The Void and the Scent of Barbecue

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Swept into the black vortex, within the void there was nothing.

An endlessly, perpetually extending pitch-black space.

Everything painted in pitch-black, nothing to see, nothing to hear.

Neither cold nor warm.

In such a void, only my darkly tainted soul floated aimlessly.

Well, actually, there might not even be a pitch-black space? Because its the void.

It gets confusing when you think about it.

Sigh

What kind of development is this?

Youd want to sigh, wouldnt you?

Looking back on my life, I dont think it was filled with joy.

My father was a criminal and never got out of prison.

My mother fell ill and died before I was fully aware.

The relatives who took me in family treated me as a nuisance, and I was shuffled from one place to another from a young age.

Never making any friends.

Bullied because of my father, abused by family.

But still.

Still, you know!!

I tried my best to live straight.

I forced a smile, tried to enjoy life as much as I could!

I kept trying, trying, and trying, never letting my dissatisfaction show!

Convincing myself that someday, these tough days would turn into good memories!!

And this is the result of all that effort!?

Kidnapped by incomprehensible gods and then discarded because I stink!!?

Dont mess with me! Dont you dare mess with me!!

Anger poured out endlessly.

I felt my soul darken even more with rage.

Angry, angry, angry, mourning the misfortune of my life, lamenting, cursing After a full-blown tantrum

I somehow cooled down.

Well its futile.

No matter how much I rant, theres no one here to listen.

Its just exhausting. Alright, stop. Lets think about something else.

Ah~, I feel hungry.

I want to eat meat.

I want to eat barbecue.

I love meat so much.

Im a carnivorous girl.

I dont remember being allowed to eat much in my previous life but in the next life, yeah.

Ill devour meat non-stop.

Thats how I want to live.

But, thrown into the void, do I even have a next life?

Like the cycle of rebirth?

Can I still hop on that flow from here?

The cycle the cycle, huh

The endlessly turning wheel of rebirth

I wanted to try those spiral-wrapped sausages

While I was aimlessly pondering such things

suddenly, I caught a scent.

And, how am I seeing, hearing, and smelling in a soul state? Youd wonder, but lets put that aside for now.

This scent

Theres no mistaking it.

The smell of meat being grilled.

Sweet and savory with the aroma of sauce mixed in.

Its barbecue.

The smell of barbecue.

Is someone nearby grilling barbecue?

I was gently drawn towards the direction of that smell

With a pop! sound.

Once again, I was sucked into somewhere.