The Man Picked Up By The God

Prologue 1

  A lone man was standing alone in an empty space.

"Hmm...? Where is this place?" whispered the man.

As he uttered those words, three beings suddenly appeared before him.

"You've come to?" – young boy

"Are you fully awake now?" – old man

"I would be grateful if you could respond" – woman

"Ah... Yes I'm alright. I was just startled for a bit by your sudden appearance... and wasn't able to respond. I am Takebayashi Ryouma. (Bamboo Forest Dragon Horse)"

"No need to be so stiff. Come let us drink tea while skipping the formalities."

Responded the old man with long hair after hearing Ryouma's response. The old man waved his hand and out came a tea table along with some tea.

"Thank you very much" said Ryouma.

As Ryouma gave his thanks one of the three beings, a woman, faced him and as she cheerfully laughed said this.

"Come... seat, seat. Honestly though, you sure are pretty calm huh?"

"True, true. So far everyone that has come here was so shocked that they tried to run away from reality... For a guy to come here so completely unfazed to the point of being able to calmly hold a conversation, this is without a doubt the first." – young boy

"What? Isn't being able to talk quickly a good thing? Though it's true even I didn't think it would be to this degree" – old man

Said the three beings as they drank tea. Ryouma took a sip of his tea and asked.

"If I may ask just one question, where is this place?"

"We are, in the language of your world, gods. As for why you are here, well... unfortunately last night while you were sleeping you stopped breathing. When you died, we took your soul and brought you here. In other words, you are in heaven."

– old man god

"Oh... I see. It was something like that."

Replied Ryouma as he nodded seemingly understanding, after which he took another sip of his tea. Hearing that response, the three main gods were bewildered. Especially the god that had the appearance of a young boy.

""Eh, wai-, that's it!?" – young boy god

"Couldn't you be more like, that's a lie! Or why did I die?! Or something?" – female god

"Hmm... all the people that have come here so far where all a bit more shaken you know? And it doesn't seem like you think this is a dream, rather, you are taking this really calmly. This is cheating! (TL Note: Line originally says, 'Reincarnation cheat!'")

Truly unusual..." –old man god

"Please don't be mistaken, as a matter of fact I am actually very much surprised. It's just that as far as I know a vast place like this where everything is white and has no exit, does not exist in my world. That's why for the three people in front of me to all be gods and the fact that I have already died has become something that I can accept. But even if, perhaps, you were lying and this is in fact a dream, then when the time comes I will simply wake up. As such, there isn't any reason for me to particularly make a fuss, right? In the case that I've already truly died, even if I make a fuss now nothing will change. And besides it's not like I have any attachments to my previous life." - Ryouma

"Oh really? Humans could actually think like this? Did you undergo spiritual training somewhere? Have you actually reached enlightenment?" – young boy god