1 Death and Rebirth

'Ahh, truck-kun, you terribly troublesome terrorizer of the traditional isekai.' I was currently in a black void. Unable to move or speak, trapped within my being, having no other choice than to relive my last moments.

(Flashback)

It was a Friday evening. Teruma high school had just let out for classes that day, and I was walking with some friends to eat and hang out at a mall a few blocks away. It was sunny that day; the weather called for a high 98 degrees Fahrenheit. And as I was walking, I observed some ice cream melting on the sidewalk.

We had just arrived at a semi-busy intersection. We were talking amongst ourselves. Cole, my best friend since elementary, was talking with his girlfriend in the group. The light changed, signaling it was our turn to cross.

I was in the back of the group. Cole and Charley were in front of me, talking about school and flirting. And up front, we had the rest of the group chatting and joking around. I was chilling on my phone, listening to some music, and texting some other peeps.

I finally looked up from my phone, stunned at what was about to unfold.

A food delivery truck was barreling down the street. The vehicle was speeding up and in a direct path about to hit Cole and Charley. In the driver's seat, I saw a man presumably passed out at the wheel.

My body acted on its own. I wasn't quite fond of the idea that my best friend and his girl were about to get run over.

I jumped out, yelling, "WATCH OUT FOR THE TRUCK!" I pushed them, making them tumble a few feet ahead now on the sidewalk.

I breathe out a deep sigh of relief and accept that I will have died using my life to save others.

(Narrator)

The situation was as it was. A man suffering from a blood clot in the brain died at the wheel and ran a red light.

Michael, a 15-year-old boy, risked his life to save his best friend. Dying in the process. We watch as everyone in the group is stunned, unable to process what had happened.

The quiet, friendly kid Michael had died saving his friend's life. Luckily no one else died in that accident. The truck crashed into an unoccupied commercial building; luckily, no cars were driving by at the time.

Cole ran to his best friend, who lay motionless on the ground a few meters away from him. He quickly called 911, and the cops and an ambulance arrived less than 10 minutes later, but there was nothing they could do.

Both Michael and the driver had died that day on January 18th, 2019. A funeral was held on Wednesday, and life moved on without Michael.

(Back to the present)

Michael was unaware of where he was and unsure of what to do.

'Well, this sucks,' I thought, unable to move my fingers. I tried to do anything but nothing that came to mind worked. Maybe this is what the afterlife is, just an empty void with nothing but your thoughts to keep you company.

I thought about the situation more, however. How could I be thinking and reasoning if I didn't have a body? 'Wait, I do feel my body; I at least feel something.' I try to focus on what I feel.

It feels a little claustrophobic. I can feel my body huddled up in some kind of fetal position. There's immense pressure all around me, and it feels like the space I'm in is moving. Contracting and expanding, pushing on my body.

And then I realized, 'WAIT A MINUTE… AM I BEING BIRTHED!?' And just like that, the light at the end of the tunnel was seen. Before, I was swiftly shot out of it.

"Wwwwaaahh, wwahhhhh." I couldn't control myself; it was like an instinctual reaction to cry without any control.

"$&374) :@;74$"… 'what was that!?' I opened my eyes to find a brightly lit hospital with a lady carrying me.

'Ahhhh, my eyes!!" I quickly closed and opened my eyes, trying to adjust to the suddenly brightly lit room.

I looked around; the person I assumed to be the doctor was a lady looking in her mid-40s. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and a sharp nose. 'And my, what a rack!'

I was currently being held right against her chest. The lady talked again, but again I did not understand what she was saying. I looked over at the lady who birthed me. She had dark brown hair and light brown eyes, almost a shade of red. A man sat beside her holding her hand. He was a burly man with a black beard and spiky black hair. He wore glasses and was crying at the sight of me. 'I guess that's my dad. Should I feel ashamed for him crying like a baby?… Nah.´

After cutting the umbilical cord, the doctor handed me over to my new parents. They looked down at me with loving eyes. They turned to face each other and talked in the same strange language. The lady said something, and the guy shook his head. Then the guy said something in a funny tone, and the woman got angry and pinched him.

They continued for a little bit, but they eventually agreed on what I presume was supposed to be my name and looked at me. "Ota Hachiro," the woman said, followed by some other words I didn't understand. I took this name as to be my own and promptly fell asleep due to exhaustion.