Who decided this was a heartwarming spin-off?!!!

It was me.

Sorry about that…

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“…It’s Narou Kei.”

“Huh? Narou? Does that mean you’re related to the Narou family?”

“I guess so.”

I can’t say it.

I’m the third son, cut off from the main family.

“I’m Mitatsu Konie. Call me Konie-senpai.”

“Ah, okay.”

“That said, the Narou family, huh… Well, sit over there on that bench.”

“Yes…”

Konie-chan sat me down on the bench and then plopped herself down next to me, staring at my face intently.

Um… you’re really close. You’re not trying to intimidate me, are you?

“What grade are you in?”

“First year.”

“Which school are you from?”

“Fectom Comprehensive Academy.”

“I see. Fectom, huh? Recently, I hear they picked up Demonsgear, or someone got certified as S-rank. It’s never lacking in gossip, huh?”

She slung her arm around my shoulder and pulled me in closer.

“I know that place has the guts to even pick a fight with Kiso Academy… Alright.”

Konie-chan wore a vicious grin.

Ah, I had a sense of déjà vu—this is totally like Rokuhara-san’s type.

“…Yeah, barely passing.”

“Huh?”

“I was gonna kill you depending on your answer, but alright. You were born into a prestigious family, and the academy’s still trash, but it’s got potential. Plus, you’ve got the looks.”

Konie-chan nodded while evaluating me.

It’s kind of like a father looking at his daughter’s boyfriend.

“If you had brought Miyume back here, you’d have been perfect. Without Miyume, I thought I could fight without any hesitation.”

“U-um… what’s your relationship with Miyume-chan?”

“You think Miyume’s talented?”

Answer my question…

“Yeah. Actually, she’s going to help make my senior’s Dive Gear. Even from a novice’s point of view, her work on the Dive Gear is impressive. To put it bluntly, she’s a genius.”

Konie-chan nodded in satisfaction at my words.

“Yeah, she’s a genius. Wherever she goes, she’ll be on the front lines, useful to any academy.”

“Um… so what happened to Miyume-chan?”

“Then, what about her personality? Does she make you feel uncomfortable when you’re around her?”

My question… my question…

“No. I’ve only known her for a few days, but she’s a really good person. She’s kind to everyone and full of energy. Just watching her makes me feel energized too.”

“Yeah…”

The sun was already shining brightly over the Zilnius Academy’s district.

The students at Zilnius seemed to start early; I could already feel the sounds and movements of people as they began their day.

This area would soon be filled with students bustling about.

“She’s smart. If you ask her, she can make almost anything, and she’s not the kind of person to brag about it. She’s still a first-year, so she’s got room to grow. For other schools, she’s a dream recruit.”

I understood what Konie-chan was trying to say.

“…You want me to bring Miyume-chan to Fectom Comprehensive Academy?”

“Not a bad idea, huh?”

“I don’t understand the reason.”

“You’re such a formal person. Just think of it as winning the lottery.”

She said it with a hint of exasperation, but the next moment, Konie-chan bowed her head.

I was stunned for a moment, not understanding what was happening, but I quickly asked her to raise her head.

“Please, stop!”

“Please.”

Konie-chan didn’t raise her head.

“Take her to Fectom Academy.”

“Won’t you tell me why?”

“I want Miyume to have friends around her, not out of pity or sympathy, but as equals. It’s my selfish wish, but please let it happen. I won’t let anything happen to you because of me.”

Is she living by the code of a righteous hero?

She’s a beautiful girl, yet her way of living is so straightforward.

“Please, look at her as just Miyume, the empty one, and not anyone else.”

Her voice was serious.

It was strong, but it also sounded like she was clinging to me.

Seeing her like this, I understood.

“You were the one who formed a party with Miyume-chan, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I was the one who exiled her.”

She added that it was necessary.

There must be some circumstances, but there are so many things I don’t understand.

Without feeling malice, it was hard to simply nod in agreement.

“Why did you leave her in the dungeon? She could have died if things went wrong.”

It feels like there’s a contradiction between the words of “letting Miyume-chan escape” and the actual actions taken.

However, when I spoke, Koni-chan raised her head and said, “Is that all?”

“Miyume has a system embedded in her that activates in times of danger.”

Koni-chan continued, tapping her head as she spoke.

“It’s better to say it’s an artificially created survival instinct. She’s not a robot or anything like that. So even if no one helped her in the dungeon, it was just a matter of time before she escaped on her own. Whether she would be picked up afterward was a gamble, though.”

If what Koni-chan says is true, Miyume-chan is not a non-combatant but someone capable of fighting.

Huh? Wasn’t she weak when she was with Nameless?

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Well… when the survival instinct activates, she gets stronger, right? How exactly…?”

It seems like Koni-chan doesn’t want to talk about it. After thinking for a while, she suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“Somehow, she becomes cool. You can tell, like ‘Whoa, she’s strong!'”

“…Eh…”

『Not giving detailed information means she probably doesn’t want to talk about it.』

Koni-chan is trying to gain my trust with minimal information. Her goal is probably to get Miyume-chan into Fectom Comprehensive Academy.

It’s fine if a beautiful girl enters, but if there’s some tragedy around Miyume-chan, I’d want to eliminate it.

“I don’t mind letting Miyume-chan into Fectom Comprehensive Academy. Two of our seniors really like her, and they were pretty blunt about recruiting her.”

“Is that true? Thanks, I’ll be in your debt.”

“However, you need to talk about Miyume-chan.”

“…That’s…”

“Koni-senpai!”

I look straight at her, following her personality.

Let my love for beautiful girls reach her!

“Fectom Comprehensive Academy will accept any kind of Miyume-chan. No sympathy, no pity. As equals.”

My honest and straightforward words seem to have reached Koni-chan, as she straightened her back and stared back at me.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s the kind of academy that would pick a fight with Kiso Academy to help a fellow student.”

Don’t underestimate a mysterious beautiful girl.

Also, we’ve got Mizuhi-senpai on our side!!

“I see… Alright, I understand.”

Koni-chan, looking like she had made up her mind, nodded and handed me a piece of paper.

Then, in a voice only I could hear, she spoke quietly.

“Go to the place written on that paper at exactly midnight today. Bring your companions and Miyume along.”

“Alright… but why the paper?”

“If it’s data, there’s a chance Kanon might see it. Also, I can’t explain the situation here. There’s a high chance the doctor will be in the crowd. We’ll talk properly next time.”

Speaking quickly, Koni-chan stood up. Without even glancing at me, she disappeared into the increasingly crowded main street.

Koni-chan…

Meeting again, talking about things at night… What she’s doing is essentially suicide.

It’s a death flag…!

『Should I chase after her?』

No, if her words are true, it’s dangerous in crowded places.

I’ll trust Koni-chan.

“…Let’s refocus.”

Something really bad is happening. A large-scale tragedy seems to be unfolding around Miyume-chan.

Starreader’s Staff, let’s change our mood.

I can’t just be saying things like “Let’s play around with the mysterious beautiful girl and get one over on the doctor” anymore.

『That’s true. And, if we’re going to help Miyume, we’ll have to deal with Kanon anyway.』

The warm spin-off mood ends here.

Besides, there was no way the spin-off would be all warm and fuzzy with all the deaths happening in the Mirror World of Lutra.

“Let’s go, time for information gathering.”

I still don’t quite get it, but I’ll do my best to save the beautiful girl!