A Brighter Future (Kuroinu)

“So, tell me your wish, my dear child.”

Rhodes looked at the woman in front of him, her long golden hair trailing on the ground. She emitted a warmth that made him feel at ease. Her beauty was exquisite, almost like the embodiment of beauty itself. He found himself momentarily lost in her presence, unable to formulate a response to her question.

“What’s the matter? Haven’t you recovered from the memories of your death yet?”

Leliantia gazed at Rhodes, who only stared back without a response. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. As the goddess representing love and peace, she felt sympathy for young souls like Rhodes, who had not fully experienced their youth before their untimely deaths.

As Leliantia extended her hand and gently touched Rhodes’s head, her tender gesture and the soothing power it carried helped him regain his composure.

“I… I remember I was… on my way back home… and then…”

Rhodes recollected his memories. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he was on his way home when he suddenly encountered a truck. But the most peculiar thing was that he distinctly remembered being on a pedestrian walkway where no trucks should have appeared.

Moreover, it might have been his imagination, but when he saw that truck, Rhodes thought he heard the driver saying something about a service for reincarnation into another world. Then, the truck transformed into a giant robot, just like Optimus Prime in the Transformers movie, and punched him into another world.

“What in the world was that?!”

Rhodes’s mind was filled with question marks. He then looked at Leliantia, who had just spoken to him.

“So, when you asked me to state my wish, does that mean you can grant my wish? And may I ask if your subordinates specialize in the service of reincarnation into another world?”

“Huh? The service of reincarnation into another world? Well, I didn’t set up anything like that, or rather, I don’t have any subordinates for now.”

Leliantia seemed perplexed. Rhodes’s situation had left her bewildered. Were there other deities involved in such matters? However, if that were the case, sending a young life away like this was somewhat terrifying.

“Does that mean you have no connection to this? So, it seems I’ve been sent to the wrong place?”

Rhodes scratched his head. Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell too much on the situation. What concerned him more was his own predicament.

“If you can grant my wish, could you resurrect me?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. It goes against the rules. The dead cannot be resurrected.”

Leliantia shook her head in resignation and replied, “But I do intend to send you to a new world, to live a completely new life without any regrets.”

“So, I can’t go back…”

Upon hearing this outcome, Rhodes’s emotions remained complex. He still wished to return to his original world, where his family resided. However, it was clear that this wish could not be granted.

“Well then, state your wish. Your wish can be anything you desire, whether it’s an ability or something to make your life in the new world easier.”

“Hmm… What if my wish is to have you, Goddess?”

Rhodes suddenly thought of this wish, and Leliantia paused for a moment. Then, her face blushed. As a remarkably beautiful goddess, her shy expression made her even more captivating, leaving Rhodes stunned once again.

“How can you make such a jest? I mean, to request the goddess herself…”

“Ahaha… I’m sorry, let’s just consider that wish as a joke.”

Although it seemed that the goddess wasn’t angered by his request, Rhodes felt that pursuing this any further would be inappropriate.

“So, can I use my wish for the benefit of my family? After all, I’m the only child at home, and my absence could have a significant impact.”

“Leave it to your own family? You’re truly a good child.”

Leliantia understood how crucial such a wish could be for an ordinary person. She had helped others reincarnate into new worlds before, but it was rare for someone to selflessly offer their opportunity to benefit their family.

“It’s because I owe them so much. In any case, my wish is for my family to have a better life in the future. As for myself, I don’t mind, as long as it’s not too difficult or burdensome.”

He didn’t want to mention living a prosperous life in another world, as he didn’t think it suited him, and he found such a life troublesome.

“Are there… no other requests? Even becoming a hero or a champion, I can fulfill those wishes.”

Seeing Rhodes’s modest request, Leliantia felt that she was somehow shortchanging him. She also felt a deeper sense of regret for the early demise of such a good-hearted young man.

“No, that’s it. I don’t have any grand ambitions. I just wanted to find a girl I liked and live a happy life, but my girlfriend just broke up with me, and now even I… sigh.”

As he spoke of these matters, Rhodes couldn’t help but sigh.

“I must say, it’s so difficult to date girls. I really wish girls could be as caring as my mom. It would make dating so much easier.”

“I see. In that case, I can grant your wish.”

Leliantia nodded, indicating that this wish was perfectly acceptable. Her gaze softened considerably. To her, Rhodes, who had expressed such a wish, undoubtedly carried deep regret about not being able to see his mother again.

However, when Rhodes heard her answer, he was taken aback and asked with confusion, “But I just said I wanted to leave a wish for my family. Why did my casual remark turn into my wish? What about my family then?”

“Hmm? Your wish for your family is still intact. As for what you just said, consider it a personal gift from me as a token for your journey to the new world. These two wishes don’t conflict. So please, live your life well in the new world. I wish you a happy and fulfilling life.”