4. For Every God That Discards, There Is a God (?) Who Picks Up

* * *

The place I was sucked into next was a stark contrast to the void, a completely white space.

Having gotten used to the pitch-dark void, the brightness was blinding!

“Oh… oh! You’ve made it here safely…!”

A cute female voice echoed inside my head (?) as I was dazzled by the brightness.

“With a soul so calm and unshaken even when cast into the void… truly remarkable.”

The voice praised me, sounding on the verge of tears. When I turned around, there was… a vague silhouette of a woman.

A beautiful, gently glowing mass of blue light.

She seemed far more divine than any of the gods who had been at the auction, at least to me.

Probably she’s also a god. A provisional god, let’s say. Somehow warm, and I felt a great sense of familiarity.

This provisional god.

Holding tongs in her right hand.

Fanning a charcoal grill with a fan in her left hand.

…was grilling meat.

The fat dripped onto the heated charcoal, sizzling deliciously.

…What is this???

“Welcome, Runa Aihara. A soul reaped from another world. I am ‘The Vessel.’ ‘The Vessel of a Nameless God’… Created without power, merely an observer…”

Wait! Don’t flip the meat while introducing yourself in such a solemn voice!

What is this!? What are you doing!?

“…Hehe, as you see, it’s barbecue. Come, join me. You must be hungry, right?”

No, I get that it’s barbecue! But what’s the situation!?

What’s happening to me!? What have I gotten myself into!? Wait, can you hear my thoughts!? And, that meat looks really tasty, may I have some please!?

“You seem confused. I will explain the situation you’re in. As for your thoughts… they are quite easy for me to read, so I’ve taken the liberty of looking into them. The meat is meant for you to eat, so please, help yourself.”

Really? You’re giving me the meat!? Yay!

As my soul floated closer, this provisional god… ‘The Vessel’ switched the tongs for chopsticks to offer me the meat.

The meat was absorbed by my soul, and I was flooded with the taste and satisfaction of eating meat.

Oh… this meat is delicious!

So, you can eat in a soul state, huh!

“Now, while you eat, please listen. I’ll explain… the situation you’re in and about myself.”

While feeding me meat, ‘The Vessel’ began to speak kindly.

“First, let’s start from the beginning. Your soul was reaped from your world to be a pawn for the gods of Ardyst… from your perspective, another world.”

Ah, this tender and sweet fat… this rib is amazing…

Not that!

Yeah, I kind of figured that out.

But, a pawn… what does that mean?

“The gods at the venue intend to reincarnate souls from other worlds into their domains in Ardyst, watching the lives they lead as stories for their amusement. Recording these lives and ‘streaming’ them to other gods has become popular, and it’s a trend that’s heating up lately. In fact, souls from Earth are easier to bless or modify compared to those from Ardyst, making them ‘easier to use’ for the gods. Thus, the gods of Ardyst use the reaped souls as pawns, crafting isekai tales for their entertainment.”

Eh… I’ve heard there’s a genre of stories about isekai…

So that’s just gods’ playtime!?

Being harvested as a soul feels like being toyed with, and it’s not a pleasant feeling!

So, without considering our circumstances, we’re just made into pawns?

“If seen from a human standpoint, that is a valid opinion. However, as a god who has existed for so long, those concerns don’t really bother us anymore. Any dissatisfaction or grievances you might feel can be erased by tampering with memories and thoughts.”

You can do that!?

Because you’re a god, right.

Gods, scary!

“In addition, people who are reincarnated are usually given blessings… that is, cheat abilities. If used well, despite some turmoil, you can lead a significantly advantageous life. So, it’s not like there are no benefits for those who are reincarnated, even if it’s without their consent.”

Hmm, so reincarnated individuals aren’t just at a disadvantage; they get something substantial in return, too?

Still, I feel a bit… hmm.

…After all, it seems futile to complain to beings of absolute existence with a different set of values, the gods. Sigh.

I myself have no attachments to my previous life, and as for my classmates… well, I don’t care what becomes of them.

They didn’t like me, after all.

I have no reason to care about them.

Alright, let’s put an end to this conversation!

“I actually quite enjoy watching these isekai streams. It’s a good way to pass the time, watching a considerable number of lives.”

So, the lives of those reincarnated are treated like entertaining videos!?

“Now, back to our discussion… I wasn’t part of that auction earlier, but I happened to be nearby. …And then, I caught the scent of your soul, even though I was supposed to be outside the venue.”

Ah… does my soul smell bad?

I’m sorry, does it still smell? Are you enduring it?

“Ufufu. No, it doesn’t smell bad. I’m used to it. …In fact, to me, it’s a very nice scent.”

Is that so?

“Yes. Those who said it was a dirty smell are rude and foolish. You shouldn’t worry about not being liked by such foolish gods. …And so, what I saw when I peered into the venue was the scene of you being discarded into the void. …Though I’ve been amused by the lives of reincarnated individuals myself, I felt that such cruelty should not be allowed. It’s one thing to reap souls without permission, but to irresponsibly discard them is unacceptable! That’s why I thought I had to help. Normally, souls sucked into the void disperse and vanish.”

So, that’s what the void is… a scary place…!

If I had been in the void longer, I might have vanished…?

“Eh, yes. That’s why I thought I had to rescue you quickly. This space… it’s my personal space, so I moved here in haste.”

Yes.

“To save you.”

Yes.

“And that’s why I started grilling meat.”

…Yes. That’s the part I don’t get…

“The void is an endless darkness, an infinite expanse between worlds.”

The “Vessel of the God,” glowing faintly blue, continued speaking while grilling meat.

“Once you fall into it, rescuing someone is extremely difficult. I needed you to somehow come close to the coordinates of my personal space.”

Uh… um, that sounds complicated, but basically…

“I grilled meat, letting its smell drift into the void, to signal the existence of this space to you. And as planned, you were drawn here by the smell of the grilled meat. …Ah! Ah!! I’m so glad I could help! It was a gamble to try grilling meat, but I’m really glad I did…!!”

The “Vessel of the God” once again became emotional, making a gesture as if wiping her eyes.

What’s this, she’s quite sentimental.

…The act of grilling meat to rescue a soul from the void might seem hard to understand just from the words…

But it’s clear she did this thinking of me.

Thank you!

…But why did she go to such lengths for me?

“…”

The “Vessel of the God” stopped grilling meat and faced me directly.

“I simply wanted to help you. There’s no lie in that feeling. However, to be honest, there was also a calculation. If I could help you, there was something I wanted to ask of you.”

A request, you wanted to ask?

“Yes. Runa Aihara. Would you… with me…

…like to undergo a reincarnation?”