Waking up on a hard tatami mat, all he could focus on was the dense text hovering above his eyes.
[Thank you for choosing to beta-test the Afterlife's brand new Reincarnation option!]
[To ease you from the mental damage that death might cause, your memory of your past life has been mostly erased! But don't worry, your personality remains intact!]
[As a caveat, you have agreed to test out the "Final Wish" feature of the "New Life" module.]
[This feature requires that you must fulfil the Final Wish of the individual whose body you've replaced, or your account shall be terminated. Would you like to know more?]
[165:23:59:32]
Another timer, and from the looks of it, he now had six months.
Inspecting his surroundings past the transparent blue screen, he found himself in what could be described at the kindest as a minimally furnished studio apartment. The tatami mat itself was in a corner with two weighted blankets, and in the other corner was a derelict kitchen containing nothing but a mini fridge with a hotplate on top and an unplugged microwave. Via an extension cord, the mini fridge's wire led to the wall socket near the entrance, which was occupied by the cable TV plug. Clothing was strewn across the room with no closet in sight.
Inspecting himself, he found that the only article of clothing he was wearing was a threadbare pair of gingham pyjama pants. There was no phone or identifying information nearby, so he searched the room, rummaging through the pockets of the clothes on the floor.
He found a Number Card in a frayed duct-tape wallet, which was valid until 2027. The name written was Nakamura Yuji, and the date of birth was January 16, 2004.
Putting the card down, the newly dubbed Yuji looked for the screen again, ready to hear an explanation on what he was doing here. "System? Are you there?" The screen had long since faded out of view and did not return.
Yuji was almost too focused on looking for the screen to hear a knock on the door.
"Yuji, what was that scream?" came from behind the front door, which happened to be the only door in the apartment.
"Who is it?" he called to the door.
"What do you mean, who is it? It's your gorgeous neighbor, Tanaka Haruto!"
"Oh, uh, Tanaka-san..." In his startled stuttering, Yuji missed the sound of keys jangling.
"I'm back," Haruto announced as he opened the door, frowning at the lack of recognition in Yuji's face before realization pooled into his light brown eyes. "Ah, are you pretending not to know me already? Should I start, too?"
Yuji replied immediately, "Um, yes."
"Alright, Nakamura-kun," Haruto said. He looked uncomfortable with the distance. "Are we still going to the internet cafe today?"
Thinking about the empty wallet, Yuji hoped Haruto would pay for the food. With that in mind, he said, "Sure, sure, let me get ready first."