"What do I do... I'm finished, I am truly finished now."
Fully dressed, Ningning stood in the middle of her room, gazing at the Hero she'd dragged inside, his head parted from his body, and gnawing on her fingers at a loss.
She'd actually been seen, top to bottom, by the Hero.
It had probably just been an accident a moment ago, but Ningning's heart was clear as a mirror: the current situation was very, very bad.
First off, she couldn't not resurrect the Hero.
Never mind whether the other members of the Hero's Party would get suspicious; if she didn't resurrect him, Ningning would never be able to defeat the Demon Lord.
No defeating the Demon Lord, no respec item; no respec item, and she'd be stuck living in this maxed-Sensitivity body, until one day someone pinned her down and, with a "hnnngh ohhh," made her a one-shot celebrity.
Conclusion: total feminization, guaranteed.
But if she chose to resurrect the Hero, what then?
If she apologized for kicking him to death, the lecher-awakened Hero would surely seize the chance to push his luck, demand some hanky-panky, then pick his moment to pin her down and pour the affection meter full with a "glug, glug."
Conclusion: total feminization, guaranteed.
If she said nothing and coldly threw the Hero out, this philandering Hero who'd already seen everything would surely obsess over her and go mad hunting for chances to pin her down.
And with Ningning's current constitution, the chances were basically endless.
Conclusion: total feminization, guaranteed.
No good, no good, she had to think differently.
If she took the initiative and made nice with the Hero, maybe Ningning could seize the initiative herself, control the pace of their relationship, and keep the Hero from advancing to the final step so easily, at least for a while...
Conclusion: total feminization, guaranteed, but a bit slower.
Huh?
That's not right, is it?
Weighing all the routes above, the most advantageous development for her was actually to take the initiative and cozy up to the Hero, then get slowly feminized?
Why had she wandered into a BAD END without even noticing?
Ningning was tearless with despair, but after weighing all the pros and cons every which way, this seemed to be the only choice she had left.
"Nothing for it. I'll just have to take it one step at a time... 'O undying Hero, return with all speed and guard the world you love! Hero Revival!'"
Ningning extended her palm, gathered mana, aimed at the Hero's corpse on the floor, and activated the Hero-exclusive resurrection magic.
Under the shining white light, the Hero's neck, snapped off by the door, swiftly restored itself and knit back together.
Before long, the Hero opened his eyes once more.
"Nngh... my head's a little dizzy. Did I die again?"
"Ning-chan, thanks for the resurrection, that must've been a lot of work."
Ningning didn't dare speak, anxiously awaiting the Hero's reaction.
Her one and only hope now was for this Hero to put on a bashful face and apologize to her, or else just not mention it at all.
That would at least prove this Hero was still in his awkward-innocent phase, with no resistance yet to matters of romance, the kind of early-game character who was relatively easy to handle.
But if the Hero opened with a god-tier bombshell...
"Um, Ning-chan, I remembered how I died," the Hero suddenly said with a shy little smile.
"..." Ningning stayed silent, eyes locked hard on the Hero.
The Hero tugged at his earlobe and, in as gentle and considerate a tone as he could manage, tried to comfort Ningning:
"Actually, I don't think you need to react that strongly. Your body isn't ugly. In fact, quite the opposite, it's really cute."
I'm done for!!!
Hearing this praise from the Hero, Ningning nearly choked on her own breath and passed out cold on the spot.
To be able to say something like that, there was no way this Hero was a virgin!
An old hand, a stone-cold veteran!
Seeing someone naked and then openly calling them cute, how was that any different from a confession?
It wasn't!
This was absolutely the worst-case scenario.
What now? What was she supposed to say next?
If she didn't respond perfectly, the very next second she'd become the first casualty to fall beneath this lucky-lecher Hero's blade!
Her mind a tangled mess, Ningning suddenly recalled her earlier deductions and could only throw caution to the wind:
"Um, actually, I do kind of like you... but only a little! Just a sesame-seed's worth of a little!"
"Really?"
Hearing Ningning express fondness for him, the Hero immediately leapt up off the ground, gripped the White Mage's hands tight, eyes shining:
"That's wonderful, Ning-chan, I knew you were the best! Since you like me too, then let's be friends!"
But what the Hero didn't expect was for the Ningning whose hands he'd seized to suddenly go "urk" and keel over backward, flopping onto the bed behind her, muttering bitterly under her breath:
"(Boy)friends...? Ha, so... I couldn't escape after all, huh..."
She'd miscalculated. In the end, she, Ningning, had miscalculated.
How was this Hero throwing such straight pitches?!
It was over. She'd already lost to the Hero. Utterly defeated.
Ladies and gentlemen, "The Max-Level Healer Ningning's Otherworld Rampage" hereby officially concludes.
Up next, please enjoy "The Max-Sensitivity Healer Ningning's Live Feminization."
Sprawled on the bed, Ningning was drowning in her own delusions and couldn't pull herself out, while the Hero, standing in the middle of the room, was likewise immersed in a world of his own:
"Wonderful, wonderful! No one else in the party would be my friend; I've been so lonely and scared this whole time!"
With that, the Hero suddenly took a bounding leap and pounced onto Ningning, his face all undisguised joy:
"Thank you, Ning-chan! My first time (making friends) is with you; I'm really, really happy!"
"So we're going to first base right now...? well, as long as you're happy... but could you be gentle? This is actually my first time too..."
Transformed into a crying-cat-face, Ningning had utterly lost the will to live.
She gazed out the window at the dying light of day, as if looking upon the bleak grey of her own future.
But the Hero, thrilled beyond measure at making his first friend, didn't notice Ningning's expression at all and just prattled on to himself:
"Be gentle? And it's your first time (making friends) too? Ah, I get it!"
"You're right, Ning-chan; if it's both our first time (making friends), we definitely need a little ceremony to mark it!"
"Then... how about we go to Painting Street? But it seems a bit too late today... so let's make it tomorrow! I'll ask Big Sis Baiye for the day off, and we'll go to Painting Street to commemorate our shared first time!"
"...We're even going to the red-light district...? whatever you say..."
"Speaking of Painting Street, there are so many shops there selling pets! Actually, I've always wanted to keep a pet; what do you think, Ning-chan?"
"You're actually into that kind of play...? I've got no objection, it's not like it's my first time being forced to call someone master anyway..."
"Ning-chan, you have (pet-keeping) experience? Even better, then! I'll go get ready now; let's meet outside your door first thing tomorrow!"
"So this is a stay of execution...? sure, I've got no objection..."
"Wonderful!"
Hearing Ningning had no objection, the Hero immediately hopped down off the bed and, leaving Ningning behind, went cheerfully out the door.
He walked alone down the empty corridor, still murmuring to himself:
"Heh heh, Sis, did you see? I made my very first friend! I'm so happy, so happy!"
"Huh? She looked really reluctant? That can't be; Ning-chan agreed so readily."
"Heh heh, when we go to Painting Street tomorrow, what should I talk about with Ning-chan?"
"Hm? What did you say, Sis?"
"Our conversation just now was completely donkey-lips-not-fitting-a-horse's-mouth?"
"That can't be... weren't we both perfectly willing?"
"And Sis, what does 'donkey lips don't fit a horse's mouth' even mean?"