Chapter 3
When I was very young, I secretly played a game a few times without my parents knowing.
It was a game that was incredibly popular at the time, one that my classmates wouldn’t stop talking about.
Holding my breath, nervous with excitement, I started the game. Without knowing my place, I wandered into an area with strong monsters.
And then—I died, just from barely grazing one of them.
I blankly stared at the screen as my stats all dropped to zero in a single blow. Any emotions I had toward the game, any interest, vanished instantly. Quietly, I turned off the power.
Right now, I felt exactly the same way. Like everything had gone cold.
My footsteps were light as I climbed the bell tower’s staircase.
There’s a saying that when people die, they ascend a staircase leading to the sky. What kind of feelings do those people have?
As for me, I felt... alright. I’d already climbed stairs like this once before, in my past life. It was almost familiar.
At the very top of the bell tower, there was a massive bell. If I rang it now, would everyone be startled and rush out?
How ridiculous.
But that was just a thought.