employees were all people who had known him since he was a child, who had played with him when he was small.
And though he was the vice president, his salary was the lowest in the company. But he learned the work, little by little, and no one seemed to hold it against him.
Eleven months passed. It was March.
“Kenji, still at it? Shall I give you a hand?”
Mr. Kato, the president, had noticed Kenji was still hunched over his computer long after everyone else had gone home.
“It’s fine… This is just for the youth club.”
The Youth Wing of the Federation of Merchants and Artisans. For Kenji, a manager still wet behind the ears, it was a constant headache. It was one of those organizations you found everywhere in the countryside, made up of small and medium-sized businesses. There was no real penalty for not joining, and frankly, no real benefit for Kenji’s company to belong to it.
But the previous president—his father—had insisted on it, and so the current president, Mr. Kato, kept up the affiliation.
To be blunt, Kenji wasn’t struggling with his own company’s work. He was drowning in the demands of these external relations.
“You know, Mr. Kato, looking at all this, it’s amazing how little paperwork our own company generates.” Kenji gestured at the screen, where he was wrestling with documents, presentation materials, and event manuscripts for the youth club.
“That’s right. Your father used to say, ‘I don’t need reports.’ He said writing them was a waste of time. Writing reports doesn’t bring in money. It doesn’t increase sales. The more time you spend on reports, the lower your productivity. A company can’t function if its employees waste hours out of their day on that. Instead, he wanted us to use that time to develop a new business partner, hone our skills, or come up with a fresh idea. If you had to report something, you did it verbally. And if a superior wanted to know something, they were to go to the people in the field. That’s the basics.”
It was a system that wouldn’t work in a huge corporation, of course, but with only ninety-seven employees, management team included, it was perfect.
“‘The people in the field know best about the field.’ That’s why he gave them so much authority.”
“It wasn’t easy, though,” Mr. Kato added with a wry smile. “When something goes wrong, it’s not just the person in the field who takes responsibility. Their boss does, too. And that, of course, includes us in the management team.”
He paused, his expression turning serious. “That’s the kind of preparedness you need in management. It’s why we don’t have a human resources department; personnel is a matter for the management team alone. When you put someone in a position, you’re taking joint responsibility for their failures.”
Mr. Kato’s smile returned. “And so, I have to pass on your father’s words to you, now that you’re working yourself too hard.”
“Don’t work until you are exhausted.”
Kenji’s voice overlapped with Mr. Kato’s. A shared smile passed between them.
It wasn't a philosophy meant to coddle employees or encourage laziness. It was purely a management perspective. Failures, mistakes, do-overs… problems happened no matter how careful you were. But so many of them shared a common root cause.
Fatigue and a lack of leeway.
A do-over meant that all the time, effort, and materials spent were wasted. Worse, it took even more time and effort just to get back to where you started. If you could eliminate that waste, the company would be far better off. Of course, there was something to be said for employees learning from their mistakes, so it was always a case-by-case basis.
Kenji’s father had told his employees, “Don’t work until you are exhausted.” As a fellow manager, Kenji was amazed by the boldness of it. But he was even more amazed that his father had built a company where that was actually possible.
Kenji let out a long sigh. “You’re right. Father would be angry if he saw me like this.”
“That he would, Kenji.”
Hard work was important, but exhaustion and hard work were two sides of the same coin.
Kenji left the company building. His legs felt unsteady, his feet swaying slightly with fatigue.
Even so, he was careful. The traffic light was green. He checked. He was crossing at a proper pedestrian crossing. That, too, was certain.
But none of that mattered to the truck driver who was nodding off at the wheel.
The impact threw him. He hit the ground hard.
The pain was already gone.
His consciousness was a fading light.
The first sensation Kenji felt was not the fear of death, nor was it a sense of peace. It was a faint, directionless regret that tomorrow would have been his twentieth birthday.
“Is this… the afterlife?”
When Kenji came to, he found himself in a world of pure white.
“Suzuki Kenji, I presume?”
A man emerged from the whiteness as if floating. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, a handsome European with long blond hair and a calm aura. In his left hand, he held a device that looked like a tablet.
“Yes, that’s me,” Kenji answered.
The man smiled. “Excellent. To be honest, you’re the first visitor I’ve had in a long time.”
Then, his expression turned slightly sorrowful. “Suzuki Kenji, you died in a traffic accident.”
The memory surfaced. The truck, the crossing. Kenji nodded slowly.
The man’s smile returned, though his words were difficult for Kenji to grasp.
“This is part of your world’s reincarnation system. You died in the 7770777 world line of Seiran, but on rare occasions, individuals are selected to reincarnate or transfer across these lines. This time, Suzuki Kenji, you have been chosen.”
He must have seen the confusion on Kenji’s face. “I suppose that’s hard to understand. To put it simply, would you like to be reincarnated in a different world, one separate from Seiran, while retaining all of your current memories? That’s the offer.”
The man’s smile was confident, as if he were certain of the answer.
“Ah, reincarnation in another world… like in the novels…”
“Yes, exactly! It seems to be quite a popular genre on Seiran these days. It certainly makes my explanations easier.”
The chance to live again—Kenji was grateful. Still, he had a question. What did this person stand to gain from reincarnating him?
“I have a few questions.”
“Of course. Please, ask anything.” The man waited, his smile patient.
“Are you… God?”
“No, I am not God. To use your world’s terminology as a reference, I am something closer to an Angel.”
I see. An angel, Kenji thought. If he calls himself an angel… I’ll just call him Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) in my head.
As the thought crossed his mind, he could have sworn he saw the man’s eyebrow twitch, a movement so slight it might have been his imagination.
Hm? Did he read my thoughts? Well, no sense worrying about it now.
Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) was still smiling, waiting for Kenji’s next question.
“What is your purpose in reincarnating me?”
His smile vanished, replaced by a look of apology. “I’m sorry, but I cannot answer that. We do not decide who gets reincarnated. The ‘God’ you mentioned just now makes those decisions. For that reason, I do not know the purpose.”
“But if that’s the case, what am I supposed to do after I’m reincarnated?”
Amagi Hikaru’s smile returned. “Please, live as you wish. I’ve never heard of anyone being given a task or a mission.”
Live as you wish. What a wonderful phrase.
Right. I’ll have a slow life.
“I understand,” Kenji said. “I accept your offer of reincarnation.”
A smile bloomed on Amagi Hikaru’s (pseudonym) lips like a flower. It was the kind of smile that could captivate a thousand hearts.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. In that case, I will explain the world you’ll be reincarnating into.”
According to Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym), it was a world of swords and magic. Gunpowder was not yet commonplace. The planet itself was the same size as Seiran, with the same molecular composition. Most physical laws were identical as well.
“But it’s a world with magic?” Kenji asked. Wouldn’t that change the laws of physics?
“Yes, there is magic. But Seiran had magic in the past, too. A few things happened, and now it seems it can no longer be used.”
The revelation was stunning.
Seiran had magic? What is he talking about? Is he referring to those out-of-place artifacts? I thought those were explained away as alien tech or ancient civilizations… Then again, magicians and magic show up all the time in Seiran’s legends…
“Ah, my apologies. It seems I’ve confused you,” Amagi Hikaru said. “But no matter what I say, you have already decided to reincarnate. It wouldn’t be good for your mental health to dwell on Seiran’s past.”
“Ah, yes, you’re right.” Kenji pushed the thoughts away. No point in pondering things he couldn’t solve.
Time to look forward.
“Now then, in this world with magic, which for convenience we will call ‘Izumo,’ about one-fifth of the human population can use magic. Your attribute, Kenji, is Water.”
Getting magic was a staple of reincarnation stories.
Still… Kenji thought, a little disappointed. Even if it is a staple… I was kind of hoping for something like fire magic with high attack power… or earth magic. That seems useful, making a swamp to stop an enemy or throwing up a fortress in an instant to change the tide of battle. No, wait, if I’m getting reincarnated, I should have an aptitude for all attributes! That would have been perfect.
“Um, if it’s possible, could you change it to fire or earth…?”
Today, it seemed, was a day for Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) to wear apologetic expressions. “I’m sorry, but that’s not something I can change. A person’s magic attribute falls under the domain of ‘Creation,’ which is the territory of the ‘Gods.’ My duties are in ‘Management.’ Furthermore, on ‘Izumo,’ magical aptitude is determined at birth and cannot be acquired later.”
“In other words, I’m stuck with the water attribute for the rest of my life?”
The despair must have been plain on Kenji’s face, because Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) hurriedly added, “That’s true, but a water attribute aptitude is very good for a human to have. For example, you need water no matter where you live. You will never have to worry about securing it. Besides, eighty percent of the humans on ‘Izumo’ cannot use magic at all. From that perspective alone, you are already quite blessed.”
That’s true, Kenji considered. Water and salt are critical for survival. And in a world of swords and magic, it’s a safe bet they don’t have modern water and sewage systems in the cities. A reliable water source could be a huge advantage.
Suzuki Kenji was, fundamentally, a positive person.
“By any chance, does Water magic include Healing magic, or have healing properties…?”
“On ‘Izumo,’ Healing belongs to the domain of Light attribute magic.”
Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) continued his explanation. There were six attributes of magic on ‘Izumo’: Fire, water, wind, earth, light, and darkness. There was also a neutral attribute, which was not counted among them.
“As neutral attribute magic is not one of the six, it is theoretically possible for anyone to learn it, but… the chances are close to zero. To be honest, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Instead, I recommend you focus on mastering the water attribute you have an aptitude for.”
Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) glanced down at the tablet in his hand. “Your physical strength is about upper-middle tier. On ‘Izumo,’ there are no ‘Level’ or ‘Skill’ systems, so steady effort is what matters most.”
So, average. Or slightly better than average? Guess I’ll have to put in a ton of effort or I’ll probably die right away…
“How can I improve my physical strength or my magic?”
“The human physique on ‘Izumo’ is the same as on Seiran, so the methods for improving your abilities are the same as well. On Seiran, the body grows stronger the more you train it, correct? If you do strength training, you build muscle. If you keep running, your cardiopulmonary function improves. Some African tribespeople gaze at distant things from a young age and develop eyesight over 5.0. Conversely, people who are blind must rely solely on hearing to gather information, and so develop exceptional hearing. It is the same principle. All you have to do is use it. Then it will grow.”
After a few more explanations, it was finally time for Kenji to state his wish.
“I want to live a slow life, in a place where no one can reach me!”
Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) nodded, tapping at his tablet. “In that case, I will set Tsukuyomi Forest as your reincarnation destination. I will prepare a house for you, along with two months’ worth of food to start. During that time, please become proficient at hunting using your water attribute magic. I will also make it so that monsters do not come near the house. Think of it as a barrier, with a radius of about one hundred meters in Seiran units. Also, there is a sea about five hundred meters southwest of the house. Once you are used to your water magic, you should be able to collect salt from the seawater. Please do your best.”
“All right. Ah, one final question. How do I use magic?”
At the very end, Kenji asked the most important question of all.
“Magic is powered by mental image. Draw a clear picture in your mind. And then, gain experience. It’s the same with anything; you don’t become a master overnight. You get better after countless tries. The same goes for magic.”
“I’ll give it my best shot. Thank you for everything.”
As he finished speaking, a gentle light wrapped around Kenji’s body, and he vanished.
Amagi Hikaru (pseudonym) remained alone in the white space.
“A slow life, huh… That does sound nice. I wonder if I’ll ever be incarnated somewhere, to live a slow life of my own.”
He lowered his gaze to his tablet… and noticed an oversight.
“Ah… I forgot to mention that his amount of magical power is considered quite large on ‘Izumo.’ Oh well. He’ll notice as he lives.”
But there was something else.
“A hidden characteristic? Why would there be something like this? It’s been ten thousand years… not since that first girl I reincarnated have I seen a hidden characteristic. I wonder what it could be.”
Characteristic: Tokowaka