A notification sound rang from his smartphone the moment Namba Ren stepped out of the elevator after finishing overtime at the office building. "[serious]You're free tonight, right" Ren looked at the screen and sighed. He wasn't free. He was exhausted. He wanted to go home, take a bath, and sleep. He was about to reply when the message was marked as read—and his phone rang immediately. "[excited]Never mind that, just come. You won't regret it, I promise" "[serious]……Where" "Shinjuku Sanchome. Where are you now?" "[sarcastic]Nishi-Shinjuku. But that's the opposite direction from home" "[excited]Just run. One train line and you're there!" Tanabe—Ren's friend since university, the type who always had this kind of energy. Not a bad guy. But Ren had heard the words "you won't regret it" from him about a hundred times. And every single time, it was Ren who ended up regretting it. He tried to decline. But Tanabe kept talking on the other end of the line. "[serious]Look, you're twenty-nine and single. You planning to end up like this?" "……" "[serious]I'm worried about you as your friend. Seriously" Ren stood still on the nighttime street of Nishi-Shinjuku for a while. Building lights reflected off the pavement. Salarymen in suits passing by. Taxi headlights running in the distance. Seven years. He'd been grinding away steadily. Sales Department Two at Nakatsuka Trading, seven years since joining. He could do his job fine enough. Nothing he was particularly good at, nothing he was particularly bad at. His monthly numbers hovered around average. His boss Katagiri had once told him, "You're stable." Probably a compliment. Probably. Romance… yeah. He'd dated twice in his early twenties. But neither lasted. When asked why, he couldn't answer properly. "There's just nothing special about you, is there?" Those words from his last breakup stuck in his head for some reason. He couldn't deny it. Nothing special. No cheat. No isekai reincarnation. Just born normally, raised normally, working normally—a completely ordinary twenty-nine-year-old. "[serious]……Fine. I'll go" "[excited]Yes! I'll be waiting!" The call ended. Ren shoved his phone in his pocket and headed toward the ticket gates for Shinjuku. 　* Tanabe was standing in front of a mixed-use building in Shinjuku Sanchome. Thirty years old, slightly overweight, always smiling and restless—that was Tanabe. Today he wore a flashy shirt that stood out from the crowd. "[excited]You came, you came! Come on, fourth floor!" "[serious]……A marriage party" Ren didn't miss the small sign that read "Marriage Connect presents." "[laughing]Well, yeah. But it's not a normal one!" "[serious]What's a non-normal marriage party supposed to be" "[serious]You'll see when we get there" Tanabe pressed the elevator button. The doors closed. Ren checked his appearance. White shirt, black slacks. Same as when he'd come to work this morning. Worn out from overtime, hair a bit messy. His short black hair was sticking up slightly in a somewhat disheveled way. Whatever, Ren thought. He wasn't in the mood anyway. The button for "4" lit up and the doors opened. That moment—something felt off. The instant he stepped into the hallway, his skin prickled. Like static electricity. But not the dry kind. More like… the air itself was slightly tense somehow. (What is this?) Ren frowned. But before he could think further, Tanabe was already walking ahead. Dining Bar Luscher—that's what the wooden plaque said. When he opened the door, warm orange light from indirect lighting. Dark wood tables and chairs. A calm bar atmosphere. Maybe normal customers came here usually. But tonight it seemed to be reserved. Long tables were set up in the back with ten place settings. Several people were already seated. "[serious]Sorry we're late!" Tanabe apologized cheerfully while Ren gave a small bow behind him. A staff member at the reception turned around. A woman in her late twenties. Black uniform, neatly arranged black hair. And she was smiling—constantly. It looked natural, but somehow, it was always the same smile. "[gentle]Welcome. We've been waiting for you, Tanabe-sama, Namba Ren-sama" "[surprised]……You know my name?" "[gentle]Of course. I'm Mika. I'll be hosting tonight's event" Still smiling, Mika guided them to their seats. Ren looked around as he sat down. There were ten participants including him and Tanabe. Everyone looked pretty normal. Twenties to thirties. Some in suits, some in casual clothes. Everyone was either looking at their phones or talking quietly with the person next to them. A normal marriage party, probably. (What, this is normal?) Ren relaxed his shoulders a bit. 　* "[gentle]Well then, shall we begin" Mika stood in front of everyone. Still smiling unchanged. "[gentle]Please introduce yourselves. Your name, your occupation… and please include your skills from your previous life as well" Silence. (……Huh?) Ren thought he'd misheard. He glanced at Tanabe next to him, who was nodding along with "mm-hmm." The first participant—a man in his thirties wearing glasses—stood up. "[serious]I'm Enomoto. I work at an IT company. In my previous life, I was more of a scout position in a hero party. Now I can produce fire" As he said this, he rubbed his thumb and index finger together. A small flame lit up. Like a lighter flame. But coming from his fingers. "Well, it's only lighter-level output now. There are restrictions" "[laughing]I totally get that! My output dropped too, it's so sad" The woman next to him nodded, looking happy. The next person stood. "[gentle]I can rewind time on objects for five seconds. Once I spilled coffee and tried it, and the desk stain disappeared" Gentle applause from somewhere. Next. And next. A company employee who was a mage in her previous life. A librarian who was a sage. A daycare worker who could adjust gravity within a three-meter radius. Everyone said it casually. Like checking the weather on their phone. (What is this place. What is this) Sweat began to form on Ren's forehead. The reincarnators around him were laughing and talking normally. Was this everyday life for them? They'd been reincarnated to another world in their previous lives, came back, kept their cheat skills, and were now just normally employed and going to marriage parties—apparently there were over ten thousand people like that in Japan. (I've never even heard of this……) Then it was Ren's turn. He stood up. All eyes focused on him. "[serious]Um… Namba Ren, twenty-nine years old. I work at a trading company. As for skills… I don't have any" Silence fell. The warm, fuzzy atmosphere from before stopped dead. Ten pairs of eyes concentrated on Ren. "[surprised]You're not a reincarnator?" "[serious]……I'm not" "[surprised]A blank……?" That word passed around the table in whispers. Blank—apparently that's what reincarnators called ordinary people without reincarnation experience. "[gentle]I'm aware, Namba Ren-sama" Mika's voice gently cut in. Still smiling. "[gentle]You are a specially invited participant this time" "[surprised]……Special" "[gentle]Yes" "[serious]……Why" "[gentle]I'll explain that in due time" A smile. The smile didn't move even a millimeter. (Explain it right now!!) Ren wanted to scream internally, but he kept it in. He just gave a small bow and returned to his seat. Tanabe was grinning for some reason. Could he punch this guy? 　* After introductions ended, it was time for free conversation. Ren was sitting at his seat drinking oolong tea. He was trying to organize his thoughts. Reincarnators—also called Returners apparently—numbered twelve thousand in Japan. They'd all been in another world in their previous lives, died, and came back to this world. When they came back, one Return Skill remained. Marriage Connect was a matchmaking service exclusively for these reincarnators. Male participation fee: eight thousand yen— "Um." A voice. Ren looked up. A woman approached his table. The librarian who'd been a sage in her previous life. "[gentle]Is this seat okay" "[serious]Please" She sat down. And for a while, she just looked at him without saying anything. "[gentle]……I feel calm near you somehow. Your presence" "[serious]……Huh" "[gentle]Using skills gives me headaches, but when I'm next to you, it feels like… thinner somehow" "[serious]Look, I'm really just an ordinary person" "Yeah, I know. That's why I'm curious" It didn't quite make sense. Soon, someone else came. Enomoto, the one who produced fire. "[gentle]Can I sit here? I feel like I'm being drawn to you somehow" "[serious]I'm telling you, I'm just a company employee" Another person came. They said they felt drawn too. Another came. And another. Before he knew it, five, six, seven people had gathered at Ren's table. It wasn't coordinated. Each of them had come "for some reason" toward Ren. (What is this. Why.) Ren was confused internally while gripping his oolong tea. No cheat skills. No memories of a previous life. No special abilities. He'd always thought that was who he was. A person with nothing. An unremarkable twenty-nine-year-old. Yet now, everyone was facing him. It made him uncomfortable. Not happy. Actually scared, somehow. Like he was being treated as something he didn't understand. "[serious]Excuse me for a moment" He stood up. 　* He locked himself in a bathroom stall. "[whispers]……I'm not a display item" He leaned his back against the door and sighed. It was quiet. Just faint voices from outside. The sound of running water. A faucet. He stayed there for several minutes. Then the door opened. Someone came into the bathroom. Multiple people. "Hey, why is that blank even here" A low voice. Female, probably. "Marriage Connect has never invited non-reincarnators before. There's definitely something behind this" A different voice. Male. "There's also a rumor that the management collects information on everyone……" "Maybe that blank is some kind of… 'key'" Laughter. Light tone, but the meaning wasn't light. The door closed. Footsteps faded away. Ren couldn't move in the stall. "Key." That word spun in his head. He was being used—was that it? "We've specially invited you," Mika had said. She didn't say why. They collect information on everyone. And only Ren, the blank, was called. Who had approached Tanabe? Who had told Tanabe about this party? (……This is scary.) He admitted it honestly. He'd thought it was like a comedy, but this wasn't funny. 　* The party continued after that, time just passing. Ren tried to act normal. He conversed. He wasn't unfriendly. But his mind kept replaying the words he'd heard in the bathroom. When it was time to end, participants started getting ready to leave. Mika was standing at the exit. Same smile as always, seeing people off one by one. When Ren passed by her, Mika said: "[gentle]We look forward to your participation again, Namba Ren-sama" (I'm never coming back.) He thought it but didn't say it. He just gave a light bow and went outside. Tanabe said "That was great, huh" while heading off in a completely different direction. That guy doesn't understand anything, probably. 　* Ren walked alone through the nighttime crowds of Shinjuku. Neon lights, streams of people, music from somewhere. An ordinary night. The fact that twelve thousand reincarnators were mixed in living here was completely invisible from the outside. (No one would believe me if I told them about today.) He decided to treat it as a dream. He made that decision. His phone vibrated. An unknown number. Message notification. He opened it and it said: "I'm Hikawa Akane, whom you met at the party today. Could we talk for a moment" (……Who is this) He stared at the screen when another notification came. "I couldn't hear your heart at all. It's the first time that's happened, and I can't just leave it alone" Ren stopped in the middle of the nightti