Author Note:

Wishing you all a joyful and adventurous New Year of 2025 in advance! May this year be filled with endless opportunities, exciting journeys, and countless moments of laughter and fun. Here's hoping you enjoy good health—mentally, physically, and spiritually—throughout the coming months.

Thank you for supporting this humble author. Writing isn't about earning but about creating joy and inspiration for all of you. Your encouragement and feedback have been invaluable, and I'm so grateful to continue this journey alongside each of you.

Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions—your input helps me grow as a writer. Every story I craft is unique and built with care, offering fresh ideas for those seeking something new. I appreciate each of you for being part of this adventure.

I've written over a million words, published 24 stories, and I have plans to keep creating more. I also have three drafts in progress and countless ideas floating around in my head, waiting to come to life! The journey of storytelling continues, and I can't wait to share more with all of you.

This is my first story of 2025.

Thanks again, and here's to a fantastic 2025! Stay safe, stay inspired, and remember this author as we continue to explore new stories together.

Much love and gratitude!

Ö~Ö

I found some Subaru as Theresia fics on the site and they have great potential too…

However, almost none of them fit my taste and I always wanted to write a ThesBaru fic. So, here we are!

But, come on, I am tired of writing the same things over and over again…

Therefore, I'll try to write it in a different way. So, since we are in Arc 1, drop your thoughts and ideas in the review section.

Buuut… there is a twist in this story. A big one.

Ö~Ö

Subaru groaned, clutching his aching head. The pounding pain felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to his skull. For a moment, everything was blurry. The dull throb in his head made it hard to think, but eventually, his vision cleared, and he realised he was sprawled out on… a stone floor.

He blinked. Stone floor? He wasn't in his apartment. This was... an alley?

The walls surrounding him were grimy and narrow, and the faint smell of mildew filled the air. He winced as he pushed himself up, rubbing his head.

"Where the hell am I?" he muttered, his voice echoing faintly in the empty alleyway.

The last thing he remembered was… slipping on the edge of the balcony. His memory pieced itself together in a hazy, fragmented replay. He'd been leaning out to grab his phone—it had fallen after one of those stupid "how far can I throw this without breaking it" games he'd play with himself.

And then… splat. Five stories. Concrete ground. His head took the brunt of the impact. He remembered the sickening crunch vividly.

He froze.

Wait. He fell five stories.

Shouldn't he be, y'know... dead?

A shiver ran down his spine. His fingers instinctively pressed against his neck, feeling for a pulse. It was there. Steady, strong. He was breathing, too.

But how?

That was when he noticed something odd. His heartbeat felt... off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it wasn't normal. Almost like it was too steady, too mechanical.

And then there was the weight.

He looked down, confused. What he saw made his stomach do somersaults.

He was wearing armour. White armour with intricate golden designs etched into it. His hands, encased in gauntlets, flexed reflexively. The armour gleamed like something out of a fantasy RPG, complete with ornate shoulder plates and—

Wait.

Subaru's eyes widened.

"Armour?" he whispered.

He tilted his head, half-expecting the world to suddenly make sense, but no. He was still in the alley, still wearing armour, and very much not lying in a hospital bed with a fractured skull.

"Okay, this is weird," he said, his voice shaky.

And then the thought hit him.

"Did I die... and get isekai'd?"

His heart skipped a beat—or at least it felt like it. The pieces began falling into place in his mind. This kind of thing didn't just happen. Not in real life. But in anime and light novels? Oh, hell yes.

He stood up, a surge of excitement coursing through him. Could it really be? Was this his big chance? His moment to shine as an overpowered protagonist in another world?

He brushed back a stray strand of hair that had fallen over his face, only to stop dead in his tracks.

His hair wasn't black anymore.

It was red. Bright, long and vibrant red that shimmered faintly in the dim light of the alley.

Subaru stared, his jaw slack.

"Red hair..." he whispered in awe. "This is it. This is the sign."

Everyone knew red hair in anime meant power. Badassery. Domination. He clenched his fist, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.

"I'm finally going to be the OP protagonist," he said, his voice trembling with excitement. "No more being a loser. No more rotting in the room. This is my story now!"

But his celebration was short-lived.

The first step he took felt... odd.

Something had moved.

There was a strange weight on his chest. He froze, blinking. His brain refused to connect the dots, even as he took another tentative step.

The weight shifted again, and this time, he felt it clearly. Something was... bouncing.

He glanced down, dread building in his gut. His eyes locked onto his chest, which was now very clearly bound tightly by the armour. His brain screamed at him not to think about it, but his hands moved on their own, patting his chest cautiously.

No.

No way.

"I refuse to believe it," he said, his voice shaky.

He took a step back, his breathing quickening.

"Don't. Don't even joke about this. This isn't funny."

But the proof was there, undeniable.

Subaru squeezed his eyes shut, as if doing so would make the nightmare go away. When he finally opened them again, he found himself staring at his reflection in a dirty, cracked puddle at his feet.

A beautiful young woman stared back at him.

Long, flowing red hair framed a face that looked like it had been sculpted by the gods. His—or rather, her—eyes were a striking blue— like the sky, and her complexion was flawless. The armour hugged her figure tightly, accentuating every curve.

Subaru's lips parted, a shaky breath escaping as the reality of the situation hit him like a truck.

"I'm... I'm a chick," he whispered.

The words tasted foreign on his tongue.

"I'm a girl?!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the alley.

Even his voice was different—higher-pitched, smooth, and undeniably feminine. He clutched his head, pacing in a small circle as panic set in.

"This—this can't be happening!"

He stopped abruptly, glaring at the puddle.

"Why?! Why do I always get the short end of the stick?!"

His voice cracked, and he winced. Even his freak-outs sounded dainty now. He gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over.

"Alright, fine. I'm in another world. Cool. Whatever. But why—why—did I have to end up like this?!"

He kicked at a loose stone, which skittered across the alleyway with a clink.

"Alright, Subaru, get a grip," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. "You've been through worse. You've died a hundred times in the games, faced demons in Resident Evil, witches, and psychotic knights. You can handle this."

He glanced down at his new body and groaned.

"Not sure if I want to handle this, though."

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. Panicking wasn't going to help. He needed to figure out where he was and what was going on.

"First things first," he muttered. "Find some answers. Maybe a mirror. And some pants that don't make me look like I'm about to star in a magical girl anime. This… this is an ideal female protagonist body, 5'6"..."

With that, he adjusted his armour, brushed back his red bangs, and took his first step out of the alley.

It was time to face this new world, whether he liked it or not.

Ö~Ö

He—no, she—blinked in disbelief, her blue eyes wide as she took in the sights around her. The bustling streets were unlike anything she'd ever seen, straight out of a medieval fantasy.

Humanoid figures with animal traits walked alongside humans—fox-eared merchants haggling over goods, lizard-headed porters hauling crates, and even a towering wolf-like knight clad in heavy plate armour. Wagons weren't pulled by horses but by massive, scaly creatures that resembled komodo dragons with saddles.

Subaru rubbed her chin thoughtfully, the cool metal of her gauntlet brushing against her cheek.

"Okay, so definitely a medieval setting," she muttered. "But am I someone important here? Or just a random newbie dropped into this world?"

The question nagged at her, but it wasn't like she could ask someone. The thought of introducing herself as "a guy who fell off a balcony and woke up like this" didn't seem like the best plan.

"Probably a new character," she concluded with a sigh.

But why as a girl?

Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at her armour-clad chest.

"Seriously, couldn't I at least stay a dude?" she muttered. "Where's the fairness in this?! The orchestor of this… I hate them, sort of."

She shook her head, trying to focus. Standing around complaining wasn't going to get her anywhere. She needed a plan.

"Okay, first step in every isekai: find a guild," she said, nodding to herself. "An Adventurer's Guild, preferably. If this place has one, that's where all the info and quests will be."

She had barely taken a step when the sound of screaming ripped through the air.

Subaru turned her head sharply, her heart skipping a beat.

Down the street, a wagon drawn by one of those massive lizard creatures was careening out of control. The driver was yelling and pulling at the reins, but the beast wasn't stopping. It was charging straight toward a little boy who had wandered into the middle of the road, oblivious to the danger.

Subaru's body moved before her mind could catch up.

One moment she was standing on the side of the street, and the next, her surroundings blurred into a rush of motion. Her armour barely made a sound as her feet left the ground, and the world seemed to slow down around her.

In a flash, she was there.

Her arms wrapped around the boy, pulling him into her chest. The wind roared past her ears as she leapt, soaring over the cart and the thrashing lizard beast. She landed on the other side of the road, her boots hitting the cobblestones with a resonant thud that echoed like the final note of a grand symphony. Her white cape fluttered like a flag.

The crowd froze, their collective gasp hanging in the air like an exclamation point.

Subaru straightened, the boy still cradled in her arms. Her long red hair gleamed in the sunlight, falling around her like a fiery halo. For a moment, she looked every bit the knight she was being mistaken for.

The boy sniffled, looking up at her with wide, teary eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice gentle.

The boy nodded, wiping his face with his tiny hands.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

"Did you see that?!" someone shouted. "She saved him like it was nothing!"

"A real knight in shining armour!"

"She must be one of the king's elite warriors!"

Subaru winced at the praise, feeling her cheeks heat up. She wasn't a knight. She wasn't even sure what she was supposed to be. But the way the crowd looked at her—awed, inspired—it was almost overwhelming.

The boy's mother ran up, tears streaming down her face as she pulled him from Subaru's arms.

"Thank you, my lady!" the woman said, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the ground. "You saved my son's life!"

Subaru scratched the back of her head awkwardly, her gauntlet clinking against her armour.

"Uh, no problem," she said, trying not to sound as flustered as she felt.

The crowd parted to let her pass as she began walking again, murmurs of admiration and gratitude following her like a trail of confetti.

"Great," she muttered under her breath. "Now they think I'm some kind of hero."

Still, she couldn't deny the rush she felt from saving that kid. Maybe this new body came with some perks after all.

"Alright, back to business," she said, patting down her armour. "Adventurer's Guild, here I come."

Her sky-blue eyes scanned the street for signs of the guild. If this world had one, it had to be nearby. After all, every good fantasy world needed a hub for adventurers, right?

As she walked, she couldn't help but notice the way people kept glancing at her. Whispers trailed behind her, some in awe, others in curiosity.

"Who is she?"

"I've never seen armour like that before."

"She must be a noble knight!"

Subaru groaned internally. This was going to get annoying fast. Still, she kept her chin up, letting the crowd's assumptions work in her favour. If they thought she was a knight, then maybe she'd have an easier time finding her way around.

"Let's just hope this Adventurer's Guild actually exists," she muttered. "Because I'm not in the mood to explain that I'm not actually a knight, a noble, or, y'know, a woman."

With that, she strode forward, her newfound confidence bolstered by the cheers of the crowd. This world might have thrown her a curveball, but Subaru wasn't about to strike out just yet.

~~~~TBC~~~~