It all started with an unfortunate accident.

I was in a giant shipping warehouse that sort of doubled as a store. It is cheaper to buy products directly from the source than from a market they’ve been moved to. I was stocking up on instant ramen as I would usually do every Monday, buying enough for the whole week before going home. Today though, for some reason, they hadn’t quite finished moving all the products, so the boxes I was looking for were high up on a shelf I could barely reach.

I tried to get it down to my cart by nudging it slowly off so that I could grab it. If it’d fall down and just land in the cart that’d work too. I’ve done this a million times and pushed hard to get what I needed. Boy, did I get what I wanted. Thinking back, I should have been more careful. As my fingers were frantically searching for something to grip they touched something furry and large.

I instinctively drew back in surprise and set whatever living thing I had found off. I heard a high pitched screech and a sudden sensation of pain as something scratched my hand. My arm knocked off the box I was looking for and set off a chain reaction. Dominos.

Everything above me fell all at once. Giant boxes filled with produce and an entire metal shelf collapsed on top of me, burying me under their weight and crushing my body without any real resistance. That was how I died.

“Oh dear, oh dear. How unlucky of you. What are the chances?” I lay down under the boxes. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. A deep masculine voice invaded my ears. A shadow approached me from above, blocking out the one ray of light that my right eye could see. It took a second for me to realise what it was. A black cat with green eyes, with white fur on its belly and feet. I remembered the furry sensation that caused this chain reaction. This was the cause, a stray cat. For some reason, it was there and my hand must have caused it to bolt from its spot and knock over the cargo… I really was unlucky. I’ve always been unlucky. Just the usual for me.

The cat yawned and looked at me with pity in its eyes. Was I dead? I couldn’t feel anything. “Really, really, unfortunate.” ...Those words were coming from the cat. Was I dreaming? It sure didn’t feel like I was dreaming. “In a way, I am responsible for your death but then again we can say you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. What a pickle. Well, before I make a decision, let me see what you’re made of.” I thought I was going crazy; the cat was glowing. I thought I was glowing too, in a white light… it felt pretty warm. “Ah, compatible. Perhaps this isn’t bad luck but good luck? Or maybe it’s simply fate? Well, whatever the reason, I can’t let this chance pass me by. Boy, I am Hakuro. What is your name?”

I might as well go along with this, I thought. No reason not to. I tried to speak but no words came out. I couldn’t move my lips. “Oh, right. I should do something about that.” The white light enveloping me suddenly flashed and all of a sudden I felt much lighter. “That should do it.” I was floating above my body. Like a ghost. I stared down towards my still and unmoving corpse. I was dressed in my standard construction clothes, an orange vest and grey pants. ...When was the last time I looked in a mirror? I’m in much worse shape than I thought. My dark hair, both on my head and face, was a bit of a mess. It was to be expected, I cut it myself with cheap blades that I kept reusing despite needing new ones. It made me look rather scraggly and wild. My eyes had dark bags under them. My body looked thin as a reed like it was being pushed to the limits, ready to break under any pressure at any time. ...I guess that day was upon me.

“So, as I was saying… what is your name?” I blinked a few times in my spiritual form. This was really happening, huh? “Uh, it’s Izumi Yugai.” I guessed I could accept this. “Yugai? Ah, that is a good name. This is always a pain to explain no matter the era, so I’ll try to be direct and concise with the knowledge I am about to impart to you.” Hakuro the cat closed his eyes and took a few seconds to think what the best words would be. “You’re dead. I can bring you back to life if you sign a contract with me. You’ll need to fight for your right to live on a frequent basis, but it’ll be better than being dead, and I have the power to grant your wishes provided you do well in the assignments I give you. That’s the simplest way to explain it. I need your consent of course. So, let’s cut to the chase. Do you want to live?”

I took a moment to let his words sit in. This was a pretty ridiculous situation to be in, but… I could accept it. So, I just have to say the words and I can stop being dead. I looked him in the eyes. I thought for a bit. My life… was one where I lived practically every day with a pretty minimalist mindset. I didn’t have any family or friends. I had some co-workers from my construction job but nobody I felt particularly close to. I had a home that was just big enough for me and the bare essentials. I had lived every day of my life without much excitement. Growing up, I was raised in an orphanage in the countryside. I was the only kid without parents there. My assigned caretakers would never stay long. A year at most before moving to a big city. I didn’t blame them, that place is pretty much a dead end. I couldn’t afford anything, not really. So I saved up money, every spare coin I was given. I stashed it away. No time for treats, or toys, or sports gear. Nothing like that. I made that choice. I learned quickly how important money was. That’s why I lived like this. Not a single piece of passion in my life, so I can live peacefully for the rest of my days on my own land.

Sure, it was one room linked to a bathroom that had a showerhead, but it was my tiny house in the corner of a city. It had a small stove and sink. I had just enough room to sleep on my futon there. It’s what I got for saving and working from the first day I could. It had been almost a year since I bought it… yet, I didn’t feel all that happy when I did. I felt something was missing. I just never knew what. Was my life just one long boring sequence that amounted to a single empty room meant for one person? ...I ate the cheapest food. I worked my body to the breaking point. I threw away all form of luxury that I could. The way I lived, was it that much better than being dead? If you’re not enjoying life, there’s not much point to living, is there? I wasn’t sad about that. I wasn’t regretful. It was just how it’s always been for me. I had never really had anything and when I finally did, it wasn’t worth anything by itself.

“What happens when I die?” I think I’m ready. This is my time. The cat blinked once before answering. “People like you are quite rare. Usually, people would just… when you die, there will be nothing there. At least as things are right now.” Nothing? Alright. I think I can live with that. Well, die with that. I can accept that. I closed the eyes of my spirit. I was ready to embrace the darkness. A pointless struggle was coming to an end. That was all. If I…

Images flashed in the mind of Yugai. Panels of black and white ink. A collection of old and fragile weekly manga at the orphanage he was raised in. They had been left behind by a previous occupant from before Yugai was even born. They were the only thing he had as entertainment in that small home where he lived alone. He read them over and over as carefully as he could, imagining the scenes of the books before him. They eventually got so worn he had to be extremely careful whenever he flipped the pages. He learned every line by heart. It wasn’t the modern stuff. It was rather old. Most children he went to school with didn’t know what he was talking about, at least not in great detail, so at some point, he just didn’t bring it up in conversations ever. Going home as a child, these dusty and dying books gave him a little bit of life. A small flame to burn. A dream to be as bright as the heroes in those stories.

“Wait. I want to live!” The fire began to roar.