[Heaven]

"......Ugh."

"Oh, you're awake."

"Where... where am I?"

I open my eyes and find myself in a completely white, spacious room. It's not my room.

"Hello, cute human."

The one speaking to me is a girl with white wings on her back and a golden halo floating above her head.

Two other girls with the same appearance stand behind her.

All three look like...

"......Angels."

"Ding ding ding, you're right. I'm an angel, Angel A!"

"An-Angel A?"

"Angel A, this is Angel C’s turn, so no interrupting."

"Yes ma’am.”

The two girls who introduced themselves as angels step back, and the other angel walks towards me.

"Hello. Your name is... Kasugai Chihiro, right?"

"Y-yes."

She looks more serious than Angel A.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Angel C."

"......Angel C. Where are we?"

"This is a room in a building in Heaven, where we angels live."

"Hea-Heaven..."

"Chihiro-san, how are you feeling?"

"My health? I’m fine."

I’m a bit groggy from waking up, but I don’t feel any pain or anything majorly wrong.

"I see… I have to apologize to you, Chihiro-san, for something abrupt."

"T-to me?"

"Yes."

What could Angel C possibly have to apologize for?

"First, Chihiro-san, you're dead."

"What...? Oh."

I remember. I jumped into the railway crossing to save that girl and... I got hit by a train...

"I'm dead, huh? ......That’s good."

"......You don’t mind?"

"No. ......I wanted to die."

I had been trying to die in the first place. I don’t mind. Actually, I’m relieved that it didn’t hurt or anything.

"I see..."

"Um, if you know, who was that girl I saved?"

In my memory, I pushed the girl to safety, away from the train.

"......About that. Actually, it was me, the girl."

"Huh? W-What do you mean?"

The angel in front of me is the girl I saved? I’m so confused, I don’t understand.

"I’ll explain briefly. I was taking a walk in the human world and thinking, and you, Chihiro-san, saved me from the tracks."

"You were taking a walk...? S-so that’s what happened. But, I’m glad I could save you."

"......I’m afraid it’s hard to explain, but angels can’t be killed by a train.”

"What?"

"And also, angels in the human world are like air. We’re basically invisible to everyone, and we can pass through any object. So... even if you hadn’t helped me, the train wouldn’t have hit me."

"I see..."

So that’s why nobody noticed that Angel C was on the tracks. And even if she hadn’t been helped, the train would have passed right through her, so it wouldn’t have mattered. I just ran into a train, a stupid student, and ended my life.

"I’m truly sorry."

Angel C bows deeply.

"It’s totally fine. Don’t worry about it."

"......"

"I was the one who ran in without knowing, so it's my fault. You did nothing wrong. Please raise your head."

She keeps mumbling "I’m sorry", so I tell her to raise her head.

...Wait. There’s something I’m wondering about in what Angel C just said.

"But, I saw you, Angel C. I even touched you."

I saw you clearly, even though you were supposed to be invisible, and I touched you and pushed you out of the way, even though your body was supposed to pass through everything.

"You are correct. I’ll explain that now."

Angel C takes a deep breath and begins speaking.

"There is a condition for humans to be able to interact with us angels."

"A condition?"

"It’s that the human must be chosen by the angel."

Chosen. What does that mean?

"You were chosen to play a game started by a selfish angel."

"I was chosen?"

"Yes. That’s why you could see and touch me.”

"What kind of game is it?"

"It’s a game where I give you the challenge of ‘being rejected by someone you’re close to,’ and we see who survives.

This game’s level of rejection is maxed out... It’s the kind where you feel repulsed just by seeing the other person. Unreasonable violence and abuse are a given. Your once peaceful days turn into a living hell that makes you want to die. That kind of level."

"Such a ridiculous game... I don’t remember signing up for it."

"......It's forced. You were made to participate regardless of your will."

"T-That’s…."

"This game started about a year ago."

A year ago...

"......!?"

"Do you understand now?"

"A year ago... that’s when... when my bullying started."

"That’s right. Your bullying was caused by this angel’s game."

I hear the truth from Angel C and collapse to my knees.

"......Th-This is horrible. This is too much."

Tears well up in my eyes.

All the pain and suffering I’ve gone through... it was all just for the sake of some angel’s game. And I died because of it.

"Ugh… Sniff…"

"......Chihiro-san, I’m sorry for bringing this up at a time when you’re hurting. You’re going to be revived."

"......What? You mean, I’m coming back to life?"

"Yes. The rules of the game state that if the winner dies, they can be revived."

"......Can’t I choose not to come back to life?"

"I’m truly sorry, but that angel is very powerful. Even if all the angels here worked together, we can’t override the rules of the game. So the rules are absolute."

"......I see."

"I understand you’re confused by all these sudden developments. I’m truly sorry."

She’s right. I’m so confused right now. My head is spinning.

"Revived..."

"And once you're revived, the game will be over. So, the bullying will be gone."

"......The bullying will be gone?"

"Yes. There will be no bullying to torment you. You’ll be back to your peaceful everyday life like before."

"......"

A peaceful everyday life without bullying. If I can go back to those happy days, I want to be revived.

But, I’m not sure I can face everyone as if nothing happened. If I see their faces, I’ll remember being bullied.

"It’s alright. You and everyone who bullied you will lose all your memories from the past year."

Angel C answers as if she read my mind.

"R-Really?"

"It's true. It's written in the rules, so it's absolute. You can go back to your old life."

No memories... That means I can start over again.

"......I want to be revived."

"Understood."

Angel C snaps her fingers, and my body starts to glow white.

"My body is glowing..."

"......You’ll be revived soon. ......Enjoy your life without bullying, to the fullest."

"Um, thank you, Angel C."

I bid farewell to Angel C, and then my memories disappear.

*Poof*