5

Noel

“Okay class. Our lecture will end now. For those who’s absent in today’s lecture, the other student please tell them to come to my desk and retrieve their module.” The lecturer said before letting the students leave the class.

            In the hallway, Noel was putting his things into the locker situated in the hallway of the university, where it can be rented from the main office.

"Hey."

A familiar deep voice greeted him from his back, along with a gentle scent of lavender.

"Oh."

Noel turned around to see the douche who he had bathed earlier in the morning was scowling at him together with his other henchmen. The douche looked angry.

"You think you can run away after tricking us, huh? What's this?"

The douche threw the pouch that Noel gave him yesterday beside where Noel stood. Stones flew out from the pouch as it hit the marble surface of the floor. Noel raised his eyebrow in surprise.

Hm? Did he just gave him Pouch of Greed yeaterday? The pouch will grant you what you want, be it money and anything this world can offer, but if you're greedy enough and wanting more than what’s you’re worthy of, all of the things you asked will disappear or turned into stone.

... Guess this douche's worth ain't that much, huh?

"Might be because you're new here, but you need to know well, who is at the top of the food chain here."

He grinned mockingly while his so called friends behind him snickered. As usual, the kids around them ignored them as if they didn't want to get involved. Noel heaved another sigh of exasperation once again just for this bully in front of me. He’s the one who bathed him and yet he didn’t even know how to be grateful?

"Oh, top the food chain, eh?"

Noel poked the douche's chest. Suddenly, the impact from that one single finger managed to throw him across the other side of the hallway, the crowd that slowly formed gasped in shock.

"Who? You?"

Noel sneered.

"If the top of the food chain in this school is you, who didn't even know how to take a bath and needing someone to tend to him, then this establishment pretty sucks, huh?"

Noel said, scolding not only that douche, but also other people who didn’t take action towards bastard like them and stayed stagnant without change, as if accepting this imbecile to be their leader. If he were to be in Noel’s original world, he should’ve threw him to feed the dogs.

The crowd gasped. The douche's eyes widened and he instantly blushed. Suddenly, he remembered of the reason behind him being squeaky clean—without his armpit hair and pubic hair gone.

"Don't tell me, you-" He pointed to Noel, his face was in utter shock.

            Noel let out another sneer, finally having his words pierce through that douche’s thick skull.

"Yes, I'm the one who bathe you, cuz your basic hygiene sucks and you're drunk as heck last night. I'm thinking of handing you to the police, but thinking that even the police might not want to come near your rotting scent, I'm unfortunately have to become the one who need to take care of you."

Noel spat. He ended his words with a mild curse, a bastard and a degenerate, before crossing his arms on his chest, tapping his fingers impatiently on his forearms.  

The crowd fell silent. Then, soft, mocking chuckles could be heard anywhere from the crowd.

"You..."

The douche gritted his teeth, the vein on his jaw appeared as he displayed a look of dismay. Strangely enough, Noel feel himself creasing his brows, an unknown feeling mixed with agony and worry stirred up inside him when he saw the douche’s agonizing face. The douche scowled again before he stood up and stomped away angrily, followed by his still fazed friends. Noel sighed in satisfaction. He’s convinced that at least that douche won't disturb him anymore for the time being.

After the crowd dispersed, Noel continue on putting his things inside the locker while he whistled, feeling awarded for speaking his mind rather than being quiet. Maybe it was his mistake to take the roulette and it rolled to NERD, which was what he had to become when he transmigrated to Earth. Being a nerd really doesn’t suit his personality as a king.

Noel halted. His eyes blinked several times, recalling the moment where the douche shot him an angry look. They’ve met each other too much in just a span of two days, Noel couldn’t help getting curious about him.

"…Now that I remembered..."

Noel looked at the hallway where the douche went off to.

"What's his name I wonder?"

He stared at the empty hallway—after other students had left the uni to go home—expressionlessly for a few moments. Another feeling of conflict masked his face, whether he should meet him again or not.

"…Maybe I'll ask him later. I hope I don't forget his face."

Noel resumed cleaning his things before humming and sauntered along the hallway.

***

Ricky

Ricky clenched his fist as he stomped upstairs in his house.

"That bastard, how dare he embarrass me in front of the students?!"

He threw his backpack and it landed on a pile of neatly folded clothes—which was never been there before. In an instant, his seething anger was replaced with an aghast. He stared at the clothes wide eyed, his blue iris gradually filled with horror.

"Who...."

He darted his eyes around the corner of the room frantically and remembered about a possible stalking that happened in his house since this morning. Alarmed, he ran downstairs and took out a kitchen knife.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!"

He pointed the knife at random directions. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he warily looked around. Slowly, while still pointing the knife, he made his way to the porch outside of his house.

For a safety precaution, he locked the entrance door. Because, if there’s a possibility that the stalker was hostile and was set to kill him, them trying to open the door would give him time to escape. After locking his house, he sat at the steps not too far from the door and scrunched his hair—mostly in frustration rather than fear. It was a terrible day for him. Not only he got humiliated by a nerd, his house also got occupied by a stalker. A crazy... yet terrifyingly neat stalker.

His eyes suddenly drifted down to the dark wooden floor of the porch. Instigatingly, just because, he put one of his index finger down and swiped it for a bit. He then raised his finger and rubbed it’s surface with a thumb. There’s no dust at all. The porch—who he’d never cleaned since he moved there— was squeaky clean, like someone just thoroughly furnished it.

He fell into a deep, long silence.

Ricky suddenly choked a laughter. He laughed and laughed, until some of the passer by in front of his house shot him a strange look. A few moments after he stopped laughing, he heaved a long sigh. Somehow, he felt very tired. His mental and his physical capabilities felt like they've worked for too long to even comprehend anything anymore.

"Okay...."

He gradually stood up and swiftly unlocked the door. The only thing that he wanted to do now was to go to sleep.

GRRRR…

And maybe order some food too. His tummy was grumbling.

If the stalker harmed me, then I'll make a report. If not, I'll just let it be. They will pass soon I guess.

Ricky thought as he entered the house.

Suddenly, a spicy smell eroded his nostrils as it came from the kitchen. His eyelids briefly twitched, before he clutched the knife close to him as he inched closer to the kitchen.

When he entered the kitchen, he noticed that on the kitchen counter, a plate of beef curry and a glass of iced lemon tea was served and a simple note was etched beside it. Ricky gave his surroundings a last wary look before taking the note and reluctantly flipped the folded paper open. In it, were a scribbling of small, rounded words. He squinted his eyes for a better look.

Rest well

P/S: I've refolded your clothes.

Pls be careful next time.

Ricky stuttered, feeling his senses gradually went numb as his head went blank. He paced his eyes between the steamy beef curry and the refreshing iced tea, didn’t know whether he should feel afraid anymore or not. His tummy grumbled again, reminding him that it needs to be filled. He suddenly chuckled again, this time sounding more defeated than ever.

He folded back the paper and neatly placed it beside the plate. Without thinking of further pursuing the whoever person who was in his house, or even thinking about calling the police, he sat lazily in front of the dish and started to sip on the tea.

In an instant, the zesty flavor coming from the freshly cut lemons arouses his synapses and refreshed his mind until the point where he accidentally mouthed a WOW. Then, he generously scooped the rice and beef curry and put it in his mouth. He then again, accidentally let out a delightful moan when the spices from the curry hit his taste buds. The two of these dishes quickly became his favorite for the day, topping the cheese pizza that he always ate all his life.

After that unexpectedly enjoyable dinner, Ricky took some time to wash his face and brush his teeth, before he went to the bedroom to lay down on the bed, and fell asleep instantly when he hit the bed.

In the midst of him snoring, a small soul appeared from behind the closet doors and gently arranged the clothes that was beside Ricky into the closet. Looking at Ricky's satisfied face after cleaning the plate of curry, that little soul softly chuckled and smiled.