"Ah, life is so dull, so plain, and utterly boring!"
Hearing this, Yuxuan sitting nearby couldn't help rolling his eyes.
He raised the beer bottle in his hand, tilted his head, and gulped down several mouthfuls. Then, in an annoyed tone, he said, "Are you out of your mind or what? So what if your grades aren't great? Just go home and inherit the family business, don't you? Look at me, running around trying to make a living at my age, how much can a part-time job even pay?"
Night had fallen, and the sky was sprinkled with stars. Yuxuan and his classmate were sitting by the bridge, drinking heartily.
"What's there to worry about? Once you graduate, just come work at my family's company, I'll take care of you! Hehe, but seriously, you're a real one—always showing up whenever I call."
As they spoke, the two clinked their beer bottles together, making a crisp sound.
Yuxuan took a big bite of grilled skewers, chased it with a sip of iced beer, and gazed out at the river in the distance.
Under the night sky, the shimmering river surface looked exceptionally beautiful and moving.
"Cut the crap. I just like eating barbecue. If it weren't for these delicious late-night snacks, who would come keep you company while you go crazy?"
Yuxuan chuckled, teasing him, though a trace of confusion and helplessness about the future flashed in his eyes.
"Hey, tell me, if you could be reincarnated into another world, what would you choose?"
His classmate's voice came from beside him.
"Reincarnated into another world? Why not transmigrate? Reincarnation means I'd have to die first."
Yuxuan thought of all the short videos he had scrolled through, where everyone was constantly getting reincarnated. It was total brainwashing.
"Aren't they basically the same thing? Just humor me, we're the only two here anyway, and I'm treating you to a huge feast."
"What kind of question is that? You aren't even specifying a genre. The world is so big, how would I know? Besides, at this hour, who else would answer your call?"
"I guess you're right. Let me think. I remember watching a lot of anime like that—reincarnated as a Slime, a spider, turning into a sword... Damn! Come to think of it, other worlds are completely populated by our own kind!"
"What kind of stuff are you watching? It's all messed-up reincarnation trash. Have you lost your mind from watching too much of this?"
Yuxuan shot him a sideways glance.
"Fine, fine, then you tell me what world you'd think of. Let's see if you can actually come up with one."
His classmate said, sounding annoyed.
"I... I want to go to a world full of lolis!"
"My advice is to have you arrested immediately."
"Huh? We're talking about reincarnation here, can't I dream big? Come on, wouldn't your heart race if pure, cute little lolis called out to you?"
"Get lost, get lost. I like mature older women. When I'm reincarnated, I want to be surrounded by big bosoms right from birth."
"You really are a genius! I suggest you write a book. But wait, what are we even talking about? Are we just sharing our fetishes?"
Feeling that the conversation had veered way off track, Yuxuan brought up a new topic.
"Ahem, ahem. Let's just pick one at random: sword and magic! Don't we both like that kind of stuff?"
"Sword and magic? That's not bad. But in worlds like that, don't you always get Demon Kings, Goddesses, and Heroes? You know, those roles are pretty sweet. Which one would you pick?"
"I'd definitely be the Demon King. Just steamroll the human world, don't give the Hero any time to level up, and camp right outside their spawn point to slaughter them," Yuxuan said after a moment of thought.
"Why would you want to be the Demon King? Wouldn't a normal person want to be the Hero? So cool! Defeat the Demon King, marry the princess, and reach the pinnacle of life!"
With that, his classmate struck a cool pose.
"Give me a break. In all the anime you've watched, isn't the Hero always running around busy as a bee?"
"Who says? Take a certain Hero's life, for instance—wasn't it pretty relaxed?"
"You call that party's life relaxed? They had a Goddess with them, everyone in the group was a freak of talent, and they worried about money every single day."
"True. Put that way, being a Hero really isn't great if you have to stress about making money all the time. Fine, then do you want to be a guy or a girl?"
"Huh? What kind of question is that? Demon Kings come in different genders..."
Yuxuan paused there. Come to think of it, based on the novels and anime he had read, even though Demon Kings started out super strong, the Hero would always show up with a holy sword, shouting about bonds and friendship, and the Demon King would die a miserable death.
Yet, somehow, female Demon Kings always seemed to turn out fine, and could even get a redemption arc! Well, in every sense of the word.
So if he had to be a Demon King, it was best to be female.
Since it was a world of universal lolis, the Demon King had to be a loli too.
And since she was a loli, the Demon King had to have black hair, paired with ruby-red eyes.
With red eyes, her personality should probably be a bit tsundere.
Yes, yes, yes! Perfect. I really am a genius.
"Well, of course a gir—l!"
"Oho~ Sounds like you just want me to keep you as my kept man~"
His classmate let out a cackling laugh.
"Piss off. Why am I even talking to you about this? This is never going to happen anyway."
"How can you be so sure? Nobody knows where people go after they die. What if? Imagine how great it would be if, after dying, the world you reached was the exact one you had in mind."
Yuxuan was stumped by the question. It had no scientific basis, yet nobody could disprove it either.
"So you asked me out just to discuss the afterlife? Please, my rich young master. This isn't something you should be worrying about. Besides, the topic you picked for your graduation thesis is too brain-dead."
"Tch, no fun. I'm leaving. I still wanted to tell you about the grand theory I came up with before going to sleep yesterday."
His classmate walked off with a swagger, leaving Yuxuan behind as the cold wind howled around him.
"The wind is howling fiercely today~"
Yuxuan finished off the last of his beer, shook the empty bottle, and tossed it into the trash can.
He headed toward his apartment building—a tall block of cheap rentals, perfect for a broke college student like him.
His place was on the tenth floor, and to make matters worse, the hallway light was broken.
Yuxuan had to feel his way up in the pitch dark, keeping a hand on the handrail.
"Damn it, that miserable internship company only knows how to put us in this dump. Pitch black and you can't see a thing, how am I supposed to walk?"
Just as Yuxuan reached out to grab the handrail to continue upstairs, one of the sections snapped.
Losing his balance, Yuxuan fell straight down from the tenth floor.
What the hell? Seriously, bro? I'm about to die such a glorious death? Isn't this a bit too hasty?
A rushing sound filled his ears.
Barring any accidents—well, an accident had already happened. At this height, he was a goner for sure.
At that moment, Yuxuan recalled what his classmate had said: how great it would be if, after dying, you could reach the world you wished for.
"Ha, I really am a great buddy of yours! In that case, let me finish your graduation thesis for you!"