Chapter 2

When I woke up, I could see a sky as blue as if it had been washed. I was lying on my back. When I sat up and looked around, I saw a dense forest spreading out. It seemed I had been lying down in an open area within the forest.

At first glance, it didn’t seem any different from a forest in Japan.

However, I knew that this place was not Japan, not even on Earth, and more importantly, not even in that world anymore.

This is a different world.

It all started when, after a series of overtime shifts that had me completely exhausted, I was about to leave the company and head home. I found a stray cat staggering along the way. I, not much better off than the cat, was staggering towards the station when I saw the cat wobble onto the middle of the road.

A truck was coming from the other direction, showing no signs of slowing down, and it seemed the driver hadn’t noticed the cat. Whether it was because I was tired or for some other reason, the moment I saw this, I started running towards the cat.

As I got closer to the cat, the truck also got closer. It was a pure race to see who would reach the cat first—me or the truck. In terms of speed, the truck would obviously win, but in terms of distance, I was much closer.

However, if I got close enough but still couldn’t reach the cat, the truck would win by default (let’s not think about what that means).

The distance between me and the cat kept decreasing, and just as I grabbed the cat’s body and threw it away, there was a loud thud. My body was flying through the air, and in my fading consciousness, I thought, "So, adrenaline really does exist in emergencies."

I don’t know how much time had passed. It could have been a short moment or a long time. I suddenly realized something.

I had woken up, but it wasn’t exactly that, because I was in a completely white space where I couldn’t see my body.

I was aware of something, but it was questionable whether I could call this "being awake." My consciousness was both clear and hazy, a very ambiguous state.

A "voice" spoke to me. It was a young woman’s voice.

"Hey, are you awake?"

"If you can call this being awake, then yes, I am."

I answered succinctly, stating only the facts. This "voice" wasn’t something I heard through sound waves reaching my ears, nor did I produce sound waves by sending air from my lungs and vibrating my vocal cords.

If I had to describe this sensation, it might be telepathy.

It felt like someone was trying to communicate their intentions to me, and I was trying to communicate mine to someone else, a very indirect form of "conversation."

"Your soul seems to be intact for now. Normally, preserving a soul slightly exceeds my authority."

"Hmm, I don’t really understand what you mean."

"Well, to put it simply, you died in that world. Normally, when someone dies, their soul is broken down and reaccumulated as new resources.

Think of it like the memory you were using being freed. I locked that memory to prevent it from being freed, but that’s not something I’m supposed to do."

"I see, I understand the situation. So, what happens now?"

I was surprisingly calm, despite being told such an important fact as "you are dead."

"That’s good, you’re calm. I’m very sorry, but I’ve temporarily altered your perception to make the concept of death less significant.

If I didn’t, your soul would break—using the previous analogy, the memory that should have been freed would free itself, and the data within it would be lost, causing you to disappear both physically and spiritually."

"I see, I can understand that calmly now."

"Thank you. So, before this happened, you saved a stray cat, right?"

"Yes, that’s correct. I like cats."

I was in my forties, and I had an appearance that people often described as "completely yakuza" or "not quite a yakuza but not a regular person either." Despite this, I liked cute things, and I especially loved cats.

All the intense work, the physical decline due to age, and the resulting drop in cognitive function had, in a way, miraculously aligned, leading me to take such action. Now, I realize it all boiled down to one simple reason: "I like cats."

"To put it simply, I am the one who was in the form of a cat, and I am the one who watches over the world. You might not understand, but have you heard of the concept of parallel worlds?"

"Yes, I’ve come across it in science fiction and fantasy works."

"I see. That might make the explanation easier. My role is to travel through parallel worlds and monitor for anything that could negatively impact other parallel worlds."

Her voice (though not a physical voice) seemed a bit proud. Indeed, such a role would require a remarkable individual.

"Wow, you’re quite important."

I complimented her sincerely.

"Well, there are many of us, and I’m one of the few. But I hope you understand that it’s not a role that just anyone can fulfill. If I miss the signs of a parallel world’s influence and it reaches a point where action is needed, it could be disastrous.

While I’m not the one who actually takes action, now that you understand my role, let me continue with the explanation."

She seemed to straighten up (or so it felt) and continued speaking.

"In the world you were in, I was in the form of a cat, continuing my role as a watcher. You saved me when I was about to die.

By the way, this place is a gap between worlds where beings like us are allowed to exist."

"Can a being with such an important role be killed by a truck?"

I asked a straightforward question. It seemed like a significant vulnerability in the system for such an important being to be as vulnerable as a regular organism.

"To clarify, 'dying' only refers to the temporary body I take in that world, while my soul continues to live. The temporary body takes the form of a regular organism in that world and has the same physical strength.

If it didn’t, it might be recorded as an unusually strong organism.

When my temporary body dies, it doesn’t significantly affect the world. I create the body to avoid affecting the world, but in your case, your death, even though your body died, caused a bit of a problem.

This is related to the balance between parallel worlds. Do you think there are many parallel worlds with only slight differences?"

"Yes, at least based on my knowledge, or the works I’ve read and played."

"For example, if you decided to 'have a drink and go home' and did so, resulting in a delayed train making you get home very late, and in another world, you decided to 'go straight home' and avoided the delay, these two scenarios would branch off into different worlds."

"I see."

"To put it simply, the world doesn’t branch off in such fine details. If you decided to 'have a drink and go home,' then that’s how the world’s harmony is maintained.

In this case, if you went straight home and avoided the delay, it would cause some problems in the world, such as hearing a neighbor’s argument and reporting it, which could disrupt the family’s harmony, leading to someone not being born, causing damage to the world.

It’s like the saying, 'there are no ifs in history.' The meaning is different, but the concept is similar."

It was a somewhat confusing explanation. I remained silent, encouraging her to continue.

"Anyway, the world is like that. Without fine branching, there is only one 'you' in this world. You were not supposed to die at that point. It was because you saved me. This is an irregularity for the world and for you.

Of course, it’s also an irregularity for me. Because of these three irregularities, you were chosen to replace me in this world.

To maintain the consistency of that world, the easiest solution would be to say you 'miraculously survived without injury,' but since I observed you die, it’s impossible to make it as if it never happened.

My job is to monitor and report the state of multiple worlds, so what I observed would be reported and recorded in multiple worlds.

As a result, you would 'die' in that world, regardless of the impact on the world."

The situation was starting to sound ominous.

"Then what? It sounds like there’s nothing we can do. Why did you preserve my soul in such a state?"

"Yes, in this world, you will be replaced, and you will be integrated into another world."

"Is that even possible? Based on what I’ve heard, it sounds very risky..."

"Um, how should I put it? In that world, you were supposed to be absent, and someone else would replace you to maintain the balance. However, there are a few worlds where someone is absent, and you can be integrated into those worlds.

There are only a few, as I have to choose from the worlds I’m responsible for."

"So, you’re talking about a kind of 'replacement of existence'?"

"Exactly, you’re quick to understand. To put it simply, you will die in the original world but continue to exist in the next world."

"I see. Can I ask a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Well, to put it simply, it’s a bad feeling to see someone who shouldn’t die in front of me. Also, it’s about maintaining the consistency between worlds. There are reasons for doing this, and I hope you can trust me for now."

"Hmm, I can’t say I fully understand, but I guess there’s no choice, right?"

"Yes, I apologize for that. So, I can give you the right to choose a world and some advantages—basically, cheats. These cheats won’t disrupt the balance of the destination world or other worlds, so feel free to ask for what you want."

"I see... I don’t want to waste this second chance. If these cheats won’t disrupt the balance, I don’t need to hold back. I’ll tell you what I want."

I thought for a moment. This was my second chance at life, and I didn’t want to waste it. If these cheats wouldn’t disrupt the balance, I didn’t need to be hesitant. I stated my wishes.

"I like making things, so a world where I can make things and live would be good. I’d like abilities that align with that. If possible, I’d like the ability to live independently.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I like cats, so I’d like to keep a cat. That’s about it."

"Hmm..."

The "young woman’s voice" seemed to be thinking.

"Considering the worlds I can send you to, a world of swords and magic, a typical fantasy world, would be suitable. Is that okay?"

"Sure, no problem."

"In that case, I’ll give you abilities that align with that. There are many types of crafting, so what do you prefer?"

"I’ve always been interested in swordsmithing."

"Alright, I’ll prioritize swordsmithing. I’ll allocate the remaining resources to language and production, and a bit to combat and other areas. You’ll need some self-defense, right?

I’ll keep the magic to a minimum, as it’s not essential for daily life. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that’s fine."

"Lastly, what about your age? You can choose any age, from your teens to even your seventies, if you prefer."

"Hmm, I don’t really feel the charm of being young..."

Still, I wanted to live a long second life. After thinking for a while, I decided—

The second volume of the book will be released on July 10, 2020.

Additionally, a comic adaptation is now being serialized on Web Denpre Comic.

If you enjoyed this story, I would be very grateful if you could leave a rating or bookmark it, even if it’s later.