One, two—no, there are three colors…

  "Mom, what is that guy counting?"

  "Don’t mind him. He’s a bit special," the mom replied with a wary tone.

  Heh… Think whatever you want. I don’t care.

  Where the hell is the bus? This is getting awkward.

  "Let’s go, honey."

  Finally, they’re leaving.

  "W-wait!!"

  As the mom stepped forward, her foot caught on an uneven pavement.

  Oblivious, her daughter didn’t notice and continued crossing the road.

  A bus horn blared.

  "HEY, STOP!" someone shouted.

  "Huh? Huh... STOP!" the mother screamed.

  Time slowed down.

  Should I save her? I mean, she did call me weird… But...

  How bothersome. You just had to not notice your mother, huh? There. You should be safe now.

  Time returns to normal.

  The truck screeched to a halt in front of her. "Huh? W-w-where? How is she there?!"

  "My daughter!!" the mother screamed, tears streaming down her face.

  "Hey, ma’am, your daughter is safe," I said.

  "Huh?!"

  She’s right there.

  The mother screamed, then started running toward her daughter. "My daughter!" Her tears transformed into joy.

  "Is your daughter alright?" I asked.

  "Yes! Yes, I don’t know what happened, but I’m thankful."

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Badum... Badum... My heart feels relaxed. This feels nice.

  Badum... Badum...

  Huh? Why is my lip bleeding? Wait, no. I cough—blood?!

  Badum... Badum...

  My heart…

  Thud…

  The ground? Why am I on the ground?

  The mother turned her head. "Huh… HUH!… AHHH!"

  Ah… this is it, then? I just saved someone, and this is how I’m going to die?

  Cold… It’s very cold… Calm… Why am I so calm? I feel happy… I have no regrets.

  "This guy? Are you sure about this, boss?"

  Who?

  "Yes, proceed."

  "Okay, hmm, let’s see. Kelvin, 22 years old, still no girlfriend."

  Hey, hey! At least get your facts right! I was seeing someone!

  "Good luck… Kelvin!"

  …

  I hear a faint voice. It gets stronger by the second.

  "Hey, man, can you just wake up already?"

  A voice, faint at first, then louder.

  Gasp... My chest… it’s heavy...

  A man stands before me. He’s tall, wearing a white mask? No… If it is a mask, why are his teeth showing?

  "Ah! You’re finally awake!" the man says, his voice filled with joy.

  A dream? Is this another dream?

  I look around, trying to understand my surroundings.

  I notice another man, the same as him, sitting on what seems to be a pile of skulls.

  The man in front of me looks back and forth. "Hehe, are you intimidated by my boss?"

  "Your… boss?"

  "Yeah, don’t you see the throne he’s sitting on?"

  A throne? I look back at the skulls he’s sitting on… I just now realized it is a throne.

  "Now that you’re awake, I shall inform you about your reincarnation!"

  "Reincarnation?"

  "Yeah! Didn’t you hear the cool voice earlier? That was me!"

  "You mean the voice I heard when I was dying?"

  "BINGO! Hey boss, this human’s smart!"

  ahem

  The person sitting on the throne stands up. His cool and intimidating aura fills the room, making everything feel heavy.

  "Uhm…" ahem "Shit." He starts digging through the pile of skulls.

  "Here it is!" He raises a scroll triumphantly and opens it with dramatic flair, only to tear it apart.

  "Shit… Well, anyway."

  He quickly puts the torn-up scroll together and reads.

  "As per regulation, you have been selected for reincarnation. You may do whatever you wish in the new world."

  ahem "And now, I can’t send you there empty-handed. Hmm." He looks back at the pile of skulls, then starts rummaging through it once more.

  "Here it is!" He raises his hand gracefully, only to reveal… A tiny, unimpressive toothpick. "My beautiful weapon! C13314!"

  "Hey, isn’t that just a toothpick? And why is it shorter than normal?"

  He laughs. "Ha! Short? This is average… Actually, it’s VERY LONG!!"

  "Anyway, here." He tosses the toothpick toward me.

  I catch it, then look down at the tiny thing in my hand. "This really is short…"

  "Hmm..." He shrugs, clearly unbothered. "I’ve said everything you needed to hear, so I guess..."

  Before I can respond, a portal opens beneath me. The ground vanishes.

  I start falling, the wind whipping past me.

  "Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you about the sy—"

  What?! He forgot to tell me what?

  My heart races. "Wait, hey! How the hell am I gonna survive this fall?"

  BOOM.

  I slam into something soft—wait, soft?

  I touch my face, then my body. I survived! And I’m actually alive again!

  I guess this isn’t a dream.

  As my body lies tangled inside a bush, I ponder.

  I’ve been given a second chance… I should make it count, right? I’ll make sure… make sure that… actually, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.

  I guess I just want to relax now. Yeah, that’s it. I want to relax.