I’m Planning to be Killed by the Heroine

Whether due to the magic herbs or because my mind had somehow cleared a bit without me realizing, the time I woke up was a very early morning.
At 6 AM, in a suddenly excited mood, I put on an overcoat slightly larger than my body and stood in front of the full-length mirror again.
There’s not much difference from when I first changed into a woman. Flowing wavy silver hair, eyes with a dark blue tint like the deep sea, pale skin as if intensely brushed by sunlight.
And the black Gothic Lolita outfit I just finished washing yesterday. A black overcoat, a bit awkward but still.
Should I get new clothes too?
As I was twisting my hair for a moment, the air distorted in the space right next to me and a purple rift formed.
[ Mmm····. Mmm? Are you up? ]
Although it has no hands, if it did, it would look like it was rubbing its eyes.
“My eyes opened quickly.”
[ Those are your going out clothes. Where are you going? ]
“A gate is forming, so I’m going to take a look.”
Even with the manpower shortage, there’s still a minimum of hunters and awakened ones. There are also beings who come aiming for the magic stones that can be obtained by catching the magical beasts coming out of the gate.
The sight of them running around hard for their own benefit makes for quite a good spectacle. Also to collect blood while I’m at it. Let’s hang around nearby and then slip in. The magic stones are useful for me too.
[ I see····. ]
Bloody seemed to nod vaguely, then blinked a few times and looked outside. Though it might not be visible properly since it’s quite far, it seems to have seen the small rift being created.
[ It’ll take time until it opens. A few hours or so. I want to sleep a bit more. Take me with you. ]
“How?”
[ The coat pocket looks very cozy. Come on. ]
“Alright, alright. Sure.”
I closed my eyes and gently put the tiny orb fluttering its cloak into my pocket, then turned my head.
I need a hat. A hoodie would be nice. Hmm.
After pondering for a moment, I turned my back. I waved my hand in the air, scattering magical power. A textured hat matching the black coat was created in an appropriate position and connected to the neck area.
“Well····. This should do.”
Without realizing it, I nodded and moved my feet.
Whether the gate’s tier is high or low can only be known by going there. Like whether it’s small enough for just a few hunters, or if veteran hunters need to enter.
Of course, to know the exact specifications, time is needed for the gate’s evolution to progress.
[ Mmm····! It’s soft····! Surprisingly! ]
“That’s good.”
[ Did you buy a new coat? ]
“It’s one I had before.”
[ Buy many more in the future. ····I’ll go back to sleep. ]
The sight of it peeking its head out and then slipping back in reminded me of a cute small animal.
I exhaled and widened my view. Lines of buildings and chirping birdsongs. And the sunlight gradually shining down.
Early morning. Of course, there aren’t many people. No, almost none. Still, I don’t want to cause unnecessary commotion.
Can’t be helped.
“Mmph.”
I pulled the hat sewn to the coat over my head and pressed it down deeply. Only my bangs showing slightly, my silver long hair all hidden by the large coat.
As a bonus, my arms have shortened so it feels a bit loose.
I lightened my body and increased my speed while floating and moving. I changed direction while feeling the air currents.
Familiar scent, familiar noise, familiar energy.
I widened my view and looked up. Along with a momentary pain in my neck, something caught my eye.
A rift.
If we’re talking about a rift, it’s a distorted form in space. It’s as if something sharp not of this world has ripped through the perfectly clean sky that seems to have no problems at all.
An irregularity of nature, yet trying somehow to blend in with its surroundings, it opens a small mouth with the area around it distorted as if glass has shattered.
And that’s what I’m looking at now.
It’s still just in the form of a mouth, not yet properly evolved, but at this size, it seems it will likely evolve into a high-tier gate.
So that means the branch office might send in veteran personnel.
Maybe I’ve gotten used to being a woman, but without realizing it, I tried to twist a lock of my hair only to be blocked by the hat covering all the way to the ends of my hair.
“·····Wow.”
I shifted my gaze at the small girl’s voice. The being at the end of my gaze was also a girl. Black hair, red eyes,
And in one hand····. An axe?
“Ga-gate····.”
The girl muttering like that seemed about the same age as me. Her height looked about the same as mine too. She blinked a few times while looking at the rift, seeming amazed.
Ah, our eyes met.
What? Why are you coming this way? Wait, you –
“Um, h-hello? Is that a gate?”
Do people usually just talk like this?
It was quite a lively voice. Is she an aspiring hunter? Was there even such a rank in this world to begin with?
“······.”
I hurriedly pressed down on my hat more. I tied my collar up to cover my mouth. Yet I couldn’t take my eyes off her gaze. It was passionate and aggressive.
“Ah, um. I’m sorry if I startled you. I-I was just amazed····.”
When I glanced around slightly, there really was no one else but me. Is this her personality?
More importantly, why am I not saying anything? I should say something in response.
“·····Yes. It will soon····, evolve into a gate.”
“Ah····! So it’s not a gate yet!”
I suppose so. But why do I keep grabbing my collar and trying to hide?
It’s really strange. I used to enjoy the gazes of so many people before.
Now, do I think something will change by doing this?
Am I trying to look like an ordinary girl to others? Just a dozen hours ago I was swinging a knife.
Still, I couldn’t simply ignore the persistent interest this girl was showing in me.
I nodded and took my hand off my hat that I had been clutching and lowered it. My gaze became more comfortable.
“····It’s a rift. It’ll take a few hours to become a gate.”
“Ah····. I, I see····.”
The girl nodded as if she had acquired new knowledge and hesitated.
“At that size, it’s dangerous. It’s fine now, but soon manpower will gather and subjugation teams will take position.”
Even so, there won’t be many people. It will stop at a moderate level.
“You’d better not approach it if possible.”
This is the minimum consideration I can give you.
What if someone finds out you’re with me?

What do you think would happen?
I slightly bowed my head and turned my steps away from her. For some reason, my legs felt heavy.
“So there are kids like that too.”
[ Hoho. She was cute. ]
I wonder.
“Are you awake?”
[ The pocket is comfortable but····. I don’t like the shaking much. ]
“How am I supposed to help that?”
[ Try to do better. ]
More importantly, if it’s a high-tier gate, how high will it go?
Will they just send one lousy ranker?
While thinking such pointless thoughts, I kicked off the ground and jumped. I landed on the rooftop of a low-rise building. My coat fluttered.
[ Gyaaah····! Didn’t I tell you to do better! ]
Shut up.
I took out bread from my coat pocket and crumbled it into small pieces. I stuffed a small piece into Bloody’s chattering mouth and took a big bite myself.
I took out a glass bottle from my bosom, gathered various cubes and orbs, and scattered them. They naturally spread out in the air and created lines connecting each other, fixed in space.
An oval magic circle was created and red currents scattered. I took out a knife from inside and floated it in the center of the magic circle.
Red viscous substances were sucked into the knife, adding power and coating it. As magical power overflowed, the knife glowed.
This should do.
Now let’s kill some time.
It’s not a simple statement.
It’s a stepping stone.

Ding.
“Welcome.”
It’s a cafe.
Whether during the year I spent in hiding, or recently when I started showing myself and becoming active, I never set foot in such public places.
Of course, if I appeared, the store would become a battlefield, and more than that, well, I didn’t particularly want to go anywhere.
But after becoming a woman, changes in my daily life, and deciding to change myself, I decided to become a bit bolder.
Early morning is indeed good. There aren’t many people, right?
I pressed my hat down even deeper and slowly walked to the counter.
“Would you like to order?”
At the gentle words of the employee, I slightly raised my head and looked at the menu board attached to the wall.
·····There’s so much.
Cappuccino, cafe mocha, latte, strawberry yogurt smoothie····, frappe····.
Despite such diverse names, there were too many types with different tastes and aromas.
It wasn’t like this long ago. When was it, a few years ago?
No, was there this much even then? Maybe I don’t remember the types well because I always stuck to one drink.
“····An iced Americano, please.”
In the end, what I chose was the drink I liked the most and had tried the most.
I was originally going to order just one, but seeing Bloody’s gesture asking for one too, I reluctantly ordered two.
I felt the sharp and slightly bitter taste of the Americano.
[ Ugh! What is this! It tastes bad! ]
“It’s an adult taste. It doesn’t suit a child’s palate.”
[ What? Are, are you insulting me now? ]
That’s not it.
It seems like my tongue isn’t adapting well to the coldness after a long time. It’s definitely not because it tastes bad.
······I should have ordered something like a fruit smoothie or whatever. I used to like those.
[ Judging by your expression, you can’t drink it either! I knew it! ]
Roughly ignoring it, I put a little sugar I brought into the coffee. Adding one small sugar cube balanced the bitter and sweet tastes exquisitely.
Not bad.
······If it was going to be like this, I should have just ordered something sweet.
[ Me too, give me some too! ]
I put in one the same way and watched Bloody sipping through a small straw, then took a sip myself.
The ice cubes clinked as they collided with each other.
[ This is a bit better now. ]
“What a child’s palate.”
[ Are you going to keep teasing me?! You didn’t like it much either, did you! ]
I smiled slightly and turned my head.
Small particles sparkle in the warm sunlight. The light reflected off the ice formed a small rainbow. Good fragrance and good atmosphere. I closed my eyes for a moment.
I like this daily life. I like the uncrushable peacefulness of this moment. Even if it would someday break and I’d have to grasp the broken pieces with blood-stained hands, I wanted to enjoy this time more.
As I was lost in dreamy brain waves, I opened my eyes at a slight noise.
“Huh? What, what’s this?”
“Is it a gate?”
“Is it opening already?”
My head naturally turned towards the window. Since it was a cafe near the rift, it was visible right away. It also helped that the table I was sitting at was next to a glass wall.
Surely only an hour has passed. It’s the appearance of evolving directly into a high-tier gate, skipping a few stages before the rift evolves into a gate.
Transparent barriers seemed to split as purple-black lines took root in the air, and around them, a huge space could be seen opening its mouth disgustingly.
This gate seems quite irregular. Its progress is fast.
As I swept my gaze, I could see hunters taking position around the gate.
And she – the golden-haired girl who hated me terribly caught my eye. Seeing her mouth opening and closing, she seems to be saying something to her colleagues.
Without realizing it, I blinked and raised my posture. The hat that was deeply pressed down covering the upper half of my face rode up against the air and came off. The collar covering my mouth opened and my coat slightly parted.
The gazes of people looking out the window naturally turned towards me sitting by the window.
Our eyes met.
An uproar arose.