Mario sat quietly, his fingers loosely resting on his lap.
Across from him, the young man looked entirely at home, as though the endless white expanse around them were nothing more than a quiet café on a lazy afternoon.
He swirled the tea in his cup before taking another unhurried sip.
The silence lingered.
It wasn’t uncomfortable.
If anything, it gave Mario time to think.
Everything that had happened since opening his eyes in this impossible place defied logic.
And yet, oddly enough, there was a certain logic to the absurdity itself.
The young man hadn’t tried to convince him.
He hadn’t demanded belief.
He had simply answered every question as though the truth was self-evident.
That made lying seem…
unnecessary.
Mario finally broke the silence.
“So.”
The young man looked up.
“So?”
“You said you accidentally killed me.”
“I did.”
“And that you’re here because you’re taking responsibility.”
“Correct.”
Mario gave a small nod.
“I’ll admit…
I didn’t expect that.”
The R.O.B.
chuckled.
“What part?”
“The responsibility.”
He leaned back slightly.
“I’ve spent enough years dealing with people to know most would rather make excuses than admit fault.”
The young man laughed.
“Oh, I could make excuses.”
“I’m very good at it.”
He counted on his fingers.
“‘The universe was unstable.'”
“‘The probability was infinitesimal.'”
“‘Technically, reality should’ve protected you.'”
He shrugged.
“All of those are true.”
“None of them change the fact that you’re dead because of me.”
Mario held his gaze for a moment.
“I appreciate the honesty.”
“Thank you.”
The R.O.B.
smiled.
“It’s refreshing not to be cursed for once.”
Mario raised an eyebrow.
“People usually curse at omnipotent beings?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“I’ve had shoes thrown at me.”
Mario blinked.
“…How?”
The young man pointed upward.
“Omnipotence.”
“…Right.”
For some reason, that answer almost made sense.
Almost.
The R.O.B.
rested both elbows on the table.
“So.”
“Let’s discuss your compensation.”
Mario’s expression remained calm, but his attention sharpened.
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll give you another life.”
The words were spoken so casually that they almost sounded ordinary.
Almost.
Mario studied him for a second.
“Another life.”
“Yes.”
“So…”
He chose his words carefully.
“Reincarnation?”
The R.O.B.
smiled.
“Not quite.”
Mario frowned.
“No?”
“No.”
He took another sip of tea.
“You won’t be starting over as a baby.”
Mario hadn’t expected that answer.
“Then…”
He paused.
“Resurrection?”
The R.O.B.
shook his head.
“Also no.”
Mario folded his arms.
“I feel like you’re eliminating all the obvious possibilities.”
“I am.”
“On purpose?”
“Absolutely.”
Mario let out a quiet sigh.
“I had a feeling.”
The young man’s grin widened.
“You catch on quickly.”
Mario ignored the comment.
“If it isn’t reincarnation.”
“And it isn’t resurrection.”
“Then what exactly are you offering me?”
The R.O.B.
set his cup down.
“Transmigration.”
The word hung in the air.
Mario repeated it silently.
“…Transmigration.”
“Correct.”
“I’ll move your existence elsewhere.”
“You’ll retain your memories.”
“Your experiences.”
“Your personality.”
“You’ll still be Mario Mortiz.”
Mario considered the explanation.
“So I remain…
myself.”
“Exactly.”
“No memory loss?”
“None.”
“My mind stays intact?”
“Completely.”
“My age?”
The R.O.B.
tilted his head.
“Mentally?”
“Thirty-eight.”
“Physically?”
He smiled.
“You’ll find out.”
Mario sighed through his nose.
“You’re doing that on purpose.”
“I am.”
“I don’t enjoy not knowing.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
The R.O.B.
leaned back with a satisfied expression.
“Because surprises are fun.”
“For you.”
“For me.”
Mario corrected him.
“For me too.”
That answer caught the R.O.B.
off guard.
“Oh?”
Mario nodded.
“I just prefer surprises after they happen.”
The young man burst into laughter.
“I like that.”
“I really do.”
When the laughter settled, Mario’s expression became thoughtful again.
“If I’m being transmigrated…”
He hesitated.
“Am I being sent to another world?”
The R.O.B.’s smile didn’t change.
“You’ll be sent somewhere appropriate.”
Mario immediately noticed the wording.
“‘Appropriate.'”
“Yes.”
“That’s a very vague answer.”
“It is.”
“You aren’t going to elaborate.”
“No.”
Mario wasn’t annoyed.
Disappointed, perhaps.
But not annoyed.
Whoever this being was, he clearly enjoyed revealing information at his own pace.
Pushing harder would likely accomplish nothing.
Instead, Mario asked a different question.
“Can I refuse?”
The R.O.B.
blinked.
“…That’s not the question I expected.”
“It’s still a question.”
“It is.”
The young man looked genuinely thoughtful this time.
“I suppose you could.”
Mario remained silent.
“But then what?”
The R.O.B.
spread his hands.
“You’d stay dead.”
“…Just like that?”
“Mhm.”
“No punishment.”
“No reward.”
“No afterlife?”
“There is an afterlife.”
Mario waited.
“But it isn’t your turn.”
“…Meaning?”
“I erased you before your natural death.”
The R.O.B.’s tone became noticeably calmer.
“You were never supposed to be here.”
“That’s why we’re having this conversation.”
Mario absorbed those words.
If his death hadn’t been part of the natural order…
Then this really was an accident.
One that had interrupted whatever life he should’ve lived.
“I see.”
The R.O.B.
watched him carefully.
“No complaints?”
Mario shook his head.
“I was simply making sure I still had a choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
For some reason, Mario believed him.
He slowly nodded.
“Then I’ll accept.”
“So easily?”
Mario smiled faintly.
“I don’t exactly have anything waiting for me anymore.”
The words slipped out before he realized it.
The R.O.B.’s playful smile faded just a little.
“…Someone hurt you.”
It wasn’t a question.
Mario looked away.
The white horizon stretched endlessly before him.
After several seconds, he answered.
“I trusted the wrong person.”
The R.O.B.
didn’t ask who.
He didn’t ask what happened.
Instead, he quietly said,
“Trust is a strange thing.”
Mario let out a humorless laugh.
“I used to think everyone deserved it.”
“And now?”
Mario’s eyes remained fixed on the endless white.
“Now I think it’s something people earn.”
Silence followed.
Not because either of them had run out of words.
Because some answers didn’t need anything added to them.
The R.O.B.
eventually smiled again.
“I think…”
He stood from his chair.
“…your new life will suit you.”
The wooden chair disappeared.
Then the table.
Then the teacups.
Each vanished without fanfare, as though reality had simply decided they were no longer necessary.
Only the two of them remained.
The R.O.B.
clasped his hands behind his back.
“Our business is nearly finished.”
Mario rose to his feet as well.
“So this is goodbye.”
“Almost.”
The young man’s eyes sparkled with unmistakable amusement.
“I did say I was compensating you.”
“You did.”
“And honestly…”
He smiled.
“Giving you another life doesn’t quite feel like enough.”
Mario raised an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t?”
“No.”
“I did accidentally kill you, after all.”
He lifted a finger.
“So before you leave…”
“I’ve decided to give you one additional gift.”
Mario looked at him curiously.
“What kind of gift?”
The R.O.B.’s smile slowly widened.
The same smile that always appeared just before he said something completely unreasonable.
“Oh…”
“I think you’re going to like this one.”
End of Chapter 3