Heroic Hearts Academy.

  It was an otome strategy role-playing game I used to play in my previous life.

  The plot was straightforward: Lily Pierce, the female protagonist, joins forces with a cast of gorgeous, highly capable male heroes to vanquish world-threatening monsters and villains, ultimately becoming a great hero herself. It followed the standard progression of a female-oriented visual novel.

  However, there was a twist.

  Heroic Hearts Academy brilliantly blended visual novel mechanics with heavy RPG elements. Because it leaned so heavily into the RPG side, it featured phenomenal balancing for strategy, combat, and character progression, along with deep exploration and collection systems. Conquering dungeons, hunting villains, and romancing characters—the quality was astonishingly high for an otome game.

  Back in my past life, being a hardcore gamer, I stumbled across it while browsing the internet. With a mix of skepticism and curiosity, I gave it a shot. And who could have predicted?

  Engaging characters. Masterful level design. Intimidating, powerful foes. A fantastic setting based in the nation. Despite my initial low expectations, it was unbelievably fun.

  That's why I played it obsessively, as if experiencing first love. I unlocked every ending, collected all the CGs, uncovered hidden secrets, farmed every item, and popped every achievement. I replayed it dozens of times using different themed builds and even uploaded 100% completion guides online... I was genuinely addicted to it for a long time.

  I got so invested that I memorized the lore and profiles of the main, supporting, and even minor characters. I scoured the web for fan fiction, novels, and official art books. Honestly, I was borderline obsessed.

  Yet, if someone had asked whether I actually wanted to be reincarnated into the world of Heroic Hearts Academy, my answer would be a resounding "no." Because this world is crawling with lethal monsters and villains. If your luck runs out, you could die a gruesome death in the blink of an eye.

  So why?

  Why?

  Why on earth did I... have to reincarnate as the NPC, Oliver Brooks...?

  "There you go, spacing out again."

  "Ah."

  I jolted in surprise.

  A girl's crisp voice snapped me back to reality. Shaking off my useless daydreaming, I slowly turned my head, only to see a familiar, beautiful girl staring at me in confusion.

  It was Lily Pierce.

  The heroine of this world.

  "You've been acting so weird lately, you know? Always zoning out."

  "Sorry, my bad."

  I offered a faint smile to Lily, whose face was full of gentle concern.

  "I've just got a lot on my mind."

  Still, it was rude to be lost in thought while she was right in front of me. I needed to push those worries aside and focus on Lily.

  "Concerns? About what?"

  We were currently in Lily's bedroom. A white desk and chair, a single bed, assorted cosmetics, and a large stuffed penguin I had given her as a gift a long time ago... For a teenage girl's room, it was quite minimalist.

  "Are you stressed about Academy life?"

  Lily sat on her bed, hugging the giant plush penguin. She buried her face in it for a second before popping back up, a teasing glint in her eyes.

  "I mean, our dear Oliver did barely scrape by on the makeup exams~."

  Lily teased me with a playful smirk, but she wasn't wrong. Because Oliver Brooks' in-game character settings were absolutely abysmal.

  The NPC, Oliver Brooks.

  Completely average talent and zero backing. Orphaned, with hardly a penny to his name. To make matters worse, he had a weak constitution, meaning even intense training yielded minimal growth, and he never awakened any special abilities.

  The fact that I even got into Vanguard Academy was pure luck. My high scores on the written exams and tactical simulations were just enough to sneak me in off the waitlist.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  My specs as a hero cadet were pathetic. Not just compared to Lily, but especially compared to the main male heroes. Power, wealth, lineage, looks... trying to compare was a joke.

  "Oh well, what can you do? I'll take care of you, so don't stress too much. I am rank 257, after all!"

  At this point, you might wonder: Why was the NPC Oliver Brooks designed with such terrible stats and treated so poorly? Usually, the "childhood friend" trope gets decent treatment and screen time because of its popularity.

  But my character was different. That's because Oliver Brooks was designed to be "retired" halfway through the narrative.

  "Rank 257 is still just upper-middle tier. Doesn't exactly warrant bragging, does it?" "Whatever~ you're practically dead last~."

  To put it bluntly, he was a sacrificial lamb meant to trigger Lily's mental awakening.

  Well, it makes sense. Isn't that a staple of the hero genre? The protagonist unlocks their hidden potential and defeats the villain right after their family, lover, or friend gets murdered. Similarly, it's a classic trope for the heartbroken female lead to slowly heal by opening her heart to a cast of handsome, comforting men.

  It really is such a clichéd plot device.

  Back when I played the game, I just rolled my eyes and thought, Wow, how cliché, and moved on... But now that I'm the one on the chopping block, it's a different story. It's no longer just a cliché; my heart pounds so hard out of fear it feels like it might explode.

  Of course, it's not like survival is entirely impossible...

  "Anyway, I'm just glad we both made it into Vanguard. It would've been so awkward if I got in alone."

  Lily suddenly flopped backward onto her bed, squeezing her stuffed penguin.

  "Right?"

  I quietly watched her beam at the ceiling, though my stomach was tied in knots. She was genuinely thrilled we were attending Vanguard Academy together, but I was just drowning in anxiety.

  "Oliver, it's always been your dream. To go to Vanguard and become a hero."

  "It was."

  In the past.

  "It was? Why are you using the past tense?"

  "Just... you know."

  To be exact, it had been my dream up until a month ago. To attend Vanguard Academy, the premier hero institution in the nation, and become a true hero. But now, that was an impossible fantasy.

  Because one month ago, a certain truth dawned on me.

  "Like you said, I barely scraped by. I guess I really just don't have what it takes to be a hero."

  "Huh? It's not like you to talk like that, Oliver."

  My past life. I silently cursed the memories of my previous life that had suddenly awakened.

  "You aren't sulking because of what I just said, are you? Hmm?"

  "Of course not."

  Knowing that this reality mirrored that otome game perfectly, I could no longer naively aim to become a hero and enjoy school life. Because I knew exactly what kind of horrific incidents and disasters would strike Vanguard Academy. And

  I knew exactly what fate had in store for me and Lily.

  I knew everything.

  "By the way, Lily."

  "Hmm? What is it?"

  I gazed quietly into her clear eyes for a moment before bringing it up. Her inquisitive eyes shimmered with a golden hue. They held a magnetic charm that easily captivated men.

  "I have something to tell you."

  "Something to say?"

  She licked her lips a couple of times, then lightly bit her bottom lip. Once I said it, I couldn't take it back, which was why I hesitated. But after agonizing over it for a month since my past-life memories surfaced, I knew this was the right choice. For Lily's sake, and for my own. To survive and live a normal life at the academy, I had to sever this relationship.

  "What is it? The suspense is killing me."

  Lily blinked, tilting her head adorably from side to side. Even that minor gesture pulled at my heartstrings.

  "......Wait."

  Suddenly.

  "Oliver, you don't mean..."

  A look of mock horror washed over Lily's face. She defensively wrapped her arms around her chest.

  What was she doing? Why was she acting like this out of nowhere?

  "I never thought you were that kind of guy...!"

  "What are you talking about?"

  Very slowly, she scooted backward on the bed, putting distance between us.

  "Taking advantage of the fact that my mom is away on a business trip...?"

  "......?"

  "Kyaa! Pervert! Animal! I never imagined Oliver would have such dirty thoughts! Even if it's you, there's a time and a place...!"

  "......?"

  "Uh, hey, Oliver? Are you not going to deny it?"

  "......"

  As I stared at her in deadpan disbelief, Lily awkwardly scratched her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed.

  "Hmph. Don't leave a girl hanging like that."

  I continued to stare silently at her as she twirled a strand of hair, pretending she hadn't just made a fool of herself. She mumbled under her breath, 'Why doesn't he play along with my jokes anymore?' and pouted. She avoided my gaze for a moment, but after clearing her throat to dispel the awkwardness, she returned to the topic.

  "So, what were you going to tell me, Oliver?"

  "Ah, well... it's nothing major."

  It got derailed thanks to her silly joke, but I had to say it. At least her antics had lightened the heavy atmosphere a bit.

  "Lily."

  "Yeah?"

  "Let's break up."

  And so, on the exact day the Academy's entrance ceremony concluded, the official starting point of the game's plot, I broke up with Lily Pierce, the main female protagonist and heroine of this otome world.