Wandering along a lone snow road, the air covered in a dense white. A whiteout. I’m a Truck. A japanese Truck. My driver is warm and comfy in my cabin near my engine. He’d die outside in this weather! This whiteout, this much snow in the air so you can’t see even a foot in front of you, he’d die in minutes. How does he know where he’s going? We pass by a car by inches, nearly cleaving it with my fender. I can’t see, but that’s because of the snow not because I’m a Truck!  Is my driver a God? A hero? A skilled japanese teenager? I don’t know. I sigh through my exhaust, glad that my driver drove me the right way.

The car we missed behind us starts up and follows behind me. Riding on my bumper is rude, Car-san. Trucks, and things in general have a sense of how things work. You didn’t think we were just inactive objects without a consciousness or spirit, right? You didn’t think that humans were the only beings capable of thinking, right?

How disappointing. I’m Truck-san. Nice to meet you. I’ve got worries, and not just maintenance worries. I always promised my driver we’d deliver on time even if we road-killed a japanese teen or two. No one slows down my shipment! Soon, those worries are going to increase.

Truck senses aren’t like human senses. As part of the firmament world, the world outside of living beings, the inorganic world, we gather bits of consciousness from smaller objects. Like, rocks can think. Rocks think very little. But they still think. So, what would happen if you made a complex mechanical creation like a Truck? Normally, you would think that it’s only the gooey human bits all together make consciousness. Nope.

It’s a bunch of little parts coming together to make a bigger consciousness. All that stuff in your closet that you packed away? It becomes one being.

And I’m currently an eighteen wheeler Truck-san. And I’m about to hit yet another japanese teenager. I lost count how many. So many died! It’s not my fault, okay? That’s because Trucks are driven by their drivers, so it’s his fault! Blame him!

My tires churn the snow into the air, I’m an eighteen wheeler so a lot went flying. Snow, like the ninjas of my country flew about in the air, seeking their rest on the piles of white below. I sighed exhaust as I felt a bump. It’s not another kid is it. Huh? The driver’s eyes went dark. He keeps driving! Hey! Just because it’s a whiteout-

I look at the japanese teenager who wandered onto the snowy road. My immense weight and speed made short work of him. He got tossed away like a bag of rice and is now covered by snowdrift. I saw his soul float out like all the others. Too young to die. It’s not my fault! How many do I have to kill?

So I prayed. Like always. Not this one! I’ve killed too many japanese teenagers! God, Buddha, Amaterasu, someone! Save this kid’s soul and reincarnate him to another world!

I did that each time it happened, so I thought this time would be like all the rest. Some mystical force would capture the soul away.

This soul didn’t get captured. It flew towards me. Suddenly, a feeling that the soul joined me resounded in my metal body. Uh-oh.

“Where am I? I got lost in the snow and-”

“You’re part of Truck-san now, kid,” I said to the japanese teenager.

Oh great. Now I’ve got to babysit another consciousness! The pebbles that got caught in my grill were annoying enough. Hint: they’re pebbles, how interesting can they be?

“...Truck-san? Are you kidding me? I died! I died and this is heaven! Heaven’s being a Truck?” the kid whined.

“No, I’m Truck-san. You’re just one of the many japanese teenagers I killed. I’m sorry.”

I could hear his soul gasp. I’m still wandering through the whiteout outside, but in my consciousness I see him floating. Put on some clothes? Oh wait, they don’t exist.

“You’re a murderer! And I’m your latest victim…” the boy whined.

“It’s not my fault! My driver did it all!”

“Shouldn’t he lose his license then?!”

“You’d think he would. That’s human’s business, not mine.”

He’s confused and angry. I can tell. I’m a Truck.

“So, I’m a part of you now?”

I could see him floating about. He smushed himself in my engine. Get out of there!

“Usually, a god or something comes to pick up the teenagers that I run over, you’re the first-”

I felt a strange energy. Uh-oh.

A divine being opened a portal in front of me. I can feel divine beings. A sinister aura. For some reason, I imagined a wheel in my mind. I’m a Truck. I know such things.

“AAAHHHHHHHH!”

The boy screamed out as I drove into the portal and out of the snowy world.

In front of me was a black plain, my tires spinning into nothing. Hey! My driver’s gone! I hope he didn’t get left behind in that whiteout. He might get hit by another Truck or freeze out there. My engine shook as I looked around, a divine being appeared with a convenient desk and started doing paperwork. It’s a beautiful girl in a flowing outfit for some reason, she’s got this dumb smile on her face as she dips a quill into an inkwell and keeps writing. You’re a god, can’t you afford better supplies? Is it that since you’re a god, you’ve got to act like you’re above us all? I transported plenty of pen shipments. Use one of those! Give back to the economy! Hey. Divine being!

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“Hey. Hello? I prayed for the kid’s soul to reincarnate, not mine! I’m not dead. I’m just Truck-san. Send me back! My driver, where’s my driver!” I tooted out.

She looked up, her eyes smiling at me before getting back to scratching her quill. The boy inside me seemed to be interested. I didn’t want to say it, but some reason I usually hit completely average types who never had a sexual experience before. I know these things. I’m a Truck. It’s strange. She finished with a flourish and explained the situation:

“Hello, Truck-san. My name is Alyavrane. You see, I’m just a bureaucrat level divine being, Truck-san. You’re well known in the divine world. It’s not normal that every soul you pray for reincarnates. Especially after you run them over... Trucks don’t have that power. Most don’t pray for those they kill either. You’re a special one, Truck-san.”

The boy looked at me in surprise. I’m surprised too. I thought I was just a normal truck. I urged her to continue with my horn.

“It isn’t normal for Trucks to feel divine beings either,” she corrected me. She could see my thoughts back then?

“Huh. Oh well. The other Trucks always said I was weird. What am I then, Mrs. Alyavrane?”

“Miss Alyavrane, from Soul Management.”

Seemed that was a sore point with her.

“Anyways, you’ve actually become a Minor God. The first person you killed was actually reincarnated and took over the world they went to, they got drunk one night and decided to give you the ability to send as many teenagers to another world as you wanted with a prayer. You’re known to the gods as Truck-san, the Truck God.”

“The first kid I ran over wasn’t angry at the driver? I’m just a Truck-san!”

“Humans have a tendency to blame the firmament world for their problems. You’re a God now, isn’t it great!”

“Great? Send me back at once, my driver needs me!”

I tooted my horn to emphasize my point. Alyavrane looked towards the consciousness of the boy. She gave me a guilty smile.

“Oh…oh no…” I realized what she meant. I saw that smile on dispatchers many times when a shipment needed to go a few extra miles.

“Truck-san? What’s going on?” said the boy.

I sighed exhaust and explained the obvious.

“My power is to send people to another world when I pray for their souls, so since you’re now a part of me, I’ll be sent to another world with you...”

“But! You’re just a Truck! Hey, Alya-whatever, leave him out of this!”

I revved my engine in a purr, trying to calm him down as I saw Alyavrane make a troubled face.

“She’s a bureaucrat. When my driver got dispatch orders, no matter how many people we drove over, we always delivered on time. No one stops the economy, kid.”

Alyavrane gave an appreciative smile and added:

“I’ll file a complaint. You want to get back to your driver, huh? But, I’m afraid he’s…”

“That’s enough. I don’t stop for anyone, Alyavrane. It’s my driver who controls the brake. The last time I saw him, he was putting even pressure on the accelerator. I’ll honor his last order.”

The boy looked at me confused.

“You’re going that far for your driver? Didn’t he drive you over a bunch of innocent people! Aren’t you mad at him for forcing you to do that?!”

“I’m Truck-san. It’s not my fault what my driver does,” I said. I didn’t believe that, if I wasn’t guilty, I would never have prayed. But for driver-san I’ll-!

“I’ll help you, Truck-san! I owe whatever this life I have now is to you, so I’ll support you all the way,” said the boy.

I looked to him, his eyes full of grit. I had no idea why he would say something like that, but I took him at his word. I tooted my horn.

“Okay, kid. Thanks.”

Alyavrane looked distraught.

“Driver-san is dead, Truck-san! You can’t do anything, please move on.”

“Alyavrane, am I a god or not? If there isn’t anything I can do, tell me so that I can break that common sense of yours!”

Alyavrane looked down.

“Well, the complaint I’ll file can only go so far…”

“That’s enough, honey. I know dispatchers have their own problems. It’s my responsibility to get my driver back, not yours,” I comforted her.

“Truck-san… anyways, you’ll be going to another world with the boy within you. Takahasi?”

The boy’s soul floated out of me and I got a good look at his completely average self.

“Here, a list of abilities. It’s a fantasy RPG world with game-like mechanics-”

I lost interest as she went over the details. Level this, ability that, but the one he chose-

“Mechanic? I’ll choose it! If Truck-san is being forced to go with me, I’ll do what I can to support him!”

I sighed through my exhaust.

“I’m just a Minor Truck God that prayed for you to revive, Takahasi. You can live your next life to the fullest, go find a harem or something!”

“No! I never had anything I cared about in life, so to see Truck-san so boldly saying he would do anything to save his driver even when it sounds impossible inspired me!”

Takahasi’s excitement is burning. I can’t turn him down.

“Call me Mechanic from now on, Truck-san!”

“What’s with that, you have a name, you should honor it.”

“I can’t do that Truck-san. My family, I-!”

I stopped him with a toot of my horn, noticing his discomfort.

“That’s enough. I won’t be having any of your sob story flashback. I’ve got Driver-san to save.”

Mechanic looks happy. I thought I was rude, but maybe he’s into that sort of thing? I’m a Truck, don’t ask me about people.

Alyavrane and Mechanic finished up their conversation, and she turned to me with a bow.

“Good luck, Mechanic and Truck-san. I’ll do my best to get that complaint to the right people. Even though you are a popular minor god, Truck-san, in the divine world you get the same priority as everyone else. Remember, Truck-san, that you still have the reincarnation ability I told you about earlier, even in the next world.”

“Thanks, Alyavrane. Where are we going, anyways?”

“Vainris. It’s a world ruled by vampire lords and edge lords. You need to be careful… I gave Mechanic an explanation, so please stay safe!”

Mechanic smiled to me as Alyavrane did some hand signals and he gained an astral body for his consciousness. Thank god, it was crowded in here.  He climbed aboard my driver’s seat in his astral body. You’re naked. That’s dirty! Even if you’re a spirit your spirit balls are on my leather! I held my horn, as I’m about to get transported to another world. A portal opened up, and slammed on my accelerator, surging into the unknown.