The day seemed ordinary, like any other, with the sun joyfully in the sky and the clouds spread about in erratic formations. Though for Sato Mikamoshi and other hardcore fans of manga, the day was special—it was the release day of a brand new and long-awaited isekai manga series.
The manga could only be purchased on this day due to its exclusive nature, sold in a bundle with only 32 copies printed. Sato had been waiting in line all day with the hope of receiving the very first copy.
When the bookstore doors swung open, everyone rushed inside, hundreds of people flooding the small interior of the store. It became a battlefield of anime fans willing to do anything in order to receive a copy. And Sato was just as aggressive as the rest, if not even more—he shoved, elbowed, and pushed his way through the crowd of devoted anime fans, ensuring that he was the first to reach the counter.
"I would like to ask for the Ichii series, please!" He shouted, slamming his money on the counter-top before swiftly being handed the manga bundle by the cashier.
As he turned to leave, he found himself face-to-face with the crowd of awaiting manga fans, all eager to attain the original copy, though he was not going to let up so easily and forcibly made his way through the swarm, holding onto the bundle as if it were the last lifeline in the universe. Feeling the stares of envy hitting him as he finally made it out.
He took a moment to breathe and catch his breath, struggling to process the fact that he had received the very first copy of the one-of-a-kind isekai manga series that only a select few would ever get to read. He couldn't help but frolic delightfully down the sidewalk, ecstatic to get home and finally read the series that only a select few would be capable of reading.
But in his blissful state he was blinded to his surroundings. While making his way across the street, he was unable to see the out-of-control truck speeding his way, and before he could even take notice, it was already too late.
The truck came crashing into him, and yet even in his final moments all he could think about was the once-in-a-lifetime experience of reading the isekai mangas he had just bought. Eventually everything began to fade away until the only thing left was darkness all around.
When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself in a white void that seemed devoid of any life.
Looking around Sato wondered to himself, 'Is this...heaven?' But as if reading his mind, a voice spoke out, "No, not heaven but a realm of reincarnation, you could say. And unfortunately...yes, you have died."
"Who are you and how come you know what I'm thinking? ...Could you be—God?" Sato asked, shaking at the thought.
"Heheha, you've guessed it—I am a goddess, and no, I am not reading your mind I simply can just infer things about people—that's it. For who I am...I am the goddess of life, death, and reincarnation. It is my job to dictate where deceased souls like yourself go, and in rare cases like this one, due to mistakes of other deities, in the case of you, the goddesses of fate, I get to send beings to other worlds because their souls no longer belong in the one from which they came—of course, due to these such mishaps, there are compensations."
A sudden feeling of shock and anxiety swept over Sato, giving him a cold sweat down his back—he could barely breathe, barely function, as memories of his death came flooding back to him, leaving him horrified of what happened. Though the same dictating voice from before spoke out once more and with a single word soothed Sato's uneased nerves, giving him the ability to functionally think straight, and when he did, he realized that this entire scenario he was in was straight out of an isekai.
'This can't be real—there's just no way...or is there? Could my life's dream finally be coming true? I've waited so long for such a moment, even enduring the criticism and mockery of others who clowned me for devoting myself to my love for anime, my wish to be the main character and my desire to charm the world with my abilities. And now the time for that is here...I can't believe it.'
Sato thought.
"Very well, I believe you understand what's happening now. Due to an unknown reason, your time on earth was cut short and as compensation, I will reincarnate you to another world, and just like the stories you've read, this world is filled with magic and sorcery where the impossible becomes possible. But before we can continue, are there any specific abilities or items that you'd like to reincarnate with?"
Sato paused for a second. "Anything?" He questioned, his eyes glowing with joy, "...In that case, I would like all the common cheat skills of the isekai protagonist I've read about in manga and light novels," Sato stated with conviction
"Hmmm, very interesting I have yet to hear anyone wish for the sorts—you must have thought about it a lot. Who knows, maybe you'll turn out to be quite interesting to watch in this world you're being sent to?" The divine voice said, a white glow appearing before Sato, "Anyway, I wish you well in this new life." She added, a female form manifesting in the white void, a beautiful woman with long black hair contrasted by white highlights, dark purple eyes that shone with a certain brilliance, and an aura of peace.
Before Sato could realize, he was no longer in the void but someplace completely different, which held a certain familiarity.