140 – The Truth
140 – The Truth
Posted on November 25, 2017 by crazypumkin
*Unedited
Color started returning back into my vision and the very first thing that I saw was a white… white… beard?!
” … shave your beard! ”
I shouted instinctively. Yes, there was no way I could had forgotten about it. This white stuff, god’s beard, was the cause of my death in my previous life. To prevent that from ever happening again, I even told him to shaved his beard before I reincarnated. And that gramps gave a gentle smile like he understood!
BUT! WHY!!
WHY WAS HIS BEARD NOT SHAVED YET?!
God, as if reading my mind (actually there was no need to read my mind since my anger could be clearly seen from my face), looked at me with a aloof expression. My simmering anger erupted with various complains.
” But really, what is with this sudden move! I was about to help the other and all of a sudden I was back in this place?! ”
I roared angrily without thinking. The gentlemanly part of me must be sighing. Hmm, I wondered if I ever yelled like this apart from my tsukkoming… no never.
Not at all. I was a bit troubled over how I can’t seemed to controlled myself. Since when was I so pulled along by this body’s age?
” That is how strong your feelings are right now. And it seems like you have also met a lot of others who accepts those strong feelings of yours. ”
God said, smiling. That made me felt kinda embarrassed as I looked at the floor(?). I did know he read minds but reading it right now was really embarrassing. This god loved to poke people where it hurts. What bad personality he had.
He gave me, a loner, a huge [cheat] and even placed me in a noble’s home even if I just wanted a normal life in the first time.
” Plus, why did you purposely gave me back the same face?! ”
Even when I had a huge trauma regarding this face. The only thing he gave me according to my wishes was the inheritance of my previous life memories, only that. This gramps (god)… Rather than a god, his actions was already something of a devil…
” Well than.. ”
As if he heard me, god looked at me with a complicated gaze before pulling out a shaver from somewhere. I mean, since he was a god, he should be able to do it with a snap of his fingers right? A strange scene unfolded in front of me as foam bubbled up from his beard as he started shaving. Strands of shaved beard started falling to the ground.
My lowered head then raised to meet with the cleanly-shaved god.
” This is how I look. ”
” Ah, no… sorry. ”
I apologized sincerely. The face in front of me was an exact copy of my face. I can imagined my face turning into that in about 20 years or so. I had been dissing my own face for years so it was really a huge shock to see god having the same face as me. I had no idea so I was really sorry for cursing his face all this while.
God’s face warped a bit when he heard my apology.
” What are you apologizing for? I am proud of this ikemen face that I have. It is very saddening to hear you apologize so stop it. ”
Ah ha ha, what was with this god (baka)? Was he a narcissist who was fooling himself or did he had a fetish for liking ugly things? What a serious mistake. There was no way he could be saved. I can’t saved him so please help, god! Ah, he’s a god himself.
As I continued the tsukkomi in my heart, the playful eyes of god changed into affectionate ones.
” How’s this world? ”
He asked, smiling gently. I can’t helped but averted my eyes away.
” …… It’s wonderful. ”
There was a long pause before my answer because I was considering to leave some complains but I was really satisfied with this world, I felt very blessed so I simply said it a bit straight. Just a bit! …. That I was really thankful for this chance. And the way I was feeling this made me really embarrassed, and slightly regretful that I said it straight out.
God’s smile deepened. To said it so straight for an adult made me feel like puking. Saying it in that soft tone of mine made it felt I will puked for days.
” Shou… no, Will, isn’t your inner monologue getting from bad to worst? Your mouth seems to have gotten worst! Especially the latter half! I heard no soft tone of voice whatsoever! ”
For a god he was really good at tsukkoming. That felt disgusting somehow.
” How unreasonable! You are too unreasonable! ”
He raised his voice as he flicked his hand. I wondered if he learned it from Osaka.
” Yea, I learnt it from Masumi… not that! ”
” God. ”
” Hm? ”
” Where has your old man speech gone to? ”
At my tsukkomi, god when ” Oh shit. ” and made a face that said that he made a blunder. Hm, it’s better to stop with feeling gratified at this.
” My previous life… was really not that bad. ”
I said, jabbing a little at the weak spot Gramps might had. Ah, I just can’t helped but to teased him.
Like towards Chiffon or Zen or Selphy or Father. It was through them I realized how much I love teasing. It was most probably something I would had never done in my previous life. Looking at god, he showed a happy yet sad face.
” Will. ”
” Yes? ”
” Ah… it’s nothing. ”
What was that?! Stop doing stuff like a couple would do! I was most definitely not going to blushed while going ” Te heh heh~ “! I would answered it in this way.
” Don’t worry about it. ”
God lowered his head at my cold gaze. There’s no choice, I forgive you. Somehow, from a while ago, Gramps kept looking at me with a really complicated expression on his face. It looked like something happened that he won’t like me to probed into. It would be the best to leave it that way.
” So, why did you called me up? ”
” The system of the world intervened and produced an error report about a magic of my level being activated. Some bug had made the time for the entire world stopped and when I focused on the direction of the error report, I found you there. ”
” I see, so the tool did activated. ”
” I had a strong resistance to magic which was why I could use that little moment of time difference to find you. But, as one would expect. ”
” Eh, but the one who gave me this power was you right? I am really thankful for this. ”
” What I gave you was the ability. As to how to use and handle it is up to you. If it is you, you are more than enough to handle that situation. ”
Somehow, I was praised. How embarrassing. I mean, there was no need to summoned me here if there was no trouble after confirming my presence. So it meant that a problem that even god was troubled had popped up and yet I was praised. That unexpected praise was really embarrassing. How regrettable. To be disturbed by that surprise attack.
Could it be that he was aiming for this?!
” Please just accept my praise like it is. ”
I got a tsukkomi from god. I can’t helped it. I know I had been praised since coming to this world but I was still a ‘pure-soul’ that was just not used to being praised. It was also due to this embarrassment that I turned slightly tsundere.
” Although you look very dere right now. ”
I got even more tsukkomi.
I looked at god. Ah, but he really looked like me. Although Father had the same face as me, his still had a touch of Caucasian features. See that, it just seemed like Shou, previous me, had dyed his hair silver and was cosplaying. I really feel like running away every time.
” What a wicked tongue! You really don’t hold back, do you? ”
But I was thanking god?
” You think so? ”
God, with that Shou’s face, melted a bit in happiness before laughing. How disgusting. I would had never shown that kind of expression when laughing.
” Stop it! Stop ridiculing me with that inner monologue of yours! I look super weird in how I am just getting angry on my own! ”
Ah, I was found out.
I grinned as I looked Gramp’s face.
” Hey God. ”
” What?! Are you going to ridiculing me further? ”
” The way you speak. Your character is breaking down. ”
” Ah…. ”
God turned away and cough slightly.
” Plus, we are speaking Japanese. All those myths passed down in this world are filled with Japaneses motifs as well. Hey, is God Japanese? ”
Yes, from the start when I roared in Japanese, we had been speaking Japanese.
” Ah…. You see, I am a god? It’s a god power? ”
To use old man speech now was kinda too late you know. Plus, he was looking around everywhere, trying to averted his eyes.
” Even if you are a god who is affected by the magic of a citizen of a world you created? ”
” Urgh. ”
God placed 2 hands onto his shaking heart. After a period of silence, god turned and looked at me as if he had given up.
” I am no match for you, Shou. I don’t know if I should be happy about this though. ”
He said, looking up above him. I too, followed his gaze. It was just a very empty piece of sky.
” That’s because I was once a human. I am just a bit unused to this place that has nothing. ”
God admitted to the fact that he was a human readily. He made it sounded so trivial. Looking at how my eyes opened in surprised, he smiled as he walked towards me.
” I knew I would be telling you but I did not expect it would be this soon, Shou. ”
He had a face that looked that he had given up, and was relieved about it. Looked like he was prepared to confessed something. Look at that expression, I knew it was something important. I mean, look at his expression. It was most likely something that he had been hiding about from me, and saying it proved to not bring anything of benefit to him yet he still felt relived. Which meant this information was something that heavily concerned me.
” Perfect deduction, Shou. As expected of my son. ”
God smiled weakly.
” Eh…..? ”
What did god said just now?
My….. son….?
” It, it is the meaning of the creator of everyone including me right? ”
My voice was trembling. I knew it couldn’t be that, I knew.
” No, it’s on the biology level. I am, Shou… your previous world’s Father. ”
” Father…. ”
My father he said? I shouldn’t had a dad in my previous life.
Because, my mum died because of that.
Because, I was hated because of that.
If I had a dad, all these wouldn’t had happened.
No, Grandpa did said something about his stupid son disappearing. Oh yes. To be born meant that a dad definitely existed. Which meant he died before I was even born….
I stood there, stunned as thoughts ran across my mind before I realized something.
” Could it be, you are that one who had a serious case of chuunibyo and hid all the light novels and manga and anime goods in your room and showed off all those philosophy books in your room to others, that Grandpa’s stupid son….? ”
” Urgh! A sudden attack?! ”
God let out a groan. I see, I finally was able to connected the dots. Katsuo-San, who raised me up, was my grandfather. So his stupid son was my dad! I had totally not realized that at all. Did I chose not to think about it, I wondered. It can be said as a kind of defense mechanism.
You would understand if you think about it. My dad’s existence was the reason for my trauma. If Dad was around, would the neglect from Mother be different? If Dad was around, would Mother not had collapse from over-working? So I really might had unconsciously stopped myself from connecting the dots about grandfather and Dad.
Ah.
I felt like signing. At the corner of my sight, God, who had a ‘given-up’ expression…. no, Shou’s dad, was silently standing there.
I give up, I give up.
As I thought, I was not good with thinking too deeply about stuff.
” Hmm. So Shou’s dad is someone who, instead of raising his child, ran off and started raising another world. ”
” Sorry. ”
” I read it in Beryl’s history book but the Beryl family had always had the same face for centuries so.. the first Beryl is you right? ”
” Sorry. ”
” I wonder if you are prancing about mightily in this world and forget to even visit Mother’s grave. ”
” Ah, no.. sorry. I guess saying that I had no idea about it was a not acceptable excuse…. ”
” Why did dad not be a father and instead ran off to become a god of another world….? Really, what a stupid son… ”
My eyes started drooling from the corners. No, these were not tears! The drool then dripped down along my face and fell on my foot. In this white place with this white floor, my drool just seemed like it melted right in with none the wiser. If all classrooms were built with white floors, then drool from sleeping in class would not be found out by anyone.
Yosh, nice joke.
I was born to be a joker. A joker I am.
It’s okay, I am alright now.
I lifted my head up. My dad was still looking at me with a complicated expression on his face.
” ….So why did you become a god, Dad? ”
” …..! ”
God had tears coming out of his eyes as he flew toward me.
” Shou……!!!!!! ”
Like the 3rd generation of the great thief, I did a wonderful jump and avoided god.. Dad. A stupid sound was then heard as Dad kissed the floor.
How dangerous. Luckily I avoided it but that could very well happened to me. As I glared at Dad, for some reason he began to twisted about while blushing.
What was this creature? How disgusting.
” Aaah! Stop it with that poisonous tongue! I want to hear you call me more! ”
” ………….. ”
Goosebumps sprouted out all over as I replied him with silence.
” Ah, sorry, I got carried away. But I didn’t think that you would call me Dad! I mean, Shou, you hated me, didn’t you? ”
” Not particularly. ”
I replied curtly to this god. Because, in this life I was very blessed and was given many things. To come out of his way to provided all those for me, I came to the conclusion that he was not someone who would simply ran away.
” I once again felt amazed at how you could still calmly think when faced with this situation. Most people would be shocked by what happened and can barely think. You can place your feelings aside and consider things calmly. You have the makings of a god. ”
” You don’t need to praise me. So, why? ”
I waved my hand about, brushing off his praise as I asked again. Dad’s expression turned serious.
” Firstly, it was all a coincidence that I became a god, it was something that was unavoidable. I would like you to know that this was not something I wished for. ”
” Un. ”
I had expected it would be something like that.
” So, how I became a god. When I was just going on a stroll, I fell through this [Loophole in between worlds] accidentally. I am sure you know since you reincarnated into another world, there are many other worlds that exists. And in between those worlds, a place where there was ‘nothing’, is where gods lived, the [loophole in between worlds]. And once fallen in, life-forms would, in order to protect themselves, give birth to a new world unconsciously. And so I accidentally became a god and created this world and has been running this world ever since. And it was also how different gods and worlds are born, I heard. ”
” You fell into a place where there was nothing….? And created a world at that? ”
” Yes. In simpler terms, I was in a situation like going on an alternate world trip and ended up being a god. The first stage of the game was this white space. I heard that most gave it the name, ‘Heaven’. Although I used it as an office. And so, the next stage is to create a place for ‘living things’ to live in as my first job. ”
” I see. ”
It was really an accident and to add on to that fact, it was a situation where he was unable to get out from. I felt stupid for blaming this on him. That’s great. I was lucky I did not blow up in anger at him just now. Nice going, gentlemanly me!
But still, a creation of a world. Somehow, that’s amazing and splendid. Although I cannot imagined that idiot-like man who was grinning nonstop in front of me was the one who did that, a god sure was a god.
” Ah, even if you said that, all I did was to create the sea and a single continent. I am still considered to be one of the lower ranking god, you know. ”
” And the reason you did not return? ”
” I can’t. My powers as a god is still very shabby so I cannot move within worlds as of yet. Plus, I wanted to store some of my power just in case any trouble crop up. And that stored up power did came in handy once but it also prevented me from meeting with you. Well, I don’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. ”
” So, the reason you appeared on the other side is because of your stored power? ”
” Yea. That’s because the fate where Shou is going to die a few seconds later was already decided by that world a few years ago. ”
” ……I see. So the time of that world and the time of this world flows differently huh? ”
If I were to think about it, Dad disappeared around 1 year before I was born. So by pure simple math, the time Dad took to build the world was about 26 years but thousands and thousands of years had already gone by for this world.
So in simple terms, the time of this world flowed faster. Mah, difficult things like how time was more of a timey-wimey ball instead of a straight line was way too confusing to think about…
No wait, I was off the tracks!
Remembered back to what Dad just said. What did he said just now? That he knew about how I was going to die a few seconds later. Which meant, I was about to die yet he still killed me on purpose?
I really can’t helped but to think that.
Come to think of it, [I died when a truck crushed into me all of a sudden] was written in Terao’s diary. So that meant that if the vase did not landed on my head, I would had been ran over by a truck.
A crease appeared in between my brows. What if my ugly face turned even uglier with this? Eeh! Stop with all this random stuff and quickly give me an answer! I thought as I stared at Dad.
” You’re correct. This world is smaller, which is why time is flowing faster. Like how a mice’s heartbeat is way faster than an elephant’s. ….And why I killed you on purpose was to save you! ”
To save me? To save me is to kill me… was Dad someone with that kind of weird ideas in his head? No, I don’t think so. He wouldn’t had me reincarnated if that was the case. What then? Hmm… I somehow had an inkling.
” Yes, you got it right. If you are killed by a truck, you would be in the cycle of birth and death of that world and ended up as a normal death. And there, your personality and memories would disappear. However, if you are killed by an alternate world’s god, then you would be allowed to transverse between worlds. ”
” ……This is a troupe straight from all those reincarnation web novels, isn’t it, Reincarnation god. ”
” …….It used to be a messy problem but recently, it was finally decided and written on a special feature on a magazine for gods. ”
Rather, why was there gods making these kind of mistake? Even when they are gods? I thought this sort of stuff only existed in the fiction area!
” That’s because gods are all former-humans. ”
…..Ah, I remembered now.
” …. Dad did not want me to lose my memories which is why you reincarnated me? ”
” Yes. At the same time, I got your friend, who was pulled into the accident as well, to transferred to this world. What’s his name again? Terao? ”
…..You even knew that? Then I could only give you my thanks, can’t I?
Really.
How freaking vexing.
As my shoulders trembled from all that humiliation, I tried to cleared all the bad air that had been accumulated inside of me and opened my mouth.
” Thank you, dad. ”
” There’s nothing for you to be thanking me about. Disregarding the loophole I made used of, or the helping of your friend….. all I wanted to do is to at least do something fatherly once in your life. ”
” Thank yo… wait a minute! No no no, I reincarnated, didn’t I? Me! So isn’t this my 2nd life? ”
” ….Sorry, once in your 2nd life. ”
Looking at each other, we laughed.
That day when I was killed by a vase crashing onto my head, it was actually done on purpose by a god in order to get me to reincarnated. You really ever knew what life had prepared for you. I made friends, had 2 mothers and even 2 fathers.
No matter dying or living, amusing things kept happening. Well then, I should also be on my way to handled that incident too.
” Well, I should give my thanks to you tentatively. So, thank you, Dad. ”
” A dere Shou! As expected of the world famous tsundere. ”
I took my paper fan out of my inter-dimension space and gave Dad a good nice whack.
” Then I would be going. ”
” Take care. I would also by shaving my beard regularly. ”
” Nice. ”
It felt like not everything was settled but eh, this was good for now.
I turned away from the smiling Dad and after gathering mana in my palms, I transported away.
◆◆◆
TN: Dum dum dum! The revolution! I have to admit I did not see that one coming. And yes, this is a freaking long chapter for me. I’m tired. I need a cup of hot cocoa.
I also made Shou’s father, Dad and Will’s father, Father. That way it would be clearer. Besides, anyone caught that Lupin the 3rd reference in there?