Prologue: A Very Unfortunate (or Fortunate?) Mistake

The day I died was… completely and utterly stupid.

No dramatic truck speeding through an intersection. No noble sacrifice to save a child from danger. Not even a ridiculous god's whim sending me to another world. Nope. I, a completely average high school boy, perished in the most humiliating way possible—courtesy of a single pebble.

Let's rewind.

I was on my usual walk home from school, daydreaming about what I'd do in life. Maybe I'd finally confess to my childhood friend? Maybe I'd focus on my studies and aim for a successful future? The possibilities were endless.

And then…

Something hit my forehead.

It was light, barely noticeable. Just a tiny pebble, skipping across the pavement. But the next thing I knew, my body went completely limp. My vision blurred, my knees buckled, and I collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

"What the—?" was all I managed to think before everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was floating in a vast, empty void. It was eerily silent—until an exasperated sigh shattered the stillness.

"Ah… crap. I really screwed up this time."

Before me stood a man in an oversized robe, looking utterly exhausted. His silver hair was a mess, and his eyes had the deep bags of someone who had given up on life long ago.

"W-Who…?" I started, my voice echoing strangely.

The man waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I know. 'Where am I? Who are you? Am I dead?' Let's cut to the chase. My name's ■■■■■, and I'm a God. And, uh… you died."

I blinked. "What."

God coughed awkwardly. "Right. So, uh, you see…" He avoided my gaze and scratched his head. "There was this whole celestial disturbance thing. You know, maintaining cosmic balance, stabilizing universal mana, that sort of thing. Exhausting work, by the way. Anyway, I might have, um… kicked a small rock."

"…A rock."

"Yes. And that rock, through a series of increasingly improbable events, somehow managed to bounce off an alley wall, roll into the street, get launched by a passing bicycle, ricochet off a bus stop sign, and—"

"—Hit me in the forehead?!"

God winced. "Er… yeah. And, uh, due to some really rare cosmic bad luck, that exact pebble struck the precise pressure point needed to trigger instant cardiac arrest. So, congrats! You got killed by a godly accident."

I gawked at him. This was a joke, right? I died because of a tired god kicking a rock?!

"Don't look at me like that!" God grumbled. "You have no idea how stressful godhood is! You think managing worlds is easy? I haven't slept in millennia!"

I clenched my fists. "So what now? Am I just… gone?"

Arnos waved a hand. "Of course not! That'd be way too much paperwork. Listen, I may have gotten you killed, but I'm a responsible deity. So, to make up for it… I'm giving you a second chance."

I hesitated. "Second chance?"

A smug grin spread across his face. "Yep! You're getting reincarnated into a fantasy world! And as compensation, I'll even grant you a super powerful cheat ability!"

I perked up at that. If I was going to be isekai'd, maybe this wasn't so bad? "Wait… does that mean I can choose my ability?"

Arnos shrugged. "Within reason."

I took a deep breath. "Alright. Then I want—"

Before I could finish, a glowing screen appeared beside God. His eyes darted over it, and his face instantly paled.

"Oh, crap."

That was the last thing I heard before a blinding light engulfed me, tearing me away from the void.

----

A gentle warmth surrounded me, far different from the empty void I had floated in before. My eyes fluttered open to a wooden ceiling, simple and unadorned. A baby's crib creaked as I shifted, and I could hear the faint crackling of a hearth somewhere nearby. My body felt… small. Weak. But something else felt—off.

Then it hit me.

Where's my—?!

I yanked up the soft fabric of my tiny baby clothes and—

Gone. Completely, utterly, devastatingly gone.

I screamed.

Not a dignified battle cry, nor a heroic roar of defiance. No, this was a full-blown baby wail, the kind that shattered the peace of an otherwise tranquil household.

Footsteps rushed toward me. A man and a woman, their faces filled with worry, hovered over the crib. Their concerned voices—my parents?—blurred together in my panicked state.

"Dear, is she alright?" The woman's voice was soothing, warm.

"I don't know! She just suddenly started crying!" The man, my supposed father, sounded equally lost.

No, I was the lost one here!

In my past life, I had been a proud warrior. A man! Now? I was a girl. No, I was a baby girl! What kind of messed-up cosmic joke is this?!

The overwhelming shock was too much for my tiny, fragile body. My vision blurred. Darkness swallowed me whole.

---

[???]

When I came to, I was no longer in the wooden house. Instead, I floated in that familiar void once again, surrounded by a blinding golden light.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

That voice. That smug, self-satisfied voice.

"YOU!" I roared—well, as much as a soul could roar in a godly dimension.

God, looking significantly more exhausted than before, rubbed his temples as if dealing with a particularly troublesome headache.

"Yes, me," he sighed. "I see you've noticed the minor adjustment to your body."

"Minor? MINOR?!" I flailed my arms, my incorporeal soul vibrating with sheer frustration. "You took my Dick! You turned me into a woman!"

God groaned, looking like he regretted every life decision that led to this conversation. "Look, I told you—reincarnation isn't perfect. Sometimes, things… shift."

"Shift?! This is not a shift! This is a full-body transformation!"

"Yes, yes, I get it, you're mad," God waved dismissively. "But listen, you got a family, a peaceful start, a home—most reincarnators would kill for this setup."

I fumed. "I would rather have kept my original equipment, thank you very much!"

God sighed, massaging his temples harder. "Fine. Since you're clearly never going to let this go, I'll offer you one more blessing. A single boon. Choose wisely, because I am not summoning you back here again."

I crossed my tiny baby soul arms, thinking furiously. If I couldn't get my original body back, I needed something else to make up for it. "Give me the strongest weapon in the world."

God blinked. "Oh. That's actually a reasonable request."

They swiped their hand through the air, summoning a cosmic screen of potential divine artifacts. Legendary swords, divine spears, cursed blades—each radiating overwhelming power. They reached out to pick one—

—And then slipped.

The golden screen glitched, flickered, and a new selection appeared.

[SOULMATE SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

God's face drained of color. "Wait, no, no, no, NO—"

A heavenly chime rang. [SOULMATES BOUND: ??? MATCHES FOUND]

Silence.

I slowly turned to look at the now-pale deity. "What. Did. You. Just. Do?"

God cleared their throat, looking deeply uncomfortable. "Um. So. About that strongest weapon request…"

I narrowed my eyes. "Explain. Now."

They coughed into their fist. "W-Well, you see, the strongest force in the world isn't necessarily a weapon. Sometimes, the strongest thing can be—"

"Spit it out."

"—Soulmates."

Silence.

More silence.

An eternity of silence.

I stared at them. "You accidentally bound me to many people, didn't you?"

God nodded miserably. "Yes."

"And they're my soulmates now?"

"…Yes."

"And they're all women, right?!"

"Oh, absolutely," God confirmed quickly. "That's one thing I did manage to ensure. Congratulations, you now have many strong and incredibly powerful women destined to be your partners."

My hands trembled. My vision darkened. My patience—already strained—snapped.

"You complete IDIOT!"

God flinched. "I said I'm sorry! Look, I can't undo it now! The bonds are already in place! B-But hey, maybe it's not so bad! They're all powerful beings, after all!"

I took a deep, slow breath. "So instead of the world's strongest weapon, I now have a yuri harem."

God gave me an awkward thumbs-up. "Y-Yeah, basically."

I massaged my temples, trying to comprehend the sheer level of insanity that had just been dumped onto me.

"So, let me get this straight," I said, barely restraining my rage. "You accidentally bound me to multiple soulmates, all of whom are women?"

"Correct!" God answered cheerfully.

"And instead of the world's strongest cheats, I now have a harem system built into my soul?"

"Yep!"

My eye twitched. "And these soulmates… I don't even know them, but the second I meet them, I'll just—what? Instantly fall for them?"

God gave me a thumbs-up. "Pretty much!"

I inhaled. I exhaled. I considered punching him.

"Explain. Now."

God cleared his throat, suddenly looking very serious.

"The Soulmate System works like this: whenever you encounter one of your destined partners, your soul recognizes them instantly. A wave of emotion will stir inside you, an overwhelming feeling of connection and love—like a jumpstart in a dating game!"

I froze. "A dating game?"

God scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well… it turns out, human romance is super complex. So, I borrowed some mechanics from, uh… certain popular visual novels to streamline the process."

My mouth fell open.

"You—" I pointed a shaking finger at him. "You're telling me that MY love life is running on dating sim mechanics?!"

"Listen, it makes things a lot easier!" God huffed, crossing his arms. "Do you know how many reincarnators completely mess up their love lives because they're dense idiots? This system ensures that you actually realize when someone is important to you!"

I gawked. "That's not a good thing! That's terrifying! What if I don't want to fall in love instantly?! What if I actually want to get to know someone first?!"

God shrugged. "The emotions don't force you to do anything. It's just a jumpstart. Like, bam! Instant attraction. Whether you act on it is up to you."

I took a deep breath. Okay. Okay. Maybe I could deal with that. It was horrible, but at least it wasn't mind control.

But then.

Then.

God smiled.

"Oh, right! There's another feature you should know about!"

I didn't like that smile.

I narrowed my eyes. "What."

God clapped his hands together. "So, about reproduction—"

I cut him off. "Nope. Not listening."

"—your soulmates, despite being women, can totally impregnate you!"

I screamed.

"WHY?!"

God grinned like he had just given me the best news of my life. "Oh, it's a built-in feature! When you and your soulmate reach a deep level of intimacy, your souls resonate and allow for a fusion of essence! Basically, when you—"

I threw my hands over my ears. "STOP TALKING!"

"—combine your life forces, a powerful child is conceived! And the stronger your bond, the stronger the child!"

I was going to die. Not physically. Emotionally.

I lowered my hands slowly, glaring at him. "So, you turned me into a girl, gave me uncontrollable soulmate mechanics, and now you're telling me that if I ever—" I struggled to find the words, "get too close—I could get pregnant?!"

God nodded. "Yes, Super strong babies. You should be thanking me for this extra boon—it's free!"

I took a deep, shaking breath.

"You ruined my life."

God shrugged. "Eh. You'll get used to it."

I buried my face in my hands, trying to regain my sanity.

"Alright," I muttered, voice muffled. "Tell me something useful. If I just… ignore all this soulmate nonsense, can I just live normally?"

God's expression darkened. "Actually, about that…"

I looked up, wary. "What?"

"If you don't meet your soulmates by the time you come of age…" He paused, rubbing the back of his neck.

"…Both you and your soulmates will die."

I stared.

God winced. "It's, uh… a stability thing! The bond is too strong to be ignored for an extended period. If you don't connect with your soulmates before a certain age, your souls will collapse from the strain!"

I stared harder.

"So let me get this straight," I said, my voice low and deadly.

"You gave me a yuri harem system."

"Yes."

"You made it biologically mandatory."

"Uh… yes."

"If I don't meet my soulmates, we all die."

"Look, it's just a built-in safety measure!"

I grabbed him by the collar, my hands shaking with rage.

"WHAT PART OF THIS IS SAFE?!"

God held up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay! But listen—this is completely avoidable as long as you, you know… actually talk to them?"

I wanted to punch him. I needed to punch him.

God gently patted my trembling body. "There, there. Just take a deep breaths."

"Take a deep—?!" I wheezed. "I HATE YOU."

"You'll be fine!" God said way too cheerfully. "Just be friendly, fall in love, and everything will work out!"

I screamed into my hands.

"Alright, fine!" I snapped. "Fine! You win! Just drop me back to this stupid world already so I can deal with this nightmare!"

God beamed. "That's the spirit!"

He raised his hand, and a swirling portal of light appeared behind me.

"Off you go, then! Your new life is waiting!"

I scowled. "If I ever see you again, I'm stabbing you!."

God waved cheerfully. "Love you too!"

The portal pulled me in, light consuming my vision.

As my body faded, I heard God's voice one last time—

"Oh, and one more thing! Your soulmates are all a bit… eccentric! So, uh… good luck!"

I had no time to scream.

The next thing I knew, I was falling back into my body.