I died. Well, I’m pretty sure that I did. It all happened in a flash. I know that I saw a small dog on the road. I don’t know what he was doing there, but I knew that it wasn’t a place for him. At first I tried calling him, but he wouldn’t react. A stupid beast just sat there, looking at me with indifferent eyes.

If I left him alone at that moment, I would probably be still alive, but I couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it was a matter of honor. Even if it was just a dumb dog, I felt the need to help him. As I was reaching with my hands to grab him, a big truck appeared out of nowhere. I threw him away, and I saved the dog, but I didn’t save myself.

Ehh.

What can I say? I’m a hero.

But now, another problem appeared. I’m pretty sure that after you die, you aren’t supposed to hear anything. Well, now I was.

“W-What is that?”I heard a voice of a girl. For some reason she sounded, like she was holding back her laughter.

“I c-can’t... hahaha!”

I slowly opened my eyes. My head still hurt, after getting hit by this truck. But if I felt pain, did it mean that I was still alive?

“O-Oh, you are awake? I’m s-sorry…”

When I looked around, I saw a young girl before me, with long blonde hair, big, blue eyes, and cute face. She was wearing only a white robe, that covered most of her well-developed body. We were both, in a big, white room, sitting on two, wooden chairs. There wasn’t anything else in the room. Only both of us.

In her hand she had some papers, that she was reading now. It seemed, that for some reason they were making her laugh.

“Ugh… W-Where am I?” I asked, and grabbed my head. I still felt pain.

The girl just looked at me, and after that at the papers. She repeated this action for a few times, and then she started speaking.

“You are in heaven… Ryan Smith, isn’t it?”

Ryan Smith? Yeah, that’s my name, but wait. In heaven? It must be a bad joke. I was hit by a truck, but I still feel pain…

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“Who do you think you are talking to? This is your reality.” she responded, and after that looked at me “Hit by a truck, at the age of seventeen years. Never had a girlfriend, never kissed a girl, never even touched a girl. There is no mistake, you are…” she couldn’t finish. Instead, she bursted out with laughter.

“Wait, how do you know that?! No, it’s not that! I don’t need to listen to this.” I tried to pull myself from the chair, but I couldn’t. It felt, as if I was glued to it.

“Do you not understand? You are in heaven now, and you can’t leave this place, as long as I won’t allow it.”

Is this the truth? Have I really died? No, it can’t be true. It must be some stupid joke.

“Listen to me Ryan. You are to be reborn in the new world. Don’t ask me for details, I have been working here only for a few days.”

Wait? Reborn? What is she talking about.

“It seems, that some fantasy world has a problem with demon king. You know the deal. You go there, get rid of him, and then live your life in peace. Do I need to explain it?”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“You do! Is this some kind of joke! It’s not funny!” I shouted immediately, after she stopped talking.

After that she looked at me, and at the papers she had with her.

“At the age of thirteen, made a song for a girl in his class. For the rest of the year was called a “disgusting Ryan”. At the age of fifteen got some money from his mother. Bought anime figurines for it, making his mother feel disgust she has never felt before. At the age of…”

“Wait! Wait, I believe you!” I stopped her, from making me suffer anymore.

“Well, now that you believe me, you will be transported to a new world, to fight with a demon king...”

“Wait! Wait a moment!” I stopped her once again. This time she looked annoyed.

“What? Do you still have problems?”

“It must be a mistake. I can’t fight demon king. I’m just a normal teenager, there is nothing I can do to him!” I said.

When I did, she looked at her papers once more. After that she looked at me.

“Ryan Smith. Seventeen years old. Meter and seventy centimeters tall. Short, brown hair, and big green eyes. Likes staying at home, and playing games. Dislikes talking with people, and talking with people. Wants to be a NEET in the future. Fairly thin, without any motivation for anything. I think it fits you perfectly.”

“No, it’s not that. What can I do to a demon king! It must be a mistake.” when I said that, she showed me one of the papers in her hand. It had a yellow seal on it.

“You see? "Ryan Smith" and today's date. Anyway, there is nothing I can do, this one is from above.”

No. It can’t be happening. If it’s not a joke, then it must be a bad dream. Me fighting a demon king? I can’t do it. I’m sure it’s just a bad dream.

“So, are you ready? Or do you want something?” she asked, while looking at me.

I felt bad. My head still hurt, and I didn’t know what was happening. As I thought about what she said, I noticed that I was a little thirsty.

“Could I have a glass of water?” I replied, and she looked at me surprised.

“Y-Yeah, if this is what you want. Who am I to judge?” she said something weird, and then she shouted “Could someone give us a glass of water?!”

Maybe a minute later, an older man entered the room. I don’t know how he did it, because I didn’t see any doors anywhere. In his hand he had a glass of water, but there was something weird about his clothes. They were red, and with his white beard, he looked like…

“Santa Claus?!” I shouted, and he smiled at me.

“Ho Ho Ho, if it isn’t a little Ryan?”

“B-But how? I thought that you don’t exist.” I asked, and he handed me the water.

“I do exist, Ho Ho Ho.”

I looked at him. He had a big belly, and white beard. Just as I imagined him, but there was one thing I wanted to ask him. I he really exists, then why…

“Why I didn’t get any presents?”

When I said this, Santa smiled at me warmly.

“That’s because your parents are poor.”

Go figure.

“It’s good that you are here. Look at that. Here, in this place.” this girl said to him, and pointed at something in the papers. When Santa looked at them, he grabbed his chin.

“Ho Ho Ho. Ho Ho Ho! Hohohoh! Hahahaha!” he was laughing! But why?! What did she show him?

“Hey! What are you laughing at?! I asked, and the girl looked at me.

“At how you died, you moron! Hahahah!”

What?! I can understand laughing at my life. I can understand laughing at all those things I have done. But laughing at how I died? I have saved a living creature. I have saved someone, from death, and they are laughing at me?!

“Why are you laughing?! Because I died saving a dog? His life doesn’t matter?” I said those things with anger. Who do they think they are? This dog is living now because of me.

“N-No, you didn’t understand me. It was a really brave thing to do. But you see, when you grabbed him, and threw him away… You threw him under another truck… Hahahah!” 

Wait, what? The dog died? Wait!

They both looked at me like at an idiot. After that the girl started speaking.

“O-Okay, okay that’s all. I can’t laugh anymore. Let’s just be done with it. Ryan - reborn in another world. His last wish…”

A wish? I knew that I wasn’t going to fight empty handed. I was so stupid. They wouldn’t send me there like that. It must be like in one of those novels, where they give me a super power, or weapon.

Now I only need to say, what I want.

“H-His wish… His wish was a glass of water.”  

What?