For Every God Who Discards, There's One (?) Who Picks Up

The place I was sucked into this time was a stark contrast to the Void; it was a completely white space.

I'd just been getting used to the pitch-black of the Void, so the brightness was absolutely blinding!

<Oh...... oh! You've actually managed to make it here......!>

While I was taken aback by the glare, a lovely woman's voice echoed inside my head (?).

<To remain so composed, your soul unshaken even after being cast into the Void...... just as I expected of you.>

The voice praised me, sounding so moved she was on the verge of tears.

When I turned around, there was...... the blurred silhouette of a woman.

She was a mass of blue light, shining beautifully and gently.

To me, she seemed far more divine than any of the gods who had participated in the auction.

This person is probably a god, too. I'll call her Provisional God for now. Somehow she feels warm, and I feel really close to her.

And this Provisional God was.

Holding tongs in her right hand.

Fanning a little shichirin grill with a paper fan in her left.

......Grilling meat.

Fat dripped onto the heated charcoal with a delicious-sounding juujuu.

..................What is this???

<......Welcome, Aihara Runa-san. O soul reaped from another world. I am the ‘Vessel.’ The ‘Vessel of a Nameless God’...... Created, yet without authority; one who merely watches......>

Wait! Don't flip the meat while you're introducing yourself in such a solemn tone!!

What is this!? What is even happening right now!?

<......Ufufu, as you can see, it's yakiniku. Come now, come right over here. You must be hungry, aren't you?>

I mean, yeah, I can see it's yakiniku! What I don't get is what's going on!?

What's happening to me right now!? What have I been dragged into!? Also, wait, can you hear my inner thoughts!? Also, that meat looks super tasty please give me some!!

<You seem quite confused. I shall explain your current situation shortly. As for your thoughts...... they are very easy for me to read, so I have taken the liberty of peeking at them. As for the meat, I grilled it specifically for you to eat, so please, help yourself.>

Wait, seriously? She's giving me meat!? YESSS!

As my soul floated toward her, the Provisional God...... Vessel-sama switched from the tongs to cooking chopsticks and pressed a piece of meat against me.

The meat was absorbed into my soul, and I was flooded with the taste and satisfaction one gets from eating meat.

S...... sooo good! This meat is freakin' delicious!

Man, I didn't know you could eat while in soul-form!

<Now, please listen; you may keep eating while you do. Allow me to explain...... the situation you find yourself in, and who I am as well.>

While feeding me meat, Vessel-sama spoke to me gently.

<First, let us start from the beginning. Your soul was reaped from your world to serve as a pawn for the gods of Ardyst...... which, from your perspective, is another world.>

Ah, it's so tender and the fat is so sweet...... this kalbi is the best......

Wait, focus!

Yeah, I had a vague idea about that part.

But, pawns...... what does that mean?

<The goal of the gods at that venue is to reincarnate souls from another world into Ardyst, which is under their jurisdiction, and then enjoy watching the lives they lead as if they were stories. Recording those lives and ‘broadcasting’ them to other gods has also become a trend; in fact, the boom has only intensified recently. Actually, compared to Ardyst's own souls, souls from Earth are easier to work with, for things like adding blessings. To a god, they are ‘user-friendly’ souls. Therefore, the gods of Ardyst use souls reaped from Earth as pawns, spinning isekai reincarnation stories for their own amusement.>

Ehhh~~...... I'd heard there was a genre of stories about isekai reincarnation, but......

That was all just a game for the gods!?

As someone who actually got their soul reaped, I'm not exactly feeling great about being treated like a toy!

Our circumstances are completely ignored, and we're just turned into pawns, right?

<......From a human's perspective, I understand that is a perfectly reasonable opinion. However, when you exist as a god for a very long time, you tend to stop worrying about such things. Any complaints or dissatisfaction you feel can simply be erased by tinkering with your memories and thoughts.>

They can do that!?

Well, I guess they can, since they're gods.

Gods are scary!

<Besides, reincarnated people are usually given a blessing...... in other words, a cheat ability. Used well, it gives them quite an advantage in life, upheavals and all. So even though it happens without their consent, it isn't as if there's nothing in it for them.>

Hmm, so it's not all bad for the reincarnators, and they get plenty in return?

Even so, I still feel like......

......I guess it's just pointless to complain to absolute beings with completely different values. Haah.

I personally have absolutely no lingering attachments to my previous life, and as for my other classmates...... well, I don't care what happens to them.

Those guys hated me, after all.

I have no reason to worry about them.

Alright, end of stooory~!

<I'm rather fond of Isekai Reincarnation Broadcasts myself. I've watched a great many lives to pass the time.>

Wait, so the lives of reincarnators are treated like funny videos!?

<Now, returning to the topic...... I did not actually participate in the auction earlier, but I happened to be nearby. ......And then, the scent of your soul reached me, even though I was outside the venue.>

Ah...... was my soul really that stinky?

I'm sorry, does it still smell? Are you putting up with it?

<Ufufu. It's alright, you don't stink. I am used to it. ......In fact, to me, it is a very lovely scent.>

Really?

<Indeed. How rude of them, calling you filthy and stinky. You needn't worry about not being liked by such foolish gods. ......And so, you see. Surprised by the scent of your soul, I peeked into the venue and saw the moment you were thrown into the Void. ......Since I myself have enjoyed peeking at the lives of reincarnators, you might wonder what right I have to speak, but...... I felt that such cruelty should not be permitted. Reaping a soul without permission is one thing, but to discard that soul so irresponsibly! That is why I felt I had to save you. Normally, a soul sucked into the Void simply dissipates and vanishes.>

I-I see...... the Void is a scary place......!

If I'd spent any more time there, I would've vanished......

<............Yes, that's right. And so I thought I had to rescue you quickly. This space...... is my personal space, you see, and I hurried over here.>

Uh-huh.

<To save you.>

Uh-huh.

<And so, I started a yakiniku.>

......Uh-huh. That's the part that makes zero sense......

<The Void is a darkness without end. An infinite gap between worlds.>

Vessel-sama, glowing faintly blue, continued talking while grilling meat.

<Once a soul falls in, pulling it back out is extraordinarily difficult. Somehow, I needed you to come close to the coordinates where my personal space lies.>

Hm...... hmmm, she's saying some complicated stuff, but basically......

<I held a yakiniku, let the scent drift into the Void, and used it to signal the existence of this space to you. And just as planned, you were lured by the scent of yakiniku and made it here. ......Ah! Ah!! I am so glad I was able to save you! I'm so glad I took a gamble and tried grilling meat......!!>

Vessel-sama became overwhelmed with emotion again, making a gesture as if rubbing her eyes.

What's with this person? She's such a softie.

......Holding a yakiniku to rescue a soul from the Void is hard to wrap my head around, at least on paper......

But it seems there's no doubt that she did this for my sake.

Thank you very much!

......But why did this person go this far for me?

<............>

Vessel-sama stopped grilling and turned to face me directly.

<I truly, simply wanted to save you. That feeling is no lie. But to be honest, I also had an ulterior motive. If I could save you, there was something I wished to ask of you.>

Something she wants to ask?

<Yes. Aihara Runa-san. Would you, together with me......

............reincarnate into another world?>