Chapter 48: A Moment of Respite

I was on the verge of celestial burnout. My desk was piled high with soul files I hadn't even looked at. My monitors flashed with constant alerts from my two problem worlds.

[YUI HAS ACCIDENTALLY SET FIRE TO THE MAYOR'S PRIZE-WINNING PETUNIAS.]

[KENGEN'S FORCES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DOMESTICATED GIANT BATS FOR AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE.]

I needed a break. I put all my systems on auto-alert and decided to handle a simple, low-stakes soul file. Something to remind me that not every reincarnation had to result in a global crisis.

I pulled one from the queue at random. Soul #908-B. Name: Ren Yamada.

I opened the file, and my divine exhaustion vanished, replaced by a jolt of pure, unadulterated excitement.

Name: Ren Yamada. Age: 17. Cause of Death: Head-on collision with a truck. Details: Deceased was attempting to 'awaken his hidden powers' by running into headlights he believed to be a 'gate to another realm.' Final Thoughts: "It's all according to plan…"

My celestial jaw dropped. I scrolled down to his reincarnation request. It was short, simple, and sent a thrill down my spine.

Wish: "I don't need cheat skills or a harem. My only desire is to become a mastermind in the shadows. I want to be the secret power pulling the strings, all while pretending to be a perfectly average, unremarkable background character. My greatest ambition is to have my true power completely misunderstood by everyone."

I looked at his profile picture. I looked at his cause of death. I looked at his wish.

It was him.

It was the living embodiment of the protagonist from my favorite anime of all time, 'Chronicles of the Shadow Master.' (The title was slightly different in the celestial archives, but the spirit was the same).

This wasn't a soul to be processed. This was a fan's dream come true. A kindred spirit. A chuunibyou of the highest caliber who deserved to have his absurd, glorious fantasy realized.

All the stress, all the worry about Kenji and Yui, melted away. This wasn't a job. This was a passion project. This was my divine calling.