That Time I Was Reincarnated

It began like any other day. I had returned home after another long day of work. I made myself some popcorn, sat down on my chair, and turned on the TV to see if there was anything good on.

Another one of these shows, I thought, when I saw what was playing on TV. They had been appearing everywhere lately.

If you are not aware, in a lot of shows lately, someone gets sent to another world, gets powers, goes on adventures, makes friends, and becomes some sort of hero. They’ve been released a dime a dozen over the past few years, but for some reason I just couldn’t stop watching them. Perhaps subconsciously, I longed for something like that to happen to me.

I wasn’t sure why I felt this way. After all, I had a decent job with a stable income and a little house, all to myself. But for some reason, it all just felt so empty. Every day I would get up, take the bus to the office, get done with the day's work, take the bus back home, watch some television, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. At some point, however, each day blends with all the others.

But when I watched the characters on the screen, I couldn’t help but feel that their lives were just so—interesting, if that’s a good way to put it. All the adventures they went on, all the situations they ended up in—something about it just engaged me in a way that my own life failed to do. I suppose, at the very least, it was something to look forward to after a long day of work.

Unfortunately, my relaxation wouldn’t last for long. I began to fall asleep in my chair as I listened to the TV. But the sound of a honking vehicle jolted me awake. I could see a bright light from behind, and then everything went dark.

When I woke up again, I found myself floating in a dark void, with the sole exception of a luminous presence in front of me. As my eyes began to adjust to this light, I was able to make out a radiant woman in front of me, sitting on a golden throne.

She wore an elegant white gown with draped ribbon-like sleeves and a translucent white scarf that flowed around her body. She had long, silky blonde hair and sparkling golden eyes. On her head was a golden tiara decorated with diamonds.

A glowing white aura radiated from her, telling me that she must be a divine figure—a goddess, like in those shows? Was she perhaps the key to my next life, whatever that could be? Did she summon me to fulfill some sort of holy mission? Wanting to make a good impression, I bowed to her.

However, the woman in question merely put her hand on her chin, not even bothering to look me in the eyes; her disinterest was abundantly clear. And without any pause, she snapped her fingers.

"Hey! What th-"

I didn’t get to finish my sentence, as everything around me disappeared, and my new ‘life’ began...