Just another generic story from another world

I have lost my feelings and emotions. They no longer exist. I don't even retain my appearance. Only my memories remain. Now, I function like a rational machine, guided only by logic and intellect. Emotions no longer influence my decisions; there's no place for them.

The day I lost them began in an ordinary way. I woke up and made breakfast. My parents and sister had already left. It wasn't because I was late, they simply woke up earlier than I did.

That day was calm, nothing remarkable. After having breakfast and getting ready, I went to school. Later, I planned to watch the latest episode of an anime with Kai and Kazuya, but Kazuya was sick, according to what Kai told me. In the end, I would only watch it with him.

If I had to describe my day at school, I would call it mediocre. It wasn't overly boring, but it wasn't particularly entertaining either. After school, I returned home. My mother and sister were already back. After gathering my things, getting ready, and saying goodbye, I decided to take a walk to kill some time before the agreed meeting hour.

The path was the same as always, but that day something felt different. The streets were quieter than usual, as if the world were taking a break that I wasn't informed about. I passed by the corner shop and noticed that the shutters were closed, which was unusual at this time. The sound of traffic, though present, seemed farther away, as if I were hearing it through a thick wall.

Even the air felt different, heavier. I walked through the park where I usually take a shortcut, and though it wasn't unusual to see it empty during the week, today the solitude seemed more pronounced. The wind moved the leaves of the trees, but the sound was so subtle that I barely registered it.

I didn't pay much attention to it, because there was no reason to. Maybe it was just a quieter day than usual, but that calm began to make me uneasy.

After a while, I decided to call Kazuya. I knew he was sick, so I wouldn't be able to see him, and with our different school schedules, it had been a while since we last spoke in person.

The phone rang several times before the call was cut off. He didn't pick up. He might have been sleeping, or maybe he just had his phone on silent. I didn't think too much of it; Kazuya has never been easy to reach unless you ran into him in person.

With nothing else to do, I was forced to keep navigating that strange calm that seemed to envelop everything. I checked the time on my watch and decided it was a good time to head toward the square, the place where I had agreed to meet Kai.

I checked my phone periodically in case Kazuya sent me a message. I also had mine on silent; I didn't feel like turning the sound on. Kai always got upset with us for doing that. He responded quickly to messages and hated having to wait so long. I don't blame him.

After a few minutes, as I was getting closer to the square, I saw him on the other side of the street. He was riding his bike, but he seemed completely absorbed in something else. How careless. I decided to cross the street and sneak up on him to give him a scare. However, at that moment, I saw a truck approaching him.

Kai was still lost in whatever he was thinking. Without hesitation, I ran toward him to pull him out of the way. At that moment, it was a spontaneous reaction, a reflexive act. Now, thinking back, maybe I could have delayed our death with my impulsiveness. How stupid. How irrational.

I made it in time. We ended up on the ground, with me on top of him. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes. He seemed expectant, as if he was waiting for the result after pulling a gacha machine lever. When he finally opened them, I noticed a slight disappointment in his gaze when he saw me. I decided to tease him a little.

"Is the damsel safe? What had her so distracted? Was the princess daydreaming about her prince charming?"

He looked at me confused for a moment, but then his expression changed. A mocking smile appeared on his face before he responded with a well-rehearsed irony.

"Oh, thank you, my knight! You came so swiftly to my rescue. What reward would you like? A kiss from this beautiful princess, perhaps?"

As he responded, I realized he wasn't paying attention to me. His gaze was distant, as if his mind were elsewhere. Suddenly, he ran toward his bike and let out a cry filled with almost theatrical sadness.

"Why!? Why not me!? She didn't deserve to end like this!"

I was stunned for a few seconds.

"I didn't know you were so materialistic."

He turned toward me with exaggerated speed, his gaze filled with indignation, as if I had insulted him personally. The way he delivered his speech made it seem like he had practiced it in front of a mirror.

"You don't understand. My parents gave it to me years ago, and I use it every time I go out. I ride it more than I walk. It's… It was more than just transportation. It was a companion."

I didn't know how to respond to that. I decided to change the subject. After a few minutes of conversation, we ended up walking toward the café.

During the walk, Kai mentioned that he had been with Kazuya before we met. I asked him why he wasn't replying to messages, and he explained that his phone had broken two days ago.

---

After watching the last episode of the series, we both felt somewhat disappointed. The ending was mediocre, inconclusive, and left too many questions unanswered. We decided not to dwell on it and spent the remaining time in a nearby park, right between Kazuya's and Kai's houses.

We spent some time walking and chatting on the swings. The conversation was light, without much significance. That's when we heard some distant, loud noises with a particular rhythm. I had never heard a gunshot before, so I assumed it was fireworks. Kai thought the same, and we even joked about it.

When it was time to say goodbye, a different sound interrupted the calm of the night: sirens approaching rapidly. The noise intensified, drowning out everything else as a chase developed nearby. From various points, it seemed that the police were closing in on the thieves.

We quickly realized we were in the middle of the chaos. The thieves' vehicle stopped not far from us, and seeing them abandon it, Kai suggested we hide. Without questioning it, we took shelter behind a slide, an improvised hiding place that was clearly insufficient.

From there, we waited, assuming the police would capture the fugitives soon. However, the situation escalated quickly. The thieves, desperate, began firing recklessly, and suddenly we found ourselves in the middle of a gunfight.

Time stopped in a heartbreaking instant. An unbearable pain, sharp as a blade, pierced my chest with devastating precision. I tried to breathe, but every inhalation felt like swallowing shards of glass.

My legs gave out, and my body collapsed, crumbling like an empty shell. My chest became an uncontrollable fountain of blood, the crimson warmth spreading beneath me in a thick pool.

I wanted to speak, but the words died before they could form. Darkness began to cover my vision, leaving only a deafening silence.

---

When I regained consciousness, I tried to look around, but there was nothing. Nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to smell. I felt nothing, not even my own body. The absolute absence was oppressive, as if reality itself had ceased to exist.

Then I understood: I had died. And everything I had heard about death was true. There was no paradise, no hell, no light at the end of the tunnel—just an endless void where my consciousness would float, trapped in eternity.

That would be my life now: a meaningless existence in the infinite vastness of nothingness. Or so I would have thought if a voice full of impatience hadn't broken the silence at that exact moment.

"Aaaaahhhh... How long has it been since you went to the bathroom? Why don't you come back already? What do I do if another soul comes and you're not here to scold me?"

Finally, something to hear, though it wasn't very encouraging to hear the complaints of a stranger.

"You know what? Screw it, I'll send this soul myself. If something happens, I'll blame you for not supervising me."

Suddenly, I felt something. It was strange, like someone was grabbing my essence and starting to mold it, kneading it like clay.

"Aaahhrrrggg, just as boring as last time... I guess it's fine if I have some fun, right?"

The sensation became chaotic: my soul was stretched, crushed, bounced, and molded in ways I couldn't describe. And then came the pain: an indescribable torment that seemed to tear me apart.

"Ah, crap! It's broken. Now what do I do? Should I try to fix it? Wait... how am I supposed to fix a broken soul? What happens when a soul breaks?"

Wait, did I hear that right? Did he just break my soul?

The silence that followed was filled with a soft muttering, as if he were debating with himself.

"Uffff... I guess I'll send the parts separately. What's the worst that could happen?"

No, no, no... You can't be serious!

Suddenly, a blinding light engulfed everything, and I felt my soul burn, a scorching heat that consumed me as my consciousness seemed to fragment.

After an indefinite amount of time in that void, a warm, feminine voice resonated around me, soothing and comforting.

"Poor thing, what's happened to you? You seem incomplete... like half a soul is missing. When I see those idiots, I don't even want to think about what I'll do to them. But now... I don't know how to help you. The least I can do is grant you this mana blessing and pray for your new life to be prosperous."

What a pleasant change. At least this voice was comforting, much more than the other, and seemed willing to help me.

"Good luck. I'll keep an eye on your new life when I can."

Then, I understood: there was something after death. Reincarnation.

If I've reincarnated... it's most likely that Kai has too. I don't want to think about it, but I have to be prepared for it. Maybe keeping a journal will help me remember who I am and prepare for the day when we meet again.