Prologue - An isekai?!

A young man awakens standing up. Before him, a small figure is scribbling away on an ornate desk. In fact, the entire room is adorned with fine furnishings. The bleached walls, detailed with intricate gold patterns, are almost blinding to the unprepared man. In the middle sits what appears to be his judge of the afterlife. The petite woman has long, angelic hair that drapes over her bare shoulders. Its golden color matches her halo which suspiciously floats above her head. In contrast to her holy visage, she appears highly troubled by the document she' s been noting .

She scratches her head with her writing hand, pauses , thinks , and then continues writing, erratically underlining and circling words that have given her the most strife. She makes corrections and double-backs through pages. Her feather quill, at times, is a blur. This loop occurs every few moments until the man finally opens his mouth to say something.

"Hold a moment."

The angelic woman interrupts in a soft tone , her raised finger signifying pause.

He obliges . After a brief moment of more shuffling, she speaks again.

"Right, so..." she continues, seemingly finding the pages that correspond with him . Family name: Umeboshi. Given: Taro. Died jumping in front of an electric car to save a child."

That is the young man's name. She does not bother to raise her head to meet his.

"Pity that..."

"You know they have automatic brakes nowadays. The vehicle would have stopped promptly, sans accident-had you not jumped in suddenly , " she says glibly.

Taro couldn't help but feel a bit slighted. He adjusts his thick glasses at times like these.

"What?! I... "

"Oh. Don't make that face. The endeavor itself is quite chivalrous. I'm only teasing."

Taro is dumbstruck by the revelation.

"So... what happens now?" he inquires.

She looks up for the first time, her azure eyes meeting his , her expression almost forming a polite smile.

"Now, that's another benefit of the digital age. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of *isekai*?"

"What?!" Taro beams with excitement. "I have! Like anime? Fantasy isekai, with levels, dungeons, inns, and adventure?!"

He can barely contain himself. The excitement of fiction made real. Scenarios of heroic knights, demon lords, adventure, and revelry amongst party members rush through the boy's mind.

"Well, yes. This world has all those things. Now we're spread a bit thin, so there'll be no divine blessings or special-"

"Forget about it! Sold! I've always loved the grind to reach the top! I've never liked those ones where the protagonist is too overpowered from the get-go."

She smiles cautiously. "Delightful! I'm glad you're enthusiastic, but-"

"I don't want to hear another word! I want to experience this world for myself!"

"V-Very well..." Her expression hasn 't changed , scarcely able to obfuscate her growing annoyance.

"My goddess! I can't wait! Send me now!!"

The woman remains ever the stoic ; she pauses and thinks, while the boy continues to ramble on.

"As you wish," she concludes.

The boy, who is woefully unaware of the intent behind her face, still has butterflies churning in his stomach.

"Now, are you going to send me near an inn or guild? Or do I need to meet the king first? I don't want to walk too much if I'm honest."

She remains in her unreadable expression.

"... Hm?"

A flash of light engulfs the room.