One evening, I was sauntering my way to the convenience store after my classes in the university ended, when I saw something shining from behind the bushes. Curious, I inched closer to take a better look and saw a white and black medium sized glass ball that fits inside my hand. I contemplated, whether to bring the ball back home or not. But the air was too chilly and the snow started to fall down, so I made a quick decision to bring the glass ball with me back home.

I’m glad that I did.

Back to the present, Noel and Ricky threw me with a look of disbelief. 

“What?” Noel stuttered; his mouth slightly agape. I gave a nod before digging through a cloth stash that was on my bed. Then, fumbling my hand inside that stash, I pulled out a glass ball, its condition is the same as when I first found it.

Suddenly something struck me, a sense of danger that built up inside my mind stating that these two people with me were probably dangerous people or something, and their intentions upon getting the glass ball is unknown.

I turned to my back to look at them, my light brown pupil darted between their figures.

“Are you guys’ really good people?”

Noel fluttered his eyelashes in confusion, while Ricky narrowed his eyes in a judging look.

“What makes you think we’re good people?” Ricky suddenly spoke his mind, which in return, received a shoulder pat from his partner.

“Ricky, don’t. This is not the time for you to throw Higher Order Thinking questions to people.”

“What, she asked?”

“And she just simply asks. Let me talk, okay?” Noel then patted Ricky on his cheek.

“Alright. Having a sense of alarm in you is a good sign, which mean you wanted to maintain your well-being, but I can assure you that we’re not bad people.” He smiled.

My eyes squinted, still judging the pair. Though honestly, I really couldn’t see which part of them that looked like they’re bad people. Unless the two of them were a cosplayer or anything—Noel with his customized white garment that I’ve never seen anywhere before, making me think that he’s an angel, while Ricky wore an also specialized black garment, like an outfit of a king that I saw in one of my favourite webtoon—their outfits were pretty normal looking for me.

Again, I said, “You REALLY sure that you’re not a bad people?”

Noel chuckled. “I’m pretty much sure myself.”

Suspicious. Noel sounded too much like that one sincere kid in my course while Ricky sounded like a boisterous bully. They both look unmistakably intelligent though.     

I still hesitated, but it’s not like I have the power to stop them from doing anything given that they’re able to cross worlds and stuffs. “…Here you go.” I gradually handed him the magic ball before sitting back on my zabuton. Upon receiving it in his hands, Noel stared at the ball unblinked—in awe—before handing it to Ricky.

“Thank you so much for trusting us, and also for your help. You saved us a lot of time.” Noel smiled; a dimple formed on both of his porcelain cheeks as he did. Meanwhile, Ricky glanced only briefly at the ball, before the ball suddenly disappeared from his hand. I again mouthed another WOW.

“Thank you.” Ricky threw me a half smile.

Soon after that, the two of them excused themselves, saying that they should go and they’re sorry for disturbing me. I waved my hands, denying them. Well, I don’t mind having my personal time disturbed if kind and gorgeous people like them visited. I still hoped that they’re good people though.

“Oh, right.”

Noel turned to look at me just before they exited through the entrance door.

“As a payment for helping us, is there anything that you wanted?” He spoke. A thought sprung from inside of my mind and I scurried to my bed to take my phone. Treading across the room, I stopped about a meter away from Noel and showed the web novel in front of his face.

“This! I want to go into this novel!” I said enthusiastically.

Noel and Ricky exchanged a look, probably feeling weirded out of me. Somehow, Noel pulled my phone from my hand and scrolled through the chapters.

“Oh, this. Is this the story about an evil woman marrying a poor farmer’s child? And they grow their influence together?” He summed.

“Yes, it is! How do you know?”

“I’ve read them before, but just a few chapters…” He scrolled down, seeking the newer chapters.

“Wait…” Ricky’s eyebrow creased.

“You read novels, Noel?” He’s asking the obvious.

“Well, most of us do.”

Ricky paused. “But I thought you only read ancient scriptures?”

Noel drifted his gaze away from the screen and rolled his eyes, an exasperated sigh escaped his mouth. “Ricky, my love. The definition of seeking knowledge isn’t limited to reading only the old books and records. They can also be gained by you reading modern stuffs like this.”

Ricky mouthed an OH. He looked like he just understands something. Though, I’m curious of those ancient scriptures that they talked about.

And their intimate words.

“Anyway, I believe I’ve passed through this dimension once before.”

His words managed to gain my interest. I looked at him with sparkly eyes. “Seriously? This world exists?”

“Every world inside novels exist.”

Noel continued to scroll. He stopped at the last line from the newest chapter that I just read, and snickered. “Clairmont, huh? Interesting.” He mumbled.

“So, what will it be?” He returned the phone to me while raising his slightly thin brows. “Visiting or reincarnation?”

I shuddered at the word reincarnation.

“You…You can reincarnate people?”

“Once or twice. And the range depends on my Mana.” I suddenly saw Ricky’s hand sneaking onto Noel’s shoulders, his glancing eyes glinted with a feeling of concern.

“But are you sure you want to reincarnate? Because you’ll leave everything behind, you know?” He motioned to my living space and my things—my manga and novel, my favourite web novel; everything. I started to ponder. If I were to reincarnate now, I won’t be able to see the ending for the novel “The Evil Villainess is My Lover”, but I’m already at the climax, and I don’t think I’ll stumble upon this opportunity anywhere else anymore.

“Ah. How about you give me some special perk or something? You know, like the ones in the reincarnation novel where the main character possess an amazing power or something.”

“Oh.. That sound’s fun.” He nodded while caning his chin.

“And what do you want to be?”

Here comes the question!

“I want to be something majestic! Like the last boss or something. Something that make people stare at you in awe when you appeared.” I rambled. My request sounded preposterous. If I wanted to be the last boss I might as well be a demon king, but in the novel “The Villainess is My Lover”, there’s this one character called Aiden Mikael, an angel transcended from heaven who was in love with the second female lead, the kind and cheerful girl, Rosaria.

Since the beginning of his introduction, I’ve been raring to also possess his beauty. Because, I’m just a common university girl with dark brown hair and a pair of normal looking eyes. I wondered what it feels like to be beautiful, to be looked upon in awe and to be secretly admired, like the angel and these two figures in front of me.

“So, you want to be majestic, huh? I see. Then, how about your ability?”

“You can decide on that one, but I wanted to at least have an online shopping store.”

He suddenly chuckled. “What? Are you trying to be like that one adventurer who possess an online shopping power and ventured throughout the world while having a big dog, slime and a small dragon with him?”

My eyes lit up again. “You’ve read that one?”

“Of course. I love laid back adventure stories.”

The phone suddenly bleeped.

“Oh, excuse me.” I switched it off, which was actually my alarm clock. The time is showing 4 am on it.

“We really should get going. It’s almost dawn.” Ricky reminded.

Noel gazed at him and nodded as a response.

“Give me a few moment, Miss Suna.” He lifted both of his hands and brought it to his chest. As he closed his eyes, the room again was lit by a blinding light coming from his hands. I was bracing the probability that he might instantly reincarnate me into another world and closed my eyes. However, after a few moments, rather than me appearing in another space, I was still standing inside my room while in my usual pyjama. The only difference that the earlier light made was a pendant that appeared in his hands out of nowhere.

“Here.” He dangled the pendant in front of me. It was a teardrop shaped, equipped with black straps and the substance that was used to make this pendant is soft, like rubber.

“When you’re ready to reincarnate, break this pendant. It will immediately bring you into the world you want. However, you must be quick, because this pendant has its own expiry date.” Noel informed; his smile looked a bit fatigued.

“Expiry date? When was that?”

Noel pondered. “In about three weeks from now?”

I pondered. This is the first time I saw someone giving time for the reincarnator to spend their last days in their original world. A lot of story line plot indicates an instant transfer, which made the main character in either in denial or clueless. But I guess giving time also interrupts the thrill.

I thanked the two of them again, bowing my upper body as low as I can to show my respect. They waved me a goodbye, before leaving through the door. I stared briefly at the pendant, and dashed to the door to see them off the apartment complex, but they’re gone, completely without a trace.

My encounter with Noel Kieran and Ricky Kruger the wanderer pair was not a dream. That, I can ascertain them myself.

To make sure that my reincarnation went well, I finished all my thesis that the lecturer gave me, hang out with my friends, and cherished the few days visit to my hometown, while also saying how much I love my family and how grateful I am for them. Although weirded out, my father was the happiest to hear his youngest daughter loving confession and ordered a high-class meat from his farmer friend to have a barbeque, a few nights before I return back to Tokyo.

I was at the railway station, when I hesitated. Won’t my family feel sad when I’m gone? And what about my friends? I know I’m the quietest in my circle, but I do have friends that share the same interest with me.

I paused, when I saw the web novel again. The web novel, which has stretched into a few hundred episode and was nearing its end, was my company for all these years of my life. I sat down on one of the benches and started reading again, this time from the start.

By the time I realized my surroundings, they’ve already announced the arrival of the last train in about a few minutes. I switched off the phone, resolute with my decision. I switched my phone off and adjusted my scarf around my neck. Walking onto the line with everybody else who just returned from work, I hold the pendant tightly in my hand.

Another announcement of an upcoming train that didn’t stop at my station came through. As the siren wailed and the said train fast approaching, I darted from the platform, passing through the safety line, and straight onto the train’s front.