"I want to reincarnate! I want to have an isekai adventure!"
Finishing an isekai manga, an actually great one, being overwhelmed with emotion, I shouted, in my mind only.
Well, that wish immediately died down.
Thinking about the dangers of fantasy worlds, and my own good life right now, I didn't want to get isekai'd afterall.
I closed the pirate manga website, and switched to YouTube, playing a physics video.
I have borrowed father's phone to study afterall.
My instincts kicked in, and turned towards my room's door.
Mom was peeking.
"You are not actually studying, are you?"
"I am."
I lied with a straight face.
She nodded in understanding, and came in the room, handing me some money and a shopping bag.
"1 dozen eggs, 2 kg onions, and 1 kg sugar."
Saying that, she went away.
Well, fine! It's 4:56 pm. I was about to start studying at 5pm, I will just start at 6.
I went out of my home, climbed down the stairs, and started going to the shopping centre while being on a lookout for dogs.
Dogs... One of the worst beings in existence within my perspective universe.
They bark all night, not letting me sleep.
They have gang wars everyday.
They run after vehicles.
They run after people.
They scare everyone.
And because of them, I have to carry an umbrella in early winter for self-defense.
As I was walking, a black cat crossed my path. I wanted to pet it, but it didn't even glance at me.
They say a cat, especially a black cat crossing the path is a sign of misfortune. That we should wait for someone else who has not seen the cat crossing the path pass first.
But that's just BS, even for a superstition.
Cats are the cutest being in the universe, just not in my perceptive universe, but in its entirety.
They are cute.
They don't ever chase humans despite thinking that we are also cats, just bigger and weaker.
Their voice is cute.
And they are fearless. Tom and Jerry is not real. Cats don't fear dogs.
The one who spread this superstition must be a disgusting piece of shit, a messenger of devil.
I crossed the path without a care, and just as I entered the normally empty main road, my eyes met with a dog's.
He grinned. His ears stood up. His disgusting and scary tongue came out.
I pushed my umbrella's button, and it extended.
I have learnt from my mistake. Running from a dog is useless unless there are people in the surrounding to save me.
My heart beat fast. I could feel myself sweating in winter.
I was full of fear.
But today, I will conquer it.
Dog's disgusting teeth vs my swordsmanship...my umbrellamanship.
When in fear, step forward!
"Raaaah!"
I screamed a war cry and ran towards the dog. The dog ran towards me.
I will win today!
"Blood Rain Umbrella Slash!"
I slashed at the dog with perfect timing.
I didn't expect the dog to be cut, because the umbrella doesn't have any sharpness.
I didn't expect the dog to go flying away.
I expected it to cry in pain, and run away with tail behind its legs.
But...
"Grrr..!"
Not only the dog wasn't hurt much, but my umbrella also broke.
And several more dogs also came by his side.
Rationality went away, and I ran in the opposite direction. Towards the main road.
That black cat was in the way, so I wanted to hide behind it.
*Te re re re----*
A Dhoom horn came from my left. My eyes turned towards it, and it was a truck.
Harsh Singh, Age 15. A 10th grade student of DV Public School. Died due to a tag-team effort of dogs and Truck-kun.
I thought as I opened my eyes to a white ceiling with a white fan, smelling like a hospital room. I would have thought that I was actually in my own world if not for feeling some sort of energy inside me, and feeling a faint energy, slightly different in feeling, all around me. In the air, in the fan. In everything.
I... didn't actually want to get reincarnated...
I liked my life.
I didn't want to leave behind my family and friends.
I... atleast wanted to confess my love before dying...
I sighed at turned to look at a nurse entering.
Wait... I think I have seen her.
And then, Mom entered, crying.
"Chotu!"
Wait...
So I didn't reincarnate...?
I am actually in my own world?
Then what the hell is this energy all around!? Inside me!?
As I was panicking, that black cat came out of the window and jumped on me, and tapped my head.
I fell unconscious, and in my dream, the cat was being majestic, and talked.
"Human. Why did you try to get behind me instead of trying to save me from Truck-kun?"
So...Cat-sama is some sort of god? Wait! Can he? She? Read my mind?
"I can read your mind. I am a goddess."
Oh.
"I was running away from a gang of dogs. I felt like if I ran behind you, you will be able to scare away the dogs."
"Hmm... Good thing I stopped in the process of reincarnating you into a fantasy world. You are too much of a coward to survive there.
Look, I healed your most vital injuries, so you only have some broken bones and some bloodloss aside from the normal wounds.
But, it gave you the ability to sense chakra, the foundation of everything in this universe. Your can now also control your own chakra.
I was supposed to give you some of my own powers after I sent you to another world, but I don't want to.
Do whatever you want from now on. Figure out things on your own, I am not teaching you anything.
You ruined my day."
Before I could ask anything else, the dream ended.
Apparently, I failed to get reincarnated.