Good morning! It’s Narou Kei!

This morning, I was a man again! Damn it.

Every morning, I make it a point to check my groin as soon as I wake up.

The reason is simple.

I’m hoping that I might wake up as a girl.

“Damn, I’m a man again today.”

The reflection in the mirror shows the same old face of the weakling male. It’s just frustrating.

However, I felt relieved when I realized that even with this face, if I apply makeup and tidy myself up, I can look somewhat better.

Well, yesterday was fun.

My skin’s looking a bit shinier, too.

When I smashed through the dungeon walls, I wasn’t sure what would happen, but after sleeping and calming down, I remembered.

By the way, beginner dungeons have a system where they respawn.

Since the academy controls it, it’s never left in ruins. It would be different if it were an unsanctioned dungeon, but that one is strictly controlled.

Even if I destroy it, it’ll be fixed… right?

Yeah, let’s just think of the good things for now.

“I was seen, but I wasn’t caught… My cross-dressing skills are actually pretty good.”

I recalled being seen by a student of the Kiso Academy.

I’m not sure what they were doing, but I don’t intend to get involved with the original story, unless it’s related to TS (transformation). Whatever, they can do what they want. But they should at least check out my cross-dressing!

“Since I cleared the beginner dungeon, maybe I’ll follow Mizuhi-senpai and help out with a dungeon rescue mission.”

Dungeon rescues make money.

But honestly, dungeon exploration is better.

The problem is, I don’t have the manpower to find dungeons, nor the funds to buy the rights to explore them later.

So, I have no choice but to settle for the scraps of dungeon rescues.

“Alright, let’s go help out.”

Normally, Mizuhi-senpai, Toa-chan, and the other students from the academy are in the student council room.

They probably have nothing to do.

So, it’s either self-study or occasionally Mizuhi-senpai heads out for a rescue mission.

I changed into my navy uniform from Fectom General Academy and headed to the student council room.

“Good morning—wait, huh?”

There, I found Miroku-senpai and Toa-chan. Both of them looked a bit tired.

“What happened this morning? Want to talk about it?”

“Actually, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”

“The phone?”

Miroku-senpai pointed to two fixed phones that looked a bit outdated. They probably don’t have the money to replace them.

At that moment, one of the phones rang loudly.

Instantly, Miroku-senpai picked it up and, without even listening to the voice on the other end, said:

“Fectom General Academy had no involvement with yesterday’s broadcast. The details will be announced later by the Apis Board. Also, Sorciera is not one of our students.”

She said it all in one breath, like a chant, and then hung up.

Beside her, Toa-chan was half in tears, responding to the new call, repeating the same things Miroku-senpai had said.

“Uh, what’s going on?”

“Apparently, some students from other schools were doing a live broadcast in the beginner dungeon at Fectom yesterday, and it’s causing a bit of a stir…”

“The beginner dungeon?”

“Yeah. By the way, Kei-kun, you were there, right? Are you alright?”

Seeing Miroku-senpai’s worried expression, I stood tall to reassure her.

“It’s fine. Yesterday, I just defeated a rather creepy dungeon boss, and nothing else… Oh, I did see some students from Kiso Academy there.”

“Ah, that student?”

“Is there a problem with that student?”

Kiso Academy students are really the worst!

They’re causing trouble for the president of the student council who picked me up when I was nothing. What a jerk.

“No, it’s not that student. It’s the illegal dive gear that student filmed and the unidentified female student that’s causing the problem.”

“Huh, interesting…” (Pretending not to care)

I thought to myself: there are good students from Kiso Academy too! My bad for doubting them.

I had just defeated the dungeon boss and showed my cross-dressing to Kiso Academy students last night.

…Huh? Did Miroku-senpai just mention “broadcast”? That student yesterday did mention something about a broadcast too—

“This female student, though…”

“Ahh!”

The smartphone Miroku-senpai handed me displayed a clip from the broadcast.

It seemed to be a part of the broadcast, and there, in a gothic lolita outfit and gas mask, was a cute girl fighting elegantly.

It was me.

…I’m the problem child, aren’t I?

“The broadcaster was apparently quite strong and managed to defeat a monster that even they couldn’t, and now they’re a hot topic.”

“…By the way, what rank was this broadcaster?”

“B-rank.”

Explorers are ranked from D to S.

The higher the rank, the more priority they get in tackling high-difficulty dungeons.

And B-rank is at the top for regular students.

It’s the highest achievable rank through effort in the original story.

So, they’re pretty strong.

Though, unless they’re A-rank or S-rank, they’re not exactly monsters, so it’s not that bad.

“It’s said that this broadcaster has a lot of behavioral issues and can’t take the rank cap test, so some say her abilities are actually A-rank.”

“Wow.”

This is getting really serious, huh? (As if it’s someone else’s problem)

“Rumor has it that this mysterious student might actually be S-rank.”

“Hahaha, no way.”

“Do you know something about this?”

“Eh!? No, no, there’s no way an S-rank explorer would come to a beginner dungeon.”

At my words, Miroku-senpai shook her head.

Then, she said something that surprised me, someone who knows the original story:

“Apparently, they came to destroy a Demonsgear experiment facility. They seemed to have a purpose.”

D…Demonsgear!?

I wanted to praise myself for not shouting out loud in surprise.

I listened calmly to Miroku-senpai, but inside, my heart was racing.

Demonsgear—it’s the source of the trouble that involves Touraku in the original story.

They are experiment subjects, girls who turn into weapons when they fight.

In fact, it’s in a dungeon where the weakling I was before got involved, and it’s where Touraku made a contract with the Demonsgear!

In short, getting involved with Demonsgear is a huge risk that could cause major disruptions in the story. This is bad.

It’s too soon for the world to know about Demonsgear.

The public only learns about Demonsgear much later, during the event where the protagonist battles a ridiculously strong explorer from Kiso Academy who holds the title of “Executioner.”

What happens if it’s too early? I don’t want to think about it, it’s too scary.

“Kei-kun?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Didn’t you just say ‘too soon’?”

“Huh?”

Did I just slip up in my thoughts?

Oops, I’ll be more careful next time☆

“It’s nothing. By the way, I was actually looking for Mizuhi-senpai.”

“Mizuhi?”

“Yeah. Since I cleared the beginner dungeon, I thought I’d go along and help with a rescue mission.”

It was a forceful subject change, but Miroku-senpai didn’t seem suspicious and just went along with it. She’s kind.

Miroku-senpai smiled faintly when I asked where Mizuhi-senpai was.

“Mizuhi’s gone to that same beginner dungeon. She wants to recover some Demonsgear.”

“Eh?”

She’s really going to destroy the original story.

Demonsgear is a weapon only for the chosen ones.

And the only requirement to be chosen is to get along with the girl inside the Demonsgear.

So, even if Mizuhi-senpai is super strong, it won’t matter.

Additionally, I don’t recognize the girl floating inside the tank in the footage.

In the original story, there are six known Demonsgears.

Four of them have names and appearances, but none of them match the one in the footage.

In other words, under normal circumstances, that Demonsgear would never awaken, and Mizuhi-senpai and I wouldn’t get along.

By the way, if you try to forcibly use it, you’ll have toxic signals sent to your brain, turning you into a vegetable. Scary, right?

…So, Mizuhi-senpai is in danger!?

“Wait, wait, I’ll go!!”

“Kei-kun? What’s going on—”

“I’ve become interested in Demonsgear too!”

Making an excuse, I quickly head toward the beginner dungeon.

Mizuhi-senpai is an important asset to this school.

It would be a problem if she were gone, and more than that, I can’t stand seeing a beautiful woman with a troubled expression!

---

“He’s gone…,” Toa said with a troubled expression, addressing Miroku.

Whether it was due to the earlier phone call or the strange way the boy had hurried out just now, it was unclear.

Miroku let out a small sigh while watching the door the boy had just left through and leaned back in her chair.

“Clearly, you knew something, didn’t you?”

In her conversation with Narou Kei, he had muttered something.

‘—It’s too early for his existence to be known.’

It didn’t take long for Miroku to understand what that meant.

“Kei-kun probably knew about Demonsgear,” Miroku said.

“Eh!? How? Even we, who’ve been at this school, didn’t know about it!”

Toa’s question was met with a succinct response.

“—Sakuraba Rakka.”

“What? What happened to Rakka-chan?”

“That person probably knew Demonsgear existed at this school. And she kept that secret until the very end… and died.”

Miroku’s mind couldn’t forget the image of the sakura-colored hair fluttering in the wind.

She had known that the older girl, who was about two years older than her, had been fighting alone to protect them.

She had known— but that was all.

(Back then, I was ignorant, powerless. I wasn’t someone the teacher could rely on. But…)

Miroku looked at the bracelet wrapped around her arm.

The blue Dive Gear, worn from use, had tiny scratches all over it.

It reflected the morning sun on its blue armor, almost as if it were responding to its master’s will.

“…Shall we go, Toa-chan?”

“Huh? Where to?”

“We’re going to the beginner dungeon.”

“And what about the phone? Wait, you unplugged it!?”

“It doesn’t matter, the answers wouldn’t change.”

Saying that, Miroku threw the cord aside and quickly left the student council room.

Toa looked between Miroku’s figure and the phone, then, half-screaming, chased after her.

“Wait for meee!”

“It’s okay, I won’t leave you behind. Let’s go together… this time, for sure.”

Miroku made a firm resolve.

She would carry on Sakuraba Rakka’s will.

She wouldn’t let that tragedy happen to the boy again.

■

About ten minutes later, I arrived at Mizuhi-senpai’s location and found myself facing an entity.

“Hey hey… I didn’t know that two such interesting people were at this unknown school called Fectom.”

The man with crimson red hair, reminiscent of Mizuhi-senpai yet different, with eyes as fierce as a bird of prey, laughed.

Wearing the twin-sword school uniform with a red cloak on his left shoulder, a symbol of the executioner, he toyed with his twin swords in his hands.

Before this man, Mizuhi and Kei stood, each readying their weapons.

“Don’t let your guard down, Kei. He’s a monster.”

“…Yes, Mizuhi-senpai.”

My grip on the short sword tightened.

Sweat ran down my face as I shouted in my mind.

Why is one of the strongest characters from the original here!?