Yuna pulled a phone out of a drawer, plugging it and waiting a minute for it to charge before powering it on. As it turned on, an unfamiliar loading screen asked for me to enter my biometric data in order to finish setup. I pressed my thumb to the screen, confused, and watched as a brand new profile for Kurumi Unknown was created, applications installing themselves onto the phone's main screen.

  Yuna took the phone back, tapping on the HeroHub application and flipped through menus. "I'm going to grant myself Manager-level access to your profile, okay? I'll help you get everything started." I nodded gratefully, watching as she linked our accounts.

  Finally, she navigated to my profile - Kurumi Unknown / F-Rank. The standard profile photo taken earlier today at HeroHub's Bay City office stared back at me - a gorgeous and hopeful looking 18-year old woman staring at the camera, not knowing the disappointment that she was about to face.

  Yuna tapped the 'Local Sightings' tab of my profile and my heart sank. There, at the top of the feed, was a grainy photo of me from the restaurant. It was an upskirt shot, clearly taken by one of the suits before I nuked him. The black lace of my panties was on full display, but thankfully it wasn't possible - at least with this level of quality - to tell they'd been crotchless.

  "Ugh, pigs," Yuna hissed, but she didn't delete the picture. "Look at the comments, though."

  Beneath a streaming video of me throwing the guy through the window, the comments were a battlefield of opinions.

  > @Sector4Fan: Wait, did the association mess up? This girl is tagged as 'Unknown F-Rank' in the database, but she just threw a 200 pound man through a reinforced glass window WITHOUT TOUCHING HIM. That's at least D-Tier kinetic output, if not C-Tier.

  > @GachaGod: IDK man, could be a fluke? I've never heard of HeroHub getting a ranking wrong. But what's with those markings? What's her name?

  > @BoltBoy: Let's call her Volt-Girl!

  > @SinsaScholar: Volt-Girl? Gross. That sounds like a cheap sidekick from a 90s cartoon. She's too elegant for that. Look at the hair. The heels. She looks like royalty. I can't wait to worship my queen.

  > @SparkyMaster: Purple Lightning. How about Indigo Shock?

  > @CoutureCrusader: Nah, she needs something with more impact. Something that sounds like a storm, but also elegant. Voltana?

  Yuna's eyes lit up. She tapped the screen, highlighting the name. "Voltana. Oh, Kurumi, that's it. That's the one. It sounds like a luxury car but tastes like a lightning strike. It's perfect for you."

  "I don't know," I muttered, tugging at the hem of the micro-mini skirt. The elastic was digging into my waist and I felt like one stiff breeze would lead to a public indecency charge. I didn't have any panties on, not wanting to put the soiled ones back on, and Yuna apparently hadn't done wash yet. "I'm just trying to buy some clothes, help you pay rent, Yuna. I don't even think I'd make a good hero."

  "Nonsense! And Voltana will get paid way more than 'Kurumi Unknown' would," she countered. She stood up, her bare feet padding across the floor as she paced back and forth. "After all, we need money to buy sneakers so you don't have to go to work in heels."

  "And panties," I muttered under my breath. "And a shirt that doesn't have a succubus on it."

  Yuna didn't seem to hear me, lost in her thoughts. Sighing, I plucked the phone back up, slowly tapping through options until I found a way to update my alias. With a trembling finger, I typed in the name that the Internet had given me. Alias: Voltana.

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  The system chirped happily, then a prompt appeared: Update followers of Alias change? I tapped 'Yes.' It felt strange - official. I whispered the name to myself a few more times, feeling the weight of it. The power of the name. Like a name that actually belonged to a Super - a girl who could throw grown men through windows with the power of an electric shock. Was this me, now? Was I actually going to be be a superhero? I'd always wanted to be a hero, talked about saving people, but my cowardice had never let me follow through. Maybe - as Kurumi - things could be different?

  "Let's get some sleep, 'Voltana'," Yuna said, her voice regaining some of its usual, playful edge. She shed her towel, walking past me toward the bedroom - once more stark naked - and returned with her phone. I blushed, refusing to look at her, and stared at my new phone instead.

  > @SimpLord99: Can we talk about the Virgin Killer sweater though? That's not just a choice, that's a statement. She knows exactly what she's doing to us.

  > @WaifuHunter_KR: I've looked at the frame-by-frame. When she discharges, her eyes don't just glow — they pulse. It's like she's looking right through the camera. I'd let her ground that lightning on me any day.

  > @GachaGod: Forget the sweater. Look at the legs. Those silver heels are at least four inches. Imagine her stepping on you while she’s at full charge? Absolute heaven.

  > @ScholarOfCurves69: I bet she’s even more beautiful in person. Honestly, I wish those long legs would wrap around my ears and she'd just sit on my face until I suffocated of pure joy. A queen like that deserves a throne, and I’m volunteering.

  My stomach twisted, heat crawling up my neck as I shook my head, a mix of amusement and disgust warring within me. "If you're going to be my manager, Yuna, you need to start by moderating this community a little. Look at this 'ScholarOfCurves' guy. He wants me to sit on his face!"

  Yuna didn't even look up, giving a mischievous shrug instead. "Can't delete that, Kurumi. High-intensity thirst is a top-tier engagement metric. It's basically free marketing."

  Finally, I set the phone down and followed Yuna into the bedroom. She sprawled across the bed, not a shred of modesty, as she plugged her phone in and then tugged down the covers for us to get under. Sighing, I stripped the micro-skirt and tossed it to one side. The elastic had been digging into my hips and the relief was instant. I wasn't quite ready to sleep nude - not after ... whatever had happened earlier today - so I kept the Lilith shirt on as I slid in beside Yuna.

  As the room went dark and Yuna's breathing settled into a gentle, rhythmic snore, I lay there staring at the ceiling. My mind was a chaotic mess, trying to align the pieces. I'm a thirty-two year old otaku from San Francisco. I had an accident in a VR game. I need to wake up. To return to my life. And yet, this didn't feel like any game I'd ever played. I'd used the neural link before and it was never this good. There was always a faint hesitation, a little flicker, that let you know it wasn't real.

  And everything about this body, about Kurumi - the 18-year old S-tier waifu - felt real. I couldn't explain it, I didn't want to believe it, but somehow it must be. Right? The day had been an absolute fever dream. The F-Rank rejection, the noodle bar, the lightning, and ... and Yuna. I thought about her on top of me, her face coming undone, her body grinding into my thigh as the purple sparks flew.

  She really went above and beyond, I thought, a warm sense of gratitude bubbling up within me. She put herself in actual - serious - physical danger just to make sure my brain didn't fry. For a girl she's known for just one day. She really is such an amazing friend. I'm lucky I landed here with someone so dedicated to my health.

  As I drifted toward sleep, one final thought crossed my mind. The more people at the restaurant looked at me, the stronger I'd felt. It wasn't just a superpower - it was a trade. Attention for energy.

  Tomorrow, I was apparently going to be delivering pizzas in a micro-skirt and four inch heels.

  God, I thought as I closed my eyes and let out another sigh. The tips are going to be insane.