I woke with a gasping breath. Fear and confusion flooded my brain. I sat up and looked around me in a panic. The last memories I had were dying next to Gale so… how was I still alive? The surroundings confused me even more. Instead of the modern street where I’d died, I woke up in a forest.

The trees surrounding me were incredibly tall. The dense foliage blocked the majority of sunlight, leaving the small clearing I sat in cast in shadow. I looked to my side, and laying there was an unconscious Gale. 

“Gale!” I shouted, panicked, before scrambling over to check on him. He seemed to be unconscious, but the rise and fall of his chest signified he wasn’t dead. His shirt had a familiar hole in it, but beneath was unblemished skin. My initial panic caused me to gloss over something that belatedly came to my senses. 

For some reason, my voice sounded strange. And when had I ever had hair this long? I glanced down and my heart froze. What the hell?! Why was I a girl?? I was still wearing my outfit from the bar - jeans, a dark hoodie, and I can say with certainty that the two rising peaks on my chest were not there!

“What the hell is going on…?” I asked. The unfamiliar voice tickled my throat. As if in response, something appeared in my vision. 

[Congratulations, Host. You have activated the Heroine Creation System.]

I blinked a few times. Had I hit my head that hard? Was I hallucinating? This must be some vision my brain created in a fear-induced chemical cocktail. I raised a hand to my cheek and pinched. With a sharp pain, my hand dropped to my side limply. This wasn’t a dream. 

[Correct. You are fully conscious.]

I looked towards the letters in my vision. They were anchored like game text, following along my vision unless I actively concentrated on looking at them. 

“What…is happening?” I asked slowly. The unfamiliar voice was throwing me off. 

[Due to intense desire at the time of your death, you have been given a second opportunity at life.]

“Second opportunity? Fine, but… how does that translate to turning me into a girl…?” 

[The system was incapable of activating with your previous gender. As such, adjustments were made.]

I looked in disbelief. Adjustments? Changing my gender entirely was an adjustment?! I put a hand to my face and sighed. I frowned at the sensation of my skin. It was soft, free of blemishes. I reached for my phone, and to my surprise, found it still in my pocket. Pulling it out, I activated the camera and was shocked at the scene reflected in the screen. 

My first thought was that the girl was cute. She had delicate features, clear skin, and brown hair that fell past her chin. She was wearing oversized clothing, like a girl wearing hand-me-down’s from an older brother. A strange expression was on her face - like a mix of confusion and exasperation. She looked to be in her early twenties, yet somehow her countenance reminded me of a fluffy animal. 

It took a moment to register that the person I thought was cute was… me. I gently set my phone down on my knee and stared into the distance. Could I reject the system? I briefly considered floating back into the endless dark of oblivion before rejecting it. Why the hell was this happening to me? 

I looked at Gale. Still a guy. I frowned. Why did it have to be me? I reached out a foot and halfheartedly kicked his leg. Bastard. Still, he tried to save my life. I decided I could forgive the man that died for me.

[Hero selection chosen: ‘Gale’ has been registered as ‘Hero.’]

“Huh?” 

I broke out in a cold sweat as I read those words. My mind slowly pieced together the pieces of information. Woke up after death. Reincarnated as a cute girl. Supposedly a heroine. And Gale was the hero? 

My eyebrows raised in panic. My pupils dilated as I tried to talk, my mouth dry. 

“System… what do you mean by ‘hero’ and ‘heroine’?” I asked, voice cracking, hoping I was incorrect. 

[The Hero is a being designated to restoring peace. As the Heroine, it is your duty to support him.]

“Oh, thank god… nothing else?” I said, half talking to the system. 

[Naturally, as the Heroine, if you desire you could initiate a romantic relationshi-]

“Thank you, got it, nothing else!” I said, smiling. I thought for a moment. “Am I still sick?” I swallowed, half afraid of the answer. 

[No. As a reincarnator and host of the system, your health is exceptional, and you have an above average life expectancy.]

I stared at those words. A flurry of emotions swirled in my heart. A grin broke across my face. My vision went blurry, and I wiped the emerging tears from my eyes. I laughed in-between quiet sobs. 

I wasn’t sick. Wouldn’t die. Well, again at least. I laid down, stretched out and stared at the canopy. Was green always that vivid? I breathed in the clean forest air. I took a deep, shuddering breath. 

Turning into a girl certainly wasn’t what I hoped for, but in comparison to dying in a few short months… well, maybe it wasn’t so bad. A weight lifted off my shoulders. 

It had been a burden I was carrying alone. I never told Gale. I didn’t want pity to stain our relationship. We’d been distanced for some time, mostly communicating via online methods. Chances to meet up in real life had grown few and far between. As far as I knew, Gale’s radiant smile was unwavering. I thought of his sister. I hadn’t spoken with her much, but she seemed nice. A pang of guilt swept across my heart when I realized that Gale had died before saying goodbye. 

“System, what are we doing here? Is it possible to go back?” I asked. 

[Although possible, it is not recommended for the Host.]

“What do you mean?” 

[The two of you may choose to go back after your mission is completed. However, you will be returned to your old vessels. Your terminal illness would not have changed.]

I stared at those words, rolling them over in my mind. So… Gale could go back safely, assuming the system healed the gunshots. But if I returned, I’d be stuck with the looming threat of death. 

“What mission are you talking about?” I asked after realizing I had skimmed over an important detail.

[Naturally, it is the duty of the Hero and Heroine to destroy the Demon King.]

I stared in disbelief. What kind of setting was this?! I had never even shot a gun, much less swung a sword, and suddenly I was being asked to fight a Demon King?  ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novｅlfire.net

[The system can support the Host’s endeavors, given the Host provides compensation.]

“Support? What compensation?” 

[The Host must exchange ‘Hero Points’ for items or skills in the system’s shop. The Host may earn these points by performing tasks befitting your status alongside the Hero. The shop will be locked until you have earned a sufficient baseline of points.]

My head began to throb at the influx of information. I decided to leave the situation for later. For now, I needed to wake Gale up and find some shelter. We couldn’t sit in the elements for long. I stood up, walked over to Gale, and started slapping his face gently. 

“Hey! Wake up!” I said, raising my voice. 

His eyelids fluttered open and he looked at me. We stared at each other for an uncomfortable length of time before he sat up, rubbing his face. He suddenly looked around in a panic and looked towards me again. 

“Who are you? Where’s my friend?” He demanded suddenly. I could hear faint traces of panic in his otherwise controlled voice. 

I smiled awkwardly as I gestured towards my clothes. I help up my phone, typed in the password and showed him my screen. He stared at the raunchy anime-girl photo I had set as my background. He’d been teasing me about it for a while. I raised a finger towards my chest, saying, “I’m Aaron.” 

His eyes raised from my phone screen to my face. Then lowered to my chest. Back to my face. Then to my chest again. 

“You’re Aaron?” He asked in disbelief. I nodded. He laid back down and stared at the canopy. The scene felt a bit familiar, but thinking we didn’t have time for this, I kicked his shoulder. 

“Get up, we need to go.” 

He didn’t respond, so I kept kicking him in the same spot with increasing intensity. At the fourth kick, he suddenly grabbed my ankle, halting my attack. “Stop kicking me! I get it!” He sighed, clambering to his feet. He stared at me again, face in contemplation. I crossed my arms and frowned. 

“You certainly act like him… but I don’t remember Aaron being so…” He looked at my chest again, and made large, gesturing moves with his hands. 

“…Spirited.” 

My face blushed and I covered my chest. “Can you not stare at me? It’s creepy.” I said softly.

Gale stopped dead in his tracks, staring at my face. His arms dropped limply to his sides, and I thought I heard him whisper something. 

“Oh man, that’s dangerous…” 

“What did you say?” I asked. “What, don’t believe me still?” 

He shook his head sharply and replied, “No, no, I believe you, I believe you.” He smiled awkwardly and rubbed his hair, looking around at the surrounding foliage. 

“Where are we anyways?” He asked.

“No clue,” I replied, following his gaze. I looked towards him, curiously, and asked, “Do you see anything weird? Like text from a video game?”

He raised an eyebrow at me before shaking his head. “You do?”

I nodded, embarrassed. “It says that we um…” I trailed off awkwardly. 

He stared at me expectantly. “We…?”

“We’re the Hero and the, uh, Heroine.” I finished, spitting out the words.

He stared at me for a moment before busting out laughing. Our faces reddened - his from laughter, mine from embarrassment. 

“Hah- ah, what does this ‘system’ of yours do?” He asked, choking between gasping laughs, wiping tears from his face. 

I covered my face with my hands, not daring to look him in the eyes. 

“We do good things and the system…gives us stuff.” I replied, my voice a near-whisper.

“What, like side quests and stuff?” He asked, his voice finally recovering from his mirth. 

I nodded, and looked to the side awkwardly. 

“Alright, I get it. Don’t get so embarrassed, I’m not laughing at you, I promise.” Gale said, reaching out a hand to pet the top of my head. 

I brushed his hand off after a moment and mumbled, “Sure, whatever. Let’s get going.” He shrugged helplessly and looked around. 

We picked a direction and started walking.