Within this white space, four figures stared at each other for a while, appearing dazed, seemingly in disbelief at the suddenness. In the beginning, they had given up, so when they were given what they wished for all of a sudden, they were just... a little unsure of how to react.
After all, when they were all reincarnated into the new life, they had become accustomed to working hard instead of living like the protagonist of a novel where they were given cheats and lived happily.
"Is it as we have thought it to be?"
"It is."
"But..."
"What's wrong?"
"Isn't this ability a bit of... weak?"
The moment they knew that they had gained a cheat, they thought that it would have a unique cheat that could make them live an easy life, like those cliche reincarnation stories, yet instead, what they could do was just to meet their other selves, who weren't that special except for their above-average intelligence.
So, what was the point of meeting their other selves?
Chatting?
After gaining this new ability, they didn't feel any improvements, nor did they feel anything had changed.
Everything was normal.
Yes, it was normal, as they had to work hard to earn something.
If they wanted a good body, they had to work out.
If they wanted to be smart, they had to study.
If they wanted to become a good cook, they had to learn how to cook!
More importantly, this ability wouldn't help them to live a wealthy, comfortable life!
"Now, what to do..."
Unlike a normal child, as they were an adult mind, reincarnated and given a second chance, they knew how hard it was to earn money, and while they knew that they could only rely on their parents—
"Wait, I am an orphan."
"...sorry."
"It's fine."
"...."
"DAMN, IT'S SO AWKWARD!"
"Let's continue the talk, then."
"Sure." 3x
All of them knew that they had to focus, trying to find something useful, and they found it, but this new ability that they got... it was kind of weird, or simply... just lukewarm.
Sharing.
This was their ability, but they could only share their knowledge, not their ability.
However—
"...should we do it?"
"I don't think so."
"While it is tempting, let's not do it."
"I agree."
Why didn't they want to use this ability?
It was because, by sharing their knowledge from their memories, they would share everything, including the embarrassment, sadness, and all the trauma.
All of them might have the same identity in the past, an exhausted salaryman in their previous life, but now?
While they were the same, they were also different, as they grew up under a different situation, or rather, a different world.
Let's say that one lived in a cruel world where they had to fight, and they shared that memory with the one who reincarnated in the peaceful world.
What would happen?
More importantly, this sharing ability also had a certain risk, since if they shared everything, would they still be who they were?
What if the memory of one of them were stronger, and erased the individuality of the other three, who were weaker and lived in the normal world?
Still, if they couldn't share each other's knowledge, what was the use of it?
"Maybe... we can teach others?"
"Are we that smart?"
"...you are right."
Yes, they knew well that even if they had been reincarnated, they wouldn't have been the protagonist, and while they weren't bad, they weren't exceptional.
Frankly, logically, they wouldn't even become part of the story of where they were from. Even if they were reincarnated, they would still be irrelevant to the plot!
Yes, they were the so-called Mob-B!
They weren't even the Mob-A, who stood behind the character of the story, nor the side character who was seen behind the characters of the story.
No, they weren't even properly drawn by the creator of the world in the original story!
Still, it wasn't that they were bad; it was that they had no character and didn't have much of anything that made them stand out from everyone else. They might not be ugly, or rather, they were above average in appearance, intelligence, or many other things, but it was because of this quality that made them simply similar to others, and common rather than special or distinctive.
"But it's normal, and it's not like we want to be part of the story, either."
"That's true."
"It's better this way."
"It is much safer."
Being part of the story or plot was hard, and it was better to be outside it, as they knew it was dangerous and carried many risks. Instead of becoming the best, they knew that, given their abilities, they should choose the path of stability. They might not make the most money or become the strongest, depending on the world where they were reincarnated, but without a doubt, they would be living a long and comfortable life in the long run.
However, as they got this ability, they wondered whether there was a way to change their lives.
They were a salaryman before, so naturally, they knew how hard it was to be an adult, especially when one was just above average.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if they had a cheat that let them have an easy, cheat mode life, without working?
Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Unfortunately, even if they could share each other's knowledge, they knew well that it was meaningless.
Still—
"How about we introduce ourselves first? I mean... we're all the same, but let's talk more about our origin, the world where we were reincarnated, and our identity. Even if we don't remember much from the memory of our previous lives, we might be able to help each other by knowing the plot, or trying to steal a chance that can give us an advantage over others."
While they might not have a cheat, if they knew the general story of the world they were reincarnated into and brainstormed what they should do in their respective worlds, that might be a good thing.
After all, sometimes, there were things that they couldn't talk about with their family or other trusted people, but if it was themselves, they could talk as they would keep each other's secrets, and they came from different worlds, so even if others knew about one's secret, it didn't matter as it was practically impossible to tell the people on their worlds as they lived in the different universe.
In other words, they could use this ability to vent!
It might be something mundane, but for them, it was hard to vent, especially when they were expected to appear calm in every situation, when the truth was that they weren't at all.
"I feel this ability isn't bad at all."
"You're right."
"I feel liberated, too."
"Let's just lie down first since I haven't rested."
"Okay." 3x
Let's start the introduction later, since they had to admit that after reincarnation, they hardly had any moments of rest. They knew well that they were just above average; after all, if they wanted to be better, they had to start early, which made them better than most. Even so, they knew that it was impossible to be within the one percent.
Edison, one of the most famous people in history, quoted, "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration."
They had the ninety-nine percent, but without that one percent, it was impossible for them to reach the top themselves, as they knew how harsh the reality was.
Moreover, if they rested, could they live well?
While some of them might have parents or someone who took care of them, the question was: could their parents take care of them forever?
If they couldn't grow up, they would become a burden, and who would take care of those people, parents, families, and others, who had cared for them so much when they grew older?
Yet life was tough, and while they wanted to rest, they were given another chance at life, which made them sigh helplessly, knowing it was impossible for them to stop, since if they did, then they couldn't become what they wished to be, and they wouldn't be able to feed their families.
"At least... I hope that there is an ability that can help us to learn."
"Yeah, or at least, make us spend less time learning."
"I don't want to go to work."
"Me too."
"....." 4x
Only, as they showed their deepest desire, all of a sudden, a voice was heard.
[Initiating Persona Assessment.]
"Huh?" 4x
Yet, while they were confused, the voice never stopped.
[Defining the users' deepest desires and skills.]
[Assessing the most suitable skill.]
[Analyzing Group Interactions.]
[Confirmed. The acquisition of a unique skill: "Manager (The Section Chief)." Successful.]
"..."
"...did we just get a unique ability?"
"I think it is."
Yup, it seemed, it was still too early for them to give up their easy life during their second chance on this reincarnated life.