Oh my, God?!

"Wah~ the protagonist is awesome!"

Those were the first words I heard upon waking up in a bright, white room. Everything was so sudden that I had no idea what was going on. A couch, a mini fridge, and a table stacked with all kinds of manga were the only things in sight. On the couch sat a child, reading a popular manga I'd heard of.

But this wasn't just any ordinary child. He was beautiful—almost ethereal. His hair was white, like translucent snow, and his skin was so pale it could rival Snow White’s. His face was stunning, almost otherworldly, and for some reason, my heart skipped a beat. Everything about him radiated a soft, gentle aura.

He wore an oversized sweater that hung down to his knees, and he was slouched comfortably on the couch, a beaming smile on his face. The first thought that crossed my mind was, If angels existed, this child would definitely qualify as one.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

"-!!!"

The unexpected voice jolted me back to reality. I realized that the child I’d been admiring was now glaring at me with golden eyes. My heart thumped in my chest, a stab of panic hitting me hard.

I quickly looked away, feeling the heat rush to my face. I probably looked like a middle schooler caught staring at their crush. Why was I staring at him, anyway? I didn’t even know. Should I tell him that? Wait… no, that’d sound like I was lying. Maybe I should say I wasn’t staring? No, that wouldn’t work either. Should I tell him he has the qualities of an angel? That’d just make me sound like a weirdo. Maybe I should just tell him he looks cute.

No! What am I even thinking? Am I into guys now? No, definitely not. I must be lonely or something, getting captivated by someone like this.

Desperate to avoid the awkward situation, I blurted out, "Hey, mind telling me where I am?"

"Oi, stop avoiding my questi—"

"My question is more important than yours! I’m still young, and I have school to attend. I don’t know how you managed to get me into this white room, but you must have put a strong sleeping drug in my coffee, didn’t you? Pranks have really gone too far—from fake bugs to kidnapping people. You must’ve run out of prank ideas to go this far and kidnap an innocent high school student. Tsk, tsk. My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined."

"Wa-?! This isn’t a kidna—"

"Ah, I see. It all makes sense now. This must be one of those ‘How high school students react when they get kidnapped’ pranks—and you must be an international actor I’ve never heard of. That explains why I was so… allured!"

"Allure—?! What kind of thoughts are you having? You pervert!"

I sighed and waved my finger at him. "Calling me a pervert is rude. You can’t just label people like that. They might be thinking, ‘I wish I had that kind of face,’ or ‘That kid must be an actor.’ You never know until you ask."

"Huh… I did ask, didn’t I? You could have just answ—"

"Okay! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving. I’d also like a vehicle to escort me back to school."

With one last glance at the child, I turned away. It was the first—and last—time I’d ever see such a sight. The child was probably watching me leave, thinking, ‘Wah… mister is so cool!’ And I’d reply, without looking back, ‘Thanks, kid. Your acting wasn’t bad either.’

Yes, it would be just like a movie. When I get back, I’ll have to search for this on the internet. I wonder if they’ll broadcast it. If people see this, I’ll definitely become the talk of the school. I should tell Satoma about it—they definitely won’t belie—

Wait… Satoma?

I thought about the last thing I could remember before waking up in this room.

❖

It was morning, and I was getting ready for school when my phone rang. I raised it to my ear and answered. It was a friend, asking me to meet at a café—he said it was urgent, so I went.

At first, I was skeptical. I didn’t want to waste time on something trivial, but when we talked at the café, I realized I was wrong. They told me about a Limited Edition Premium Deluxe Super Awesome MMORPG game that was releasing today. The store would open at 8:00, and it was only 6:50, so we had plenty of time to claim our spot in line. The problem was school. We were members of the student council, popular and respected, so if anyone from school saw us skipping to get a game, we’d be in serious trouble.

But we didn’t come here to dwell on that. Enter Operation Uncovered! Satoma had brought a bag full of disguises, and with those, our plan was a go.

After donning our disguises, we left the café and waited for the traffic light to turn green. We joked around, teasing Eri about how she might be the first to get the game because of her extraordinary luck, or lose it because of her boundless stupidity. Offended, she started making horrible jokes, like how lucky she’d be if she saw us getting hit by a bus. We laughed it off—none of us wanted to imagine Eri watching us get rammed by a bus.

When the light turned green, we stepped into the crosswalk without glancing left or right.

And then everything went black.

❖

The flashback ended, leaving me with unanswered questions.

I was with them when I blacked out, wasn’t I? Were they pranked like me but placed in a different room? Or were they left behind?

I’m starting to think they set this all up.

Ah, these stupid pranks are stressing me out. I still have to study for the exam next month, too.

I should ask the kid—oh, and I forgot to ask his name. I turned around and opened my mouth, but before I could speak a word…

"Hey… who told you to leave without my permission?"

"Eh..?"

The child I had turned my back on just a minute ago was now standing right in front of me. The couch and TV were behind him, even though my back had been facing them. This was confusing—let’s just say he teleported in front of me. Yep, he definitely did.

"Hey, how did you do tha—"

"Sit and stay still."

"You want me to si—?"

To my surprise, I found myself already seated on a chair, and I felt stuck. I tried to make small movements, like wiggling my fingers or toes, but I couldn’t move at all. It felt like an unknown force was keeping me from controlling my own body.

"Hey! What the hell is happeni—?!"

"Be quiet."

"———"

Whenever I tried to speak, my voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

Sht! Sht! Sh*t! What the hell is happening? Why can’t I speak?!

The child stared at me with cold, emotionless golden eyes, devoid of anger or pity. He radiated a sense of superiority—no, he was dominant.

Everything went silent; neither of us uttered a sound. The silence was deafening, and the only thing I could hear was my thoughts screaming in confusion over the sudden turn of events.

Blood pounded in my ears. My heart thudded in my chest. My hands shook. My feet tingled. My breathing was labored, and my palms were sweaty. It felt like my heart would burst. I couldn’t think of anything but the fear that my chest might get crushed, that my heart might explode.

'Make it stop.'

The child stood in front of me and broke the silence.

He crossed his arms and spoke. "Alright, I guess that's enough for today. You may speak. I don’t like using my powers, but I’m warning you—if you try to interrupt me again, you’ll face a fate worse than death. Do you understand?"

I nodded, but it took me a moment to find my voice. I wanted to scream, but I was too scared, not knowing what he meant by ‘a fate worse than death.’

In a calm, unhurried voice, I asked, "What happened? How did you do it? And…"

"And?" He cocked his head, waiting for me to finish.

"And where am I, really?" My voice was soft and measured, like someone trying to overcome a stutter.

"Quite a coincidence, your voice makes everything crystal clear." He clapped his hands slowly, as if congratulating every move and word I made. "Though, I can detect fear in your voice, and anger, but also curiosity. Which is fine with me, as long as you don’t do anything funny. Okay?"

He turned around and started speaking.

"Koizuku Kotama…"

He then turned back to face me, flashing a big grin. For emphasis, he spread his arms wide and proudly declared, 

"Welcome to the Afterlife!"