Chapter 1: “So Be It,” Was the Wish
“Hey, what’s wrong, old man? Why are you squatting down in a place like this?”
“Huh? Your wife kicked you out of the house?”
“Hahahahaha! Well, that’s your fault, isn’t it!”
“Eh? Why do I know it’s your fault without even hearing the reason? Are you an airsoft player when it comes to handling women, even at your age?”
“Listen, old man, it’s embarrassing to lecture someone older than me, but when it comes to women, you just have to appease them by saying, ‘Yes, yes, you’re right,’ and that’s all there is to it!”
“Yeah, I know! In reality, most of the time, the man is right! That’s how it was for you, wasn’t it?”
“But you have to grit your teeth and apologize with a face that looks like you’re really sorry!”
“And then, after some time has passed, you apologize again. Do you understand?”
“You don’t get it, huh.”
“Women are emotional, so once they get angry, you can’t reason with them. It’s like dealing with a baby; they only understand pleasure and displeasure.”
“So, in that situation, you apologize for the time being and wait for the storm to pass… and then, when they’ve calmed down, you apologize again.”
“Yes, here’s the key point…?”
“When they’re calm, you bring up the issue again and show them that you’re being the bigger person by saying, ‘I was wrong.’ Then, they’ll think…”
“…’Maybe I’m the only one making demands?'”
“And you can’t just apologize! You have to subtly hint at your own thoughts and desires by saying, ‘I thought this way, but you thought that way. I was wrong!'”
“When you do that, women realize they’re being treated like babies who get everything they want and feel ashamed!”
“Then, once again, subtly—and I mean subtly—make a request. You might be surprised at how easily it goes through.”
“Anyway, when a woman gets angry, just put on a sweet face and apologize!”
“…What if they still don’t listen?”
“Get a divorce. A woman who only makes demands isn’t normal.”
“Huh?”
“…You were kicked out, so you want to take some time apart?”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea. That’s the best way to go.”
“So, old man, how about you and I grab a drink tonight?”
“I just got paid today, so it’s on me.”
“Eh? Me?”
“Lately, I’ve been catching crabs in the Bering Sea.”
“It’s an easy job where you can earn a ton of money if you have the stamina.”
“Every year, I make money from crab fishing around this time.”
“Just floating on the sea on a boat for a month is enough to earn enough to live on for a year!”
“Well, when I’m short on cash, I make ends meet with sudden jobs like tuna fishing or corpse disposal.”
“Is it a tough job, you ask?”
“Not really.”
“If you’re good at slacking off and using your body efficiently, you can manage somehow.”
“I have savings, so I don’t have to worry about retirement.”
“Retirement?”
“Ah…”
“Well, yeah, I guess I’m getting old too.”
“I have to think about various things.”
“But basically, it probably won’t change much from now.”
“I’ll just wander around, drink at bars, and live a life of leisure.”
“Don’t I get tired of playing around, you ask?”
“That’s the opinion of someone who’s bad at having fun.”
“Playing is something you can’t master even if you spend your whole life and a fortune on it. It’s something with profound depth.”
“The scope is also wide.”
“Recently, I’ve been studying 3DCG… Ah, do you know what that is? Yeah, yeah, it’s like making videos with a computer.”
“I started doing something called streaming with that.”
“I’m doing it like a blog about fishing in the Bering Sea or tuna fishing, but somehow, attaching a randomly created girl character to it has become a big hit.”
“Also, videos of me filleting fish or traveling abroad are popular.”
“Besides that, learning and selling models, paintings, and sculptures, or studying for qualifications is also fun, you know?”
“The world is basically interesting. If someone thinks life is boring, it’s their own sensibilities that are boring.”
“Oops, sorry for talking so much about myself.”
“What are you doing, old man?”
“…Huh? A god?”
“Hahaha, that’s great! A god, huh!”
“Then I’ll treat you here, so give me something good! Like a blessing to be popular with girls!… No? I’m already popular, though! Wahahahaha!!!”
“…Ah? Reincarnation?”
“Oh, that thing that’s popular lately? You’re young at heart, old man!”
“Reincarnation, huh.”
“If I were to do it, it would definitely be a fantasy world with swords and magic, right?”
“Oh, and I want something called a cheat these days.”
“I know a little about that stuff too.”
“…Eh? You can only give me magic as a cheat?”
“Why?”
“What about an online supermarket or game abilities? I want to wear golden armor and fire off a bunch of Noble Phantasms!”
“Hahaha, because you’re the god of magic, huh.”
“That’s true, if you’re the god of magic, you can only give me magical powers.”
“But you know, I’m an old man, so I end up thinking about old-school fantasy.”
“In modern fantasy, even some random kid can use amazing magic easily, right?”
“In old-school fantasy, you could only use magic nine times in a game, and mages themselves were rare.”
“In modern fantasy, there’s also the idea that mages are forbidden from using magic indiscriminately because it diminishes the mystery of magic.”
“In the most famous original fantasy, there were races that could use magic, and only they could use mystical something-or-other…”
“…Huh? Your world is like that too?”
“Mages are rare… talent is everything.”
“Even without talent, you can learn a little if you train for decades.”
“…Isn’t that like that one fantasy open-world game? The Dragon Shouts from that game.”
“So, is it like that, where the undead in the graveyard also unleash Unrelenting Force?”
“Ah, it’s not related? A coincidence?”
“Well, whatever the case, being able to use any magic you want from birth, when ordinary people can only master one practical spell after decades of training, is definitely a huge cheat!”
“If I have that kind of cheat power, I might consider reincarnation! Hahahahaha!”
『Very well, I shall grant you power.』