1 Chapter 1 - The Strongest Princess was Born!

I live to overwork.

"Hey, hey, Dexter. Where are you going?" One of my officemates asked me, a 43-year old senior. I looked at the clock hung against the wall just above the door.

"Se—Sir, it's already time to go home." I was about to say |senpai| but managed to stop myself. Oooh, I've been wanting to call my officemates like this for a while. Damn that manga I've been reading recently. It's about a girl who fell in love with his upperclassman. She's been going around following the guy calling him 'senpai, this…' and 'senpai, that…'. I think I've been having withdrawal of this manga, myself, since I've been hung up to calling somebody senpai too.

Senpai!

And yes, it's shoujo. What's wrong with a guy reading shoujo manga! It touches the heart you know! The kokoro!

Anyway –

"Are you done with your work?" He asked me. He's a guy.

I gulped, delaying my reply. I had a bad feeling about this. I should've stealthily moved! I should've used my ninja prowess!

I sighed, mentally. What's done is done, Hellium! You can't turn back time!

I produced the fakest smile I could produce and looked back at him. He was grinning like an idiot, probably thinking that I had already known the reason why he is intentionally delaying me leaving.

"Y-yes." I answered.

My senior laughed like he just hit the jackpot. A cold sweat traced my cheeks down to my neck.

Oh please not now. I've been looking forward today! They're going to release the first episode of one of my favorite series today! I mean, I already know what would happen since I've finished its light novel, but the feeling of actually watching the characters move around and hear their voices, their seiyuus… It's an irreplaceable feeling, you know?!

"Good, then! I've got the perfect job for you!" He shouted in glee. He hurriedly scooped up the scattered documents on his table and pushed it onto me. "It's the same thing as always. You always save me, Dexter. Next time, when you need help, I'll be there."

And with that, he just left me.

Alone in this old building… and this gloomy room…

|I'll be there| my face!

I sat on my chair and scattered the documents on my table. My body moved on its own and turned my computer on.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Why is it always like this?! How many times did this kind of thing happened? No matter how I struggle in this kind of work, I always end up as the pitiful one.

|This is not my job, goddamnit!| I wanted to shout but chose not to. Although all I have right now are the computers of my officemates, I'm still at work. And even though I'm a child at heart, I still value work etiquettes.

What kind of crap is this? Is this really the kind of life I'd imagined since I was young? The answer was no. Well, it was promising at first.

I drowned myself in my memories.

When I graduated the University, I was immediately hired by this big company. A very influential one at that. Being a fresh graduate, I was elated that some big shots commended my effort when I was still studying. I even abstained myself from getting a girlfriend because I was really focused in my study, so their offer was really a compliment on my part.

I am not ugly. I was rather good looking. It's true!

I was confident that I'd be able to get one (a girlfriend) so I focused on my newly acquired job more. I'd been treated well in my first year, I've also done my best and treated my senpai's with respect. Then, my first year went well. However, my earthly hell started at the start of my second year.

My officemates started to dump their work on me. I was naïve back then, that I easily accepted their excuses. And well, they're very good at offering praises, saying that I'm a talented employee and so on. I could say that it's the start of me overworking. What's more, even if I work overtime, my salary didn't increase one bit.

Of course, I reported it to my boss, but my plea was rejected. Like what the heck? He told me that it was their policy.

What policy?! That's clearly illegal!

So, before my second year ended, I handed a resignation letter, only to be rejected by my unreasonable boss. And I can't even retaliate. After all, even if I forced my resignation, one 'bad' word from him, no company would hire me. Even if that's a future problem, that would greatly affect my life. Even if I wanted to be a NEET, I can't. In this world, if you don't have money, you won't live. I couldn't avail to ask my parents to give me money. We're not that well-off of a family. My sister's salary is enough for supporting them and I don't want to burden my sister any more. Period.

I understood the real ploy of the company where I work at. They overwork talented employees and when these talented employees get fed up, they'd resort to the same thing.

Observing my officemates, they're actually good at doing their work. Specially my senpais, as expected of working in the industry for many years. Some of them are very good to the point that I admire them. The earlier senpai was also like that. He's very good at organizing things.

So why are they like this?

Probably because they've been through the same thing.

Running around errands, overworking. They probably thought of getting revenge on their young kohais.

I've been in this company for six years already, I understand that much. And even though there are newly hired employees they could overwork, I'd get in their way ending up being the one overworked myself.

Haaaa. I'm such a good guy.

I stared at my computer.

Couldn't be helped.

I started rummaging on the documents, and as expected it was very organized. After a few hours, I finally finished my work. I looked at the wall clock and froze.

"Eek. It's almost 12 midnight?!" I stood up and arranged the documents in one full sweep, got my bag and coat and ran towards the exit. The building's going to be closed at 12 midnight! If I won't make it, I'm going to end up sleeping here and go to work with the same clothes on. Crap!

Catching my breathing, I managed to go out on time and finally walked home. While on my way, I started having thought of regret. I mean, I wasn't able to watch my long-awaited anime! Speaking of that anime, it's about an old man that was fortunate enough to wake up in another world with a skeleton body, a beautiful and ero secretary, and a bunch of super loyal servants.

Too bad, transferring to another world from this world is definitely impossible in this reality. I mean, if I could, I wanted to transfer. This world is full of crappy things; e.g toxic people. Besides, this world doesn't have magic! They don't have the aesthetics of having super powers!

"If this world had magic, and I can finally obtain one, I'd definitely want to be a mahou shoujo. The one's that can warm the heart." I jokingly talked to myself. Mahou Shoujo's are amazing! They could warm the heart and solve problems with the power of love. Ha-Ha-Ha.

"Hey."

I stopped at whatever I'm thinking when I heard someone call. I was already in the bridge just a few hundred meters away from home. Thinking about it, there is news going around about gangsters targeting people walking on the streets at night. Don't tell me, it's them?!

I slowly turned around. If ever it is them, then all I have to do is run with all my might. My house is near. They can't possibly outrun an old man. No, no, no… I maybe an old man, well, in reality I'm still young it's just I think I'm aging fast because of work, but I haven't exercised much and wasn't able to maintain my stamina when I was still 'young'.

But what I saw when I turned around was a weird looking girl. She was wearing clothes that's definitely not from this world. A blue sailor uniform matched with a white fleece, it's design was pretty complicated but to put everything simply, she wore clothes like of those mahou shoujo's in the animes I already watched. The night was pretty dark since there was no moon, but I could clearly see the color of her clothes. What's more, on her head was a witch hat.

Oy, oy, oy. Is she a cosplayer? What's she doing here at this time? No, more importantly, if she's a cosplayer, who was she cosplaying? I've never seen that kind of costume before. No, no, the most important thing is that, what's she doing standing at the side of the bridge?!

While I was thinking of those things, she simply looked at me. She's pretty. Long black curly hair, and green eyes. Her face value was definitely, at the scale of 1-10, is 10! Anyone could fall in love with her.

No, what the hell am I thinking?! Am I that lonely to become a lolicon?!

"Failure. Must try again."

"Eh?"

Before I could retort to that very rude statement, she fell from the bridge.

My heart beat became erratic and in a blink of an eye, I was now holding her left arm while she was swaying mid-air.

"That caught me off guard. What the heck is this girl thinking?! Do I look like that of a failure that upon looking at me, she wanted to die?!"

"Yes. Failure. Must let go."

"Eh?"

"…"

Did I say that aloud? Even so, what's more heartbreaking is her response. Crap, I wanted to cry. No, Hellium, you must hold it in! You crying is the only thing we must never do! Yes, this is me talking to myself. And what's with her voice?! Monotonous. Wait, is she still acting in character? Is that it? But to go this far?!

Ahh, whatever!

"E-even so! That's not a good reason to die, you know!"

"Failure. Failure. Must let go to retry."

"Ugh, stop with that failure thing! I already know I'm a failure but I'm also trying my best! That boss and those toxic officemates are the ones to blame! No, I'm the one to blame! If I haven't let them do those things to me, my future would have been different! That's why, please don't die, I don't know who you are but if you're dying because of me, I'll promise you I'd be better tomorrow!"

The girl tilted her head.

"Cannot comprehend. Must let go. Must try again."

"No, no, no, no. No matter what you say, I won't let you go!" I said that but for some reason I can't pull her back. And what's more surprising is she's getting heavier and heavier and heavier.

No, I can't let her go!

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I shouted with all of my power while trying to pull her back.

But, still, the inevitable happened. She fell. And so am I.

"Mundane effort… But, thank you."

The girl said while midair. I swear I could picture her smiling while thanking me but I wasn't able to look at her as we fell into the cold water.

I started cursing in my mind, started to grab anything that can lift me out of this water. I mean, I think I'm going to die. I don't know how to swim!

My consciousness started drifting off, I was losing all hope, when I felt a hand on both side of my cheeks. A very warm hand despite the rush of cold water.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the girl I tried to save smiling that I couldn't help but to think that I'm really dying. That girl that showed no emotions in her face nor her voice is actually smiling. I can't believe it.

She pulled me closer until our lips touched.

Confirmed. I'm dead. What the heck! I'm kissing a girl that's probably more or less 10 years younger! To think that my last moments in this world was me kissing a girl.

What a lolicon.

I was starting to get sleepy and was running out of oxygen when our lips parted. I wanted to open my eyes to look at her one last time but I couldn't.

After a few moments, I stopped breathing. It wasn't that of a struggle than what I seemed to believe in the past. When the coldness enveloped my whole body, I accepted it.

I died.

Or so, I thought. I started feeling warmth from the tips of my toes, then that warmth travelled to my hips, to my shoulders until I could feel that warmth in every nook and cranny of my body.

Wait, what the hell. What's happening?! Am I… still alive?! But I can't see, it's all black.

I don't really understand but I started to feel the urge of crying, after all, even if blind, I'm alive! I'll just lament over my blindness after. But I was given another chance to live! Many blind people were able to survive without sight, that means I can also survive.

But for some reason, when I started crying, I hear the crying of a baby. Eh? Maybe I'm not in a private room in the hospital. I tried to asked who's with me at that moment but only a murmur was heard.

Wait… What's this feeling?

I tried to ask again, and still only a murmur followed.

I could hear some words in the background, but my mind won't keep up.

I cried. The baby cried.

I talked. The baby murmured.

What the heck, did I become a baby?