Chapter 1: The Phone and Reincarnation
My name was Zaky Ikito, and I used to live in Japan with my parents... but that was in the past. Now, I have lived and worked in America for the past five years.
I was 29 years old and still single. Ahem—don't mock me! I wasn't ugly; in fact, many women wanted to be with me. But... having a wife was troublesome.
And here I am now waiting for a taxi to go home.
"Why is this taking so long…" I muttered while waiting for a taxi.
I usually flew back to Japan for the New Year, and today happened to be New Year's... a very rare coincidence
So, I was currently waiting for a taxi to head to the airport. I leaned lightly on one foot, my other hand slipped into my pocket.
I checked the watch on my wrist and sighed softly. Honestly, I was nervous. Why? People had been staring at me since I got here.
As I said before, I was quite attractive—no, I was very attractive by this world's standards. With my purple eyes and black hair, who wouldn't look?
After waiting long enough, the taxi finally arrived. I didn't waste time and quickly got inside.
The taxi driver asked me immediately, "Location?"
"Kyoto Airport," I answered flatly.
He only nodded and immediately sped towards the destination. During the trip, I passed the time by reading a novel on my device.
It might sound childish, but ever since "that" incident, reading had become my hobby.
We arrived at the airport half an hour later. Closing my device, I got out of the taxi, paid the fare, and stepped inside the airport.
An hour passed. Now, here I was, seated next to the right-side window of the airplane. There was a woman next to me, but I ignored her.
She seemed to be playing a game. I blinked once, then opened my device again and resumed reading.
Two hours flew by quickly. Neither of us had started a conversation.
I glanced at the "game woman"—I'll just call her that—again. It was probably the fifth time. She was still playing, and her age was probably in her mid-twenties.
'Still playing games even though she's an adult...' I thought unconsciously.
Cough!
I coughed lightly. Feeling awkward, I decided to start a conversation.
"Hello, Miss, may I get to know you?" I asked, trying to be formal.
The game woman, upon hearing my question, turned her head. Her face was blank... and slightly annoyed.
"What?"
My eyebrow twitched. 'So rude,' I grumbled internally.
"You heard me."
"No, I didn't," the woman retorted.
Then she went back to playing. I was stunned by her harsh tone and remained silent. A vein throbbed in my forehead.
'What is she? That's it??' I thought stiffly, my lips twitching.
"Rude," I muttered softly, afraid she would hear.
But unfortunately, she did. The woman glared at me immediately and asked sharply, "What did you say?"
I blinked. "...What?" I replied, feigning innocence, though I was slightly sweating.
She heard my innocent tone, and her eyes widened even more. She looked like she wanted to throw me out the airplane window if she could.
She sighed heavily, then said, "You want to get acquainted with me?"
'No, this is just because it's awkward!'
I forced myself to give a gentle smile. Internally, I sighed with relief.
"That's right, Miss."
She raised one eyebrow as if she had just realized something. "For a man who's quite handsome, you're polite..."
Leaning her back against the airplane seat, the woman continued. "But no, I don't want to be involved right now."
'Who said I wanted to be involved with you!?'
"Ha-ha! I know. I just wanted to know your name, Miss."
"My name is Lia Mysari." She answered while shifting her body.
Then she looked at me one last time and said. "Be grateful I told you my name, so keep quiet now," she finished haughtily.
I flinched. My face instantly flushed, not from embarrassment, but from—anger. 'I really want to slap that arrogant mouth!'
I took a slow breath to restrain myself from throwing a fit.
"Alright, Miss Lia Mysari," I said softly while looking out the window, dismissing the annoyance. "I hope you have a pleasant journey."
She didn't answer, just snorted softly, and went back to staring at her phone screen. I glanced at her again through the corner of my eye.
'What kind of woman is that? I only asked for an introduction, it doesn't mean I like you!'
I forced myself to calm down and opened the novel on my device again. But somehow, I couldn't focus. Word after word went by without sinking in.
After a few minutes, the flight attendant's voice came through the loudspeaker.
[Dear passengers, we are experiencing minor weather difficulties. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.]
"Hmm?" I lifted my head and looked towards the window. The sky, which had been clear, was now dark and overcast, with lightning occasionally flashing.
The plane began to shake gently. Some passengers started whispering nervously. I looked over at Lia; the woman whom I had thought was aloof was now gripping the back of the seat in front of her tightly. Her usually smug face had paled slightly.
Seeing her like that, I smiled faintly, somewhat mocking.
"Scared, are we?" I asked, feeling a little satisfied.
She glared at me sharply. "No, I just... don't like vibrations like this."
'A classic excuse,' I thought to myself. But I didn't laugh at her.
Suddenly, a massive clap of thunder roared. The lightning actually struck the plane's left wing. At that moment, the alarm became even louder, and the lights inside the plane flickered rapidly.
"What's happening!?"
People on the plane started screaming loudly, the panic spreading quickly. The plane shook violently.
"Ah! No!
"I don't want to die!"
"Damn it! Why is this happening now?" I muttered. I wasn't scared—I mean, only a little, no... I was terrified! Absolutely terrified!
"No, no, no!! I don't want to die like this!!" Now I was as frightened as Lia.
If I were to die being hit by Truck-kun, maybe it would be okay—but I was on a plane right now! And the chances of dying were high.
The flight attendant shouted, "Heads down! Hold onto the seat in front of you!"
I quickly ducked, following the flight attendant's instructions. My body trembled violently, not just because the plane was falling, but because of the fear pressing against my chest.
"Bad! This is really serious!"
From the window, I could see flashes of fire on the plane's left wing. Some passengers screamed and prayed loudly.
I looked over at Lia—the woman I had thought was arrogant now looked at me with wide, terrified eyes.
She suddenly gripped my hand.
"Hey!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"Please don't let go!" she said, panicking.
I couldn't say anything. Our hands were both trembling.
'Damn… is this the end of my life? I haven't even gone home... haven't even gotten married!'
The plane began to tilt sharply to the right, causing all the baggage above our heads to fall. The sound of crying, praying, and screaming mixed into one chaotic noise.
Lia and I closed our eyes while hugging each other—I didn't know when it happened, but we didn't care.
'Mother, goodbye.'
Then, with a tremendous crash, the plane hit the ground and exploded.
DOOMMM!!
A few moments after the plane exploded, something appeared—Lia's phone. The phone floated in the air.
The area of the plane crash, where Zaky and Lia had been, was reduced to debris and wreckage. But, strangely, the phone had not a single scratch.
The phone lit up brightly, and a text appeared on its screen:
[Player and anomaly confirmed. Reincarnation process initiated]
[10%]
[40%]
[78%]
[100%]
[Process complete! Initiating Reincarnation]