Looking up at the ceiling without focusing on anything, Ryoko recalled her previous life. People had always told her that she’d never know what life may bring, but she never expected she’d have to think back about what she’d left undone after her death.
The pre-order is automatically canceled since I didn’t pick it up that day... Oh, but the cashier lady gave me such a nice call to tell me she’d saved a copy when I couldn’t pick it up after working late, last time. Maybe she kept a copy for me again. I feel bad...
The cashier lady, whom she’d been acquainted with since high school, was the only non-family member she could show her true otaku colors around. She had always greeted her with a smile when she entered the store, so Ryoko always answered with a smile, too.
Speaking of, I’ve got a task at work that’s due soon. I was going to input all the data tomorrow. I wonder if the newbie can handle it. I’m sure they’ll help her with it. And there’s a manual, too... Thank goodness I made that manual.
She’d jokingly told her apprentice, “I made you a cheat sheet in case I go AWOL or end up dead!” but she had never expected to actually end up dead.
I can only hope that my sisters wipe my hard drive before my parents look through it...
This was Ryoko’s one and only regret in life. Her home computer contained all sorts of data that she couldn’t allow anyone to find. This Pandora’s Box contained X-rated materials, fanfiction, some emo poems from back in the day... If she could come back to life, she would erase them all with her own two hands.
I did tell my sisters to pour water on my computer and turn the power on to short it out after my death... And that I’d haunt them if they peeked. It should be fine... It will be fine... Please, sisters, I beg you. I’d rather die than... Well, I’m already dead, but I can’t haunt them now that I’m reincarnated!
Now, Ryoko began to resent the strangest elements of her death.
Right. I can’t watch the TV shows I’ve recorded, either.
With how busy she was at work, her pile of unwatched recordings of TV shows was constantly maxing out her DVR. She always forgot to watch them on the weekends and often had to make the difficult decision to delete an entire season, unwatched.
I was going back home this weekend, too. They always get me a cake. I wish I could have had it.
Perhaps out of concern for their still single daughter, Ryoko’s parents had made sure to invite her back to their home at least once a month, whether it was for Christmas, family birthdays, or just because. After her sisters got married, it was rare for all five of them to be back at the house together, but they had planned to all come for Ryoko’s birthday party.
I was going to buy some good ice cream for all of us...
Then, she realized. In fact, she had been avoiding the thought until now, but the realization hit her, nonetheless.
I’ll never see my family, or my coworkers, or my friends, or anyone I know, ever again...
Once she’d finally realized this, she felt a sting in her nostrils and her eyes heated up. Sobs came up her throat, suffocating her.
The last time she’d seen her family had been a month ago. When she ran out of her stock of rice, she went to have dinner at her parents’ house. As her mother scolded her for not calling before showing up, she clinked her glass of beer with her father’s. She snacked on the sashimi and simmered potatoes her mother prepared while listening to her father complain about his work, and she wolfed down a bowl of her mother’s special wild rice.
“Eat some vegetables, too,” her mother said, as she presented a plate of steamed spinach. Ryoko recalled how delicious it had been. Then, her mother poured herself a drink and asked, “You’re almost 35. Have you thought about marriage at all?”
When Ryoko jokingly responded, “No one’s fallen out of the sky and into my lap, so far,” her mother only looked exasperated, but her father gave a happy chuckle, perhaps encouraged by the booze. As she left, her mother told her to come over again on her birthday weekend. That she’d have a cake ready, at least. When Ryoko returned to the condo, she saw a pair of texts from her younger sisters, which was rare since they didn’t write (or type) her often. The messages were to tell Ryoko they’d be there for her birthday party, and that she should look forward to her presents. While it almost felt silly to have her birthday celebrated at that age, Ryoko distinctly remembered how happy those texts had made her.
I was actually looking forward to my present...
Albeit with small changes here and there, Ryoko was convinced that her ordinary life would continue. Maybe she would have gotten married, down the road. If she didn’t, she would have taken care of her parents while continuing to work hard. She would have spoiled her sisters’ children, and once she retired, she would have lived off of her savings, gone into a nursing home before dementia hit her, and would have been happy just to have her sisters take care of her funeral after she died. At the very least, she had no intention of disappointing her parents by dying before them.
...Sorry. I’m sorry... I’m sorry for being a bad daughter, a stupid sister...
With her family on her mind, Ryoko could no longer contain herself.
A baby’s cry echoed through the room. Meria, the nanny, rushed back in upon hearing the sudden outburst. Normally, Herscherik was very well behaved after meals. The worst he did was have a few crying fits at night. During the day, all he needed was his stuffed animal by his side to be completely content. It was in a baby’s nature to cry, but Meria would occasionally grow nervous of how easygoing Herscherik was. He ate a lot, slept a lot, and laughed a lot. Herscherik was the epitome of an agreeable child.
When Meria came into the room, Herscherik was on his back on the carpet, crying with his face bright red.
“Lord Herscherik, did you hurt yourself!?”
Meria frantically picked him up and rubbed the back of his head, where she suspected an injury. No bump on his shapely head, though. She held Herscherik so he could comfortably lean on her and stroked his back. As she did, his cries subsided and Meria sighed in relief.
“Did you fall over and give yourself a scare, Lord Herscherik?”
Meria stood, still holding the sniffling Herscherik, and gently bounced the baby to calm him down.
“Your face is all red now.”
With that, Meria took Herscherik to the full-length mirror. Since Herscherik had pale skin, his red cheeks particularly stood out. Meria stood in front of the mirror and turned Herscherik to see his reflection. When she did, he immediately stopped crying, strangely enough. Meria looked at Herscherik to find him frozen and his eyes widened. To top it off, he was pinching his red cheek with his little fingers.
“Lord Herscherik, don’t pinch yourself. That must hurt.”
With a gentle reprimand, Meria carefully detached his tiny hand from his cheek. Still, Herscherik’s eyes were as wide as they could be.
...For real?
Herscherik, or Ryoko, was too astounded to cry or try to speak. The reflection in the mirror was nothing less than that of an angel. With silky, light blond hair, innocent and pale skin... An infantile yet beautiful facial structure, and eyes like high-quality jade. Ryoko already had no doubt that the angel in her reflection would grow up to become a gorgeous girl. She recalled some scholar on TV who said that babies are all born cute so everyone will adore them. The beauty in that mirror, however, was on another level entirely.
Ryoko was, most decidedly, not a narcissist. In fact, she considered herself a four out of ten on a good day and didn’t like saying or hearing anything about her appearance. Whenever anyone complimented her on it, she only wondered what devious scheme they were undoubtedly hatching. However, she also possessed the weakness of blushing and melting in front of the screen whenever a romantic interest in one of her games gave her a compliment.
Am I in a romance game!?
Internally, Ryoko cheered in victory. She did feel bad for her parents, and she would miss her sisters... She also felt sorry for the driver who’d hit her as she ran into the crosswalk on a blinking walk sign, who would have to live with the crime of manslaughter. In the case of the driver, though, they didn’t stop or check to see if anyone was crossing the crosswalk, and it wasn’t like she wanted to die, so...
We’ll call it even.
She’d definitely died, yes, but to her fortune, she carried over the memories of her previous life onto a literal second shot at life.
As such a pretty girl, too!
She never disliked her appearance in her previous life, considering that her mother gave birth to her and her father worked hard to raise her. Still, didn’t everyone dream of having a face as beautiful as the protagonist of a comic book or video game at some point in their life? Perhaps even men dreamed of looking like the male protagonists or handsome characters in whatever mediums they enjoyed, Ryoko imagined.
Blond hair and blue eyes! Thank you, god! Oh, thank you, thank you!
Ryoko was really grateful, despite her lack of faith in any god in her previous life.
“Let’s change your diaper, shall we?”
Oblivious to Ryoko’s internal overjoying, Meria placed the baby on the bed and began changing her diaper with familiarity.
I know it has to be done, but it’s a little embarrassing to... What the!?
Having calmed down a little, Ryoko peeked her head up to look at her loins. There was something there that hadn’t been in her previous life. The only times she had seen that thing in real life was when she used to take baths with her father before she started elementary school. Between her legs protruded a decidedly un-feminine apparatus.
“Aggghhhhh!”
A baby’s cry, or more like a scream, echoed off the walls.
And so, Ryoko Hayakawa was reincarnated as Prince Herscherik, the seventh prince of the kingdom of Gracis, with blond hair, blue eyes, and looks as beautiful as a girl.