I’d heard of people dying from gaming marathons, but choking to death on cola? No way—I’d never believe such a God-tier absurdity… until it happened to me. The reason was simple…

Boss… there was… a bottle cap in my cola!

I’d forgotten to check the cup. Gulped without looking. That suffocating feeling? I’ll remember it in my next life. All I could think was—My very first “Win Another Bottle” ever, dammit. QAQ

Anyway, that was pre-death stuff. Me? A brainy-but-lazy high school senior with terminal chuunibyou, dead last in the elite class. After gaming got banned, I killed time scrolling a light novel app on my e-waste phone while chugging cola… and choked to death. Just your average nobody. Now, standing before Heaven’s gates, I pondered my biggest regrets.

Maybe not saying goodbye to my parents. Mom died three years ago—sudden cardiac arrest, zero warning. Dad came back from the hospital, sat in his chair smoking a whole cigarette, then muttered something cryptic: “Your mom had errands… she went ahead first.”

Three years later, he’d face this again. Alone. What would he say this time?

Childhood memories surfaced. Mom was hilariously out of touch. Drop-dead gorgeous—totally mismatched with Dad’s grumpy-uncle vibe. Personality-wise? Full-blown late-stage chuunibyou, wildly unreliable, with reality-jumping tangents. Thinking back… I missed those carefree days.

“Daydreaming again? Hurry up. The Overdeity wants to see you personally.” A petite, doll-like girl around twelve shoved open the ten-meter-high gates—and floated out.

Yep, an angel. An absurdly cute loli angel. She scowled at me, tiny brows furrowed. “Move it. The Overdeity’s waiting.”

“O-Okay!” I snapped back, sprinting up the spotless white marble stairs. The loli angel smoothed her mini-skirt, landed lightly, and turned away. “Follow me.”

An angel leading the way… dying almost felt worth it.

“So,” the little angel piped up, “how’d a loser like you die anyway?”

Hey! Aren’t angels supposed to be kind? Since when do they call people “losers”? Can you even tell just by looking?

“Choked on cola.” I told the truth.

She froze mid-step, spun around, and raised one eyebrow. Stared at me like I was a caveman—for thirteen full seconds. “You’re T… kidding me, right?”

She almost cursed! I heard the “T”!

“No joke. One gulp, bottle cap, lights out.” I shrugged helplessly. “Trust me, I didn’t wanna die.”

Arms crossed, she hissed two words: “Freak.” Then added, “Lying to me’s pointless. The Overdeity sees everything anyway.”

Heaven’s gates sighed shut behind us, stirring a gentle breeze. Her skirt fluttered softly in the wind. Actually… not so bad. Just a normal girl.

Wait…

“White?”

“PERVERT!” She clamped a hand over her skirt, stumbling back with wide, wary eyes. “You saw?!”

“No?!” I denied instantly.

“What color?!”

“White.” Slipped right out.

“You…” Her eyes narrowed into a spine-chilling smile. “Freaky shut-in loli-con!”

Huh?! When did I become a freak? A shut-in? How could anyone hurt something as cute as a loli?! That was an act of God!

“People summoned by the Overdeity like you,” she huffed, turning away, “must’ve done something awful. Probably reincarnating as an animal!” She shot a glare over her shoulder. “Shut-in pervert loli-con.”

I was speechless. Head hanging, I trailed her through endless jade towers until we reached another gate. Smaller—only four meters tall—but my knees went weak.

I’d never done anything truly wrong. Vowed not to kill. Only regret? Drawing chalk circles with mothballs around ant colonies as a kid. Did karma count by body count, not severity?

*Shiver.*

“Go in yourself. The Overdeity’s inside.” QiQi shoved me forward. “Be respectful. *Absolutely* respectful.”

“Got it.” I straightened my posture anyway and pushed the door open. A familiar, raucous laugh—loud enough to split clouds—froze me on the threshold.

A massive desk and executive chair dominated the hall. The desk faced sideways, piled with files five meters high. Behind a computer monitor, a girl was laughing hysterically.

“MOM?!”

Yep. The woman in the chair was my mom. Dead three years.

“HAHAHA! Oh honey, your choking face was priceless! Clutching that Oxford dictionary, rolling your eyes—you really *hate* English that much?”

I couldn’t process it. “Mom… how are you here?”

The loli angel stammered, “S-So the Overdeity… is your mom?”

“I *am* the Overdeity. Where else would I be?” Mom instantly switched to regal mode, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she swiveled the chair. “Long story short: Heaven got boring. I snuck down to play, met your dad, had you. Then… paperwork piled up. Had to bail early.” She winked at QiQi. “QiQi didn’t toss you in here today? Miracle! Got a crush on my boy?”

“Pfft! As if! He’s such a loser, I couldn’t be bothered.” QiQi pouted, then shoved me hard inside and slammed the door.

Seriously? You were totally peeking!

“Ignore her. She’s just tsundere. Not tossing you means she kinda likes you. My bloodline, after all! Oho ho ho!”

Mom’s been Overdeity too long. Her brain’s fried. Definitely.

“Don’t worry about your dad,” she continued, crossing her legs and plucking a file from the tower. “He’ll live out his life. At seventy, he’ll join Heaven’s bureaucracy.”

Whoa. Mom’s the Overdeity? Jackpot! I nearly jumped. “What about me?!”

“You’re still a kid.” She rolled her eyes. “Minimum age seventy. Backdoor entry only. But since I birthed you…” She snapped her fingers. A scroll and feather quill appeared. “How about… an isekai? Magic, Battle Aura, Dark Lords, Heroes, kingdoms, Churches—the whole fantasy package. Like your novels. It’s real.”

“…Isekai? FOR REAL? MOM, I LOVE YOU! Can I get cheat skills? OP talent? Protagonist aura?” I almost lunged forward.

“Calm down.” She tilted her head, quill poised. “What life do you want?”

“Be the Hero! Defeat the Dark Lord!” No hesitation. Classic era, baby!

“Mm. Be the Hero who defeats the Dark Lord.” Quill scratched across parchment.

Wait—something’s off. MOM, STOP WRITING!

“Wait! Erase the ‘who’!”

“Not ‘Mom’—that ‘who’ is extra! I want to be the Hero, not the Dark Lord!” I tried to rush her, but those two meters stretched endlessly.

A glance back: QiQi was snickering by the door.

Dread coiled in my gut. Mom casually flicked the quill. “Already written. No biggie. Tell me—what do you like?”

“This.” I glared at giggling QiQi. “I like lolis. So maybe…”

Worst words I’d ever spoken—in this life or the last. Halfway through, Mom cut me off smoothly: “You like *being* a loli. Got it.”

“WAIT—MOM? You didn’t do that on purpose… ERASE THE ‘BEING’!” I was losing it. What even was this?!

QiQi finally cracked, collapsing into floor-rolling laughter. The Overdeity stayed deadpan.

“Yep. I did it on purpose.”

No… no no no. An Overdeity mom who sabotages her son? I don’t wanna live! “Can we *not* joke? Please change it!”

“This is the Cycle Edict—a world-shaping artifact. Once written, it’s permanent.” Her tone turned serious. “Truth is… you’re charged with one count of cruelty.”

“Cruelty?! Impossible!”

“The file says you tormented over two thousand lives on a certain date. My son… going hard from the start. Two *thousand*? How’d you even—”

“Th-those were… ants…” I gripped my head. They actually *counted*?

“A-ants…” Mom winced. “Hmm. Policy update needed. But hey—being a Dark Lord’s awesome! Instant power, insane talent, endless treasure from past Dark Lords. And since you’re the Dark Lord? No need to slaughter villages or provoke Heroes. Perfect, right?”

“Fine, whatever. But why a *loli*?!”

“Look at QiQi. So cute!” (Cute?! She’s a demon!) “I always wanted a daughter.” She bit the quill tip habitually—forgot it was a feather quill—and spat out fluff. Coughed. “Feels like your existence just got… downgraded.”

More like “I regret giving birth to you.”

“I *am* keeping you, my only child. This compromise… your dad won’t mind.” She paused. “Though he can’t object now anyway.”

GIVE BACK THAT TINY BIT OF WARMTH!

“No way to undo this?”

“Can’t. ShuShu—catch this Cycle Edict. Special case: skip the Soul-Wiper Soup.” Mom tossed the scroll. A bespectacled angel boy peeked out from behind the file mountain.

“One last hug.” Mom’s voice softened. She opened her arms. I hesitated… then stepped in. That warmth. Real. My mother. Not a dream.

I’d truly seen her again. Maybe my life wasn’t so bad after all.

But I had one more question: “Mom… how do I come back?”

“No Soul-Wiper Soup means you keep a Cycle Mark. Smuggling yourself back is a capital offense. Only way? Return by your own power. I believe in you.”

Dad taught me never to quit—but I had to ask: “And if I fail?”

“Soul shattered. Beyond even an Overdeity’s reach.” She pushed my chest gently. “Go. Your mother’s watching from above.”

“Follow me.” Unlike QiQi, ShuShu’s voice was ice-cold. He led me out. Beyond the hall floated palaces among clouds.

“This is Heaven. Beautiful, isn’t it?” He stopped suddenly, gazing at the cloud-cradled towers.

“Beautiful.” Truth. Every building was art—interconnected like a painting. Fierce ridge beasts and crosses stood side by side.

“Deep breath.” He dropped the Cycle Edict. Before I could react—he kicked me off the edge.

IS HEAVEN ALWAYS THIS BRUTAL?!