Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Nati - Chapter Forty Two

I was about to give up.

Ever since Alex mentioned my round belly ten days ago, I was beating myself over it, often getting lost in thoughts. After saving my life, she gave me this amazing body, although I still couldn't comprehend what happened to me back then. Everything happened so fast, and things got hazy.

She transported me into this strange new world, with endless possibilities but also took me away from my old one. My family thought I died, and my friends... Well, I didn't have that many, but I did okay for myself and had solid plans.

I survived puberty and looked forward to a programming career. Then the Goddess came in like a hurricane and moments after I saw her, our lives became interconnected. After all this time I was still split between being happy about it and cursing that fated moment.

Sure, I wanted to be with her, and if things played out differently, I might have followed her into this world on my own but wasn't expecting to become her. And yet, I wouldn't want it to happen in any other way now. Maybe it was because her shell affected my thinking or since I didn't remember my old body much.

After all, I didn't like change. I developed habits over time and could no longer diverge from them. I wanted an easy life in a simple but comfortable environment and never expected to end up in a world of magic. While it was exciting, it was also scary. I lacked the knowledge to make solid plans for the future, and to top it all off, I found myself in the thick of it. How did my previous life compare to this?

After less than three weeks since my arrival, I barely remember anymore. What did I even achieve back home in my eighteen years? Probably a lot less than here. The biggest change wasn't even the fact that I used to be a guy. Everything felt strange and new now, but sure, the guilt that I didn't take good care of her body weighed heavily on me. The thought that Alex would think less of me because of that... Although I wasn't sure she even thought about me at all...

She was a Goddess after all, and I was just Nati. A random stranger she saved simply because she felt sorry for me. I planned to train and eat less to impress her but quickly ran into the faults of this theory. The chieftain's hut provided no privacy, and the second blow came in Lambert's form.

Even if I told Hana, that their cooking was better, this guy was too good. He must have used magic for seasoning because the simplest dishes tasted much better if he made them, and maybe he wasn't even aware of it. Eating his meals became addicting...

Besides, things kept happening. I spent way more time perfecting the crossbow than anticipated. Now it was my duty to train the hunters to use them as if I were a shooting expert.

On top of that, the village experienced an immigration boom, and we had to keep changing the plans and priorities for expansion. The bathhouse was almost done, but it had to be expanded twice before it was finished. Since I was adamant about including showers and a sauna in it, the craftsmen kept asking me questions at the most random moments.

But now I had my room with a nice bed, and enough space to start the mornings with some exercises. Except... That bed was way too comfortable, and nobody woke me up anymore, at least not early enough. Once Mabel visited me to do my hair, it was too late.

Still, I decided to start running. That was the very least I could do, considering there were plenty of dangers to run from. I wasn't strong and still couldn't do magic, feeling useless, so it was worth practicing.

From the fatigue and being worn out, or maybe because of homesickness, I became depressed. The fact that I got sore after the first day of exercising didn't help, and almost as if mocking me, my belly looked even bigger than before. I felt like crying...