Hello! It’s the meddling, original story-breaking guy!

I’m not even a beautiful girl, and I’m destroying the original story, so I might not even have any value left in existence! Someone, please give me a reason to exist! Or the TS drug!

“Looks like that guy over there is too scared to move. Huh?”

The red-haired man in front of me taunts me.

And he’s right!

I heard that Mizuhi-senpai headed to the experimental facility beyond the beginner dungeon, so I rushed over there.

It’s a huge problem if I accidentally touch Demonsgear, so I hurried along, but then, I found out Senpai was fighting someone.

I thought it was just some weak, regular student from another school who had somehow infiltrated Fectom, so I eagerly joined the fight.

But when I took a closer look at the opponent, I recognized the face.

“…Aepis Council Executive, ‘Eiko’s Rokuhara.'”

“I’m impressed you even remember my title, but I don’t care about you.”

And I don’t care either! Idiot!

His name is Rokuhara.

Among fans, he’s always referred to as Rokuhara-san.

He first appeared in volume one of the original story, and since then, he’s always been mentioned in the strongest debates up to the latest volume.

Like the protagonist, Touraku-kun, he owns Demonsgear, and because of that, he often causes trouble for Touraku-kun, who also owns Demonsgear.

Rokuhara-san is portrayed as a wall to overcome, almost a rival.

Anyone with Demonsgear is ridiculously strong.

Additionally, Rokuhara-san is an S-rank explorer, one of only seven in the academy city, so he’s naturally strong.

And this guy has Demonsgear.

Which means he’s insanely dangerous.

“Mizuhi-senpai, let’s retreat.”

“You think we can?”

“…I thought so.”

Rokuhara-san’s terrifying characteristic number one.

Once he finds someone interesting, he relentlessly pursues them in battle, much like how he did with the protagonist in the original story!

“Hey, hey, don’t get cold feet now. I’m irritated because I can’t find what I’m looking for!”

“Yikes.”

Rokuhara’s terrifying characteristic number two.

He’s ridiculously selfish.

He’s the ultimate free spirit who does whatever he wants. How is someone like this an executive?????

“Kei, I’ll hold him off. You contact Miroku in the meantime. If we attack as a group, maybe we can win.”

That’s impossible.

S-rank people are on a whole different level.

To be classified as S-rank, two conditions must be met.

First, they must be able to clear the highest difficulty dungeons alone.

Second, they must be able to single-handedly conquer any academy.

Only those who can defeat all students excluding S-rank students are recognized as S-rank.

In other words, with the current strength of Fectom Academy, there’s no way to win.

“Looks like that guy has realized it. That this situation is hopeless. You guys just need to entertain me, you pathetic punching bags!”

“Ugh, he’s coming!”

“Yes!”

Mizuhi-senpai’s warning.

Before I could react, Rokuhara-san was already in front of me.

He’s targeting me!?

“Here comes the first one.”

“!? Kei!”

I hear Mizuhi-senpai’s scream.

The twin swords Rokuhara-san wields come at me.

I see them coming—so I dodge.

I tear through the air, the ground kicking up dust.

“…Huh, you dodged that? Impressive.”

“…Thanks.”

This is bad. I feel like I’ve been locked onto.

“Well, how about this then!?”

Rokuhara-san starts swinging his swords at me in rapid succession.

It looks like a haphazard attack, but every blow flows into the next one, creating a continuous barrage with no openings.

If it hits, I’d lose in one shot, but I keep dodging.

…How am I dodging this???

“Hey, hey, what’s the deal here? What’s the trick? Tell me!”

Like I know!

Just as I was about to retort, I noticed a red bracelet wrapped around my left arm.

This must be the reason!

Clearly, my reaction speed has been drastically enhanced—this bracelet is the only explanation.

Once I realized this, the bracelet started sending signals directly to my brain.

『■■■■■』

It felt like soda was being poured directly into my brain—a new sensation.

Apparently, it’s asking me to call out the name “Sorciera.”

“I absolutely refuse.”

“Oh? So it’s something that’d be troublesome if it breaks, huh?”

I didn’t mean to say it to you!

The red bracelet keeps silently waiting in standby mode, constantly signaling, “I’m ready to go at any time!”

I kept dodging the attacks while trying to keep it hidden beneath my sleeve, hoping no one would notice.

“Hey, hey! If you keep dodging forever, you’re eventually going to die!”

“Is that so?”

Then what should I do?

If I summoned Solsiera’s Starreader’s Staff here, I could probably escape.

But doing that would immediately reveal that the mysterious ultra-powerful beautiful girl from last night’s stream is actually me.

I absolutely cannot let that happen.

I can’t be involved in the original story for no reason, and more importantly—I can’t lose the chance to enjoy crossdressing!

“I can’t lose this.”

That’s right! I can’t lose the perfect opportunity to roleplay as the mysterious beautiful girl.

The one who has been causing a stir in the academy city (planned).

She appears every night in the dungeon, vanishing like fleeting bubbles.

Her melancholic expressions, the occasional sad face!

Her words that seem to hint at something, her ethereal beauty!

She’s aloof yet captivating, like a silver moon in the sky!

I want to roleplay as a 2000s eroge main heroine!

But if it turns out “that beautiful girl was just a male pawn!?” it’ll all be ruined!

“Sorry, but I can’t take your bait right now.”

“Huh!?”

If I fight here, my beautiful girl roleplay life will be over.

But I can’t lose either. If I do, Senpai will head over there next.

So, I decided to use a little bit of my knowledge of the original story.

“You said you were looking for something. Was it Demonsgear?”

“Yeah. Seems like you know about it.”

“Well, maybe.”

While dodging the endless barrage of sword strikes, I converse with Rokuhara-san.

I try to keep my words calm, as if on equal footing, and continue speaking.

“Do you have it? If you do, I’ll have a reason to defeat you. A two-bird-one-stone situation.”

Rokuhara-san laughs fiercely without even a hint of fatigue, even in the middle of his attacks.

“No, I don’t have it. Another academy probably took it, or maybe it escaped on its own.”

I dodge another sword strike and take a step back.

Then, I point at Rokuhara-san’s twin swords.

“Ask Eina. That Demonsgear has better perception abilities than the others. It should be able to track down other Demonsgears.”

In that moment, the sword that had been coming toward me stopped.

Was he trying to crack open my head just as he was about to reveal something important?

“…What the hell do you know?”

“This isn’t something I should answer. Sometimes it’s better not to know. Things work better that way.”

“Tch. Hey, Eina! Is that true?”

Rokuhara-san glares at me, then lowers his sword.

He then speaks to his twin swords.

It looks odd at first glance, but knowing the original story, I understand exactly what’s going on.

He’s talking to his weapon, probably.

After a while, he yells out in the loudest voice of the day.

“…Huh? What excuses are you making, you bastard!? Just let me see your face.”

Rokuhara-san throws the twin swords, and from their tips, they dissolve into a girl’s form.

The girl who appeared had two braids and an anxious expression.

“L-L-Leader, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to stay silent!”

“Shut up! Eina, we came here to get Demonsgear, right? From both the council and the Knight Twin Academy’s awful morning calls!”

“Y-Yes!”

Eina immediately sits on the ground.

Rokuhara-san stands in front of her, glaring down at her.

“Until now, I never heard that you had some useful ability! Huh!?”

“Eek. I… I just didn’t want you to get into danger, so… My kindness? How about dying easily if we’re going to die?”

“Which mouth said that? Hey, go find the Demonsgear that should have been here. If you don’t find it, you’ll have to cook your own meals for a month.”

“Eeh!? Okay, I got it! Just wait a second…”

Grumbling, Eina kneels and closes her eyes.

After confirming this, Rokuhara-san looks back at me.

“Honestly, I’m glad I asked before killing you.”

“I see.”

“But now I have more questions. Who the hell are you? You not only know about Demonsgear but also Eina’s abilities.”

Rokuhara-san raises his left arm.

In response, a sword appears, summoned from his Dive Gear.

It’s a different weapon from the Demonsgear he owns.

The design of the sword looks like two intertwined blades, and he points the tip at me.

“Looks like I found a reason to fight you…”

Oh, wait!? If you can detect Demonsgear, shouldn’t you prioritize that!?

I need to find a way to make him let me go. I need to beg for my life!

“Don’t rush it.”

“Huh?”

“The right day will come soon enough. Both battle and food are things to enjoy when the time is right. Don’t you think?”

“Now is not the time for a final showdown (trembling voice).”

My words, spoken almost through tears.

The moment I said that, a flash of light passed between Rokuhara-san and me.

When I looked, Miroku-senpai and Toa-chan were holding their weapons.

They’ve come! …No, this will only increase the casualties!

“…I see.”

Rokuhara-san nodded as he alternated his gaze between Miroku-senpai and me.

“Pull Eina away from me, and on top of that, increase your forces. Hahaha, don’t people often tell you that you’re pretty devious?”

“I heard that constantly back at the old academy.”

Mainly, it wasn’t directed at me, but at the guy who was the punching bag.

“Normally, this would be a reversal, but I’m S-rank. You understand what that means, right? Killing all of you would be a piece of cake.”

At Rokuhara-san’s words, everyone went on high alert.

However, seeing this, Rokuhara-san sighed and laughed, then made his weapon disappear.

“I’m joking. Hey, what’s your name?”

“…Narou Kei.”

“I see. Kei, you’ve got too many weaknesses for it to be fair. With that many, you can’t really enjoy yourself, can you? …You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“?????”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.”

I truly have no idea.

‘■■■■■!’

No, no, Starreader’s Staff, you don’t count.

You’re strictly a cash-in item.

I felt some intense protest from the red wristband, but I decided to ignore it.

“Kei, you’ve just played your last card. As a result, you’ve raised the 0% chance of victory by a few percent. I’ll let you off for now, considering your guts.”

“I see.”

Thank you! Thank you!

“Then, don’t you have a place to be?”

Hurry up and head towards Demonsgear! Ignore me already! Please!

“Alright, alright. I’ll go along with your little trick for now. Eina, were you able to detect them?”

“Y-Yes! They’re in the southwest area of the central district!”

“Then let’s move quickly. It’d be a pain if another academy beats us to it.”

Rokuhara-san casually scooped up Eina and quickly left the scene.

Goodbye! Never come back!

“Haah.”

I exhaled.

I’m exhausted, this has been a hell of a day! It’s clear that staying away from the original cast would lead to a healthier lifestyle!

“Kei, you…”

I looked towards the sound of Mizuhi-senpai’s voice.

There, the other two had joined in, looking at me with complicated expressions.

“Ah.”

Crap, that’s right.

In my desperate attempt to get Rokuhara-san to leave, I completely forgot to consider how it looked from their side!

Right now, I must seem like a guy who suddenly started rambling on about all sorts of confusing things. Every single one of them is a top-secret level kind of thing.

It’s a bargain sale of suspicion.

I was just an ordinary student up until now!

“Uh, well…”

How do I even explain this?

Saying I lied to Rokuhara-san would be pointless since Eina’s involvement is true.

Should I say I’m involved with Demonsgear? …Hmm, that doesn’t seem like it’d go well.

As I hesitated, Miroku-senpai took a step forward.

Then, with a smile, she said:

“Shall we head back?”

“Eh?”

Miroku-senpai said that, then called out to Toa-chan and Mizuhi-senpai, and they all began to leave.

Mizuhi-senpai followed suit and started walking.

“Ah, I guess we’ll head back.”

“Miroku-chan!? Mizuhi-chan!?”

Toa-chan hurriedly chased after them.

I couldn’t help but call out to their backs.

“Hey! Don’t you think I look pretty suspicious right now?”

“Yes, you do. But… didn’t you come here to protect us?”

Us? I came here to pull Mizuhi-senpai away from Demonsgear…

No, it’s not strange since if Mizuhi-senpai left, Fectom Comprehensive Academy would essentially collapse.

“That’s true.”

“Then for now, that’s fine.”

Miroku-senpai turned around and looked at me.

“However, if you ever need help, make sure to ask us. We’ll definitely help you.”

“…Okay.”

I don’t know why, but that made me feel warm!

It makes me feel foolish for trying to cross-dress or become a beautiful girl at a school filled with such nice people!

“Now, Kei-kun, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

I followed behind the seniors.

I’m really glad they didn’t misunderstand me.