This may seem sudden but did you know that mysterious beauties wake up to the sound of birdsong every morning?

For a girl who usually lurks in the darkness of night, this might be her only peaceful time.
As a mysterious beauty myself, I, too, woke up to the chirping of birds—

『Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!』

I said birds, damn it.

“Too loud…”

While Starreader’s Staff-kun performed his best chicken impression inside my head, I got out of bed.
This is the worst.

“Sorry. I’m just excited.”

A voice suddenly came from right beside me, and I turned toward it.

“Hey.”
“Your face is so handsome!?”

There was another mysterious beauty in my bed.
The red-eyed girl clinging to me as I lay on my back stroked my head and spoke.

“I was waiting in position for the ‘morning kiss’ scene.”
“You really do whatever you want, huh?”

Maybe I made the wrong choice giving her my body.
Even now, the sound of a camera shutter won’t stop above me.

The boss of Demonsgear really is something else.

“Also, stop filming. Even I’m not at peak beauty right after waking up… and I’m a guy.”
“Hehe, you’re cute even when you just wake up.”
“Sorciera-sama…♥“
“What kind of emotion is that supposed to be?”

What else? Just the feeling of being completely fallen for you.
Wait, did I do something again?

“So, the ‘morning kiss’ scene, was it?”
“I already got the perfect shot of Sorciera’s smug mouth being silenced, but after that, I just had to get the ‘aftermath’ shot. That’s why I’m here this morning.”

Normally, you shouldn’t say stuff like that in front of the person. Got it?

“Yesterday’s photos were just too good! Look, look at this—Sorciera with a dazed expression, her lips covered in drool! And here, and here too!”
“Whoa, calm down. Listen, Starreader’s Staff-kun, what do you think happens if people see this? We’re done for. Have some restraint.”
“Says the guy with which mouth?”

Ignoring Starreader’s Staff-kun’s dissatisfied look, I got up.
Another beautiful girl’s breakfast awaits me today!
By the way, I think my magic reserves increase every time I eat it, but that’s probably not just my imagination.

“Aww, you’re getting up already?”
“Of course.”
“Come on, let’s stay here and do some ‘mysterious beauty twin action’! Look, you can be Sorciera too—”

Starreader’s Staff-kun hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear.
Stop it—mysterious beauty ASMR works on me.

“You just have to obey me.”
“Ngh♥“

My brain is shaking!
My thoughts are melting into goo from the mysterious beauty’s voice!

“Come on, back to bed—”
“…B-breakfast… with a beautiful girl…!”
“What incredible willpower…!”

Though my thoughts dissolved and my rationality vanished, my love for beautiful girls overpowered Starreader Staff-kun’s temptation.
Mysterious beauty ASMR… how terrifying!

“Starreader’s Staff-kun, if you keep this up, it might turn into R-18.”
“Let’s leave a review and get some points when we buy it!”
“Don’t get too into it. That’s assuming it’s on a site with R-18 content!”

We’re wholesome mysterious beauties.
We purely destroy teenagers’ tastes and mysteriously burn girls’ brains.

We are absolutely not a group of mysterious perverts. Seriously.

“Come on, let’s go eat breakfast. Get back in.”
“Ehh—”
“No ‘ehh.’ Here.”

I spread my arms wide.
Reluctantly, Starreader’s Staff-kun returned inside me.

『Alright, let’s go.』

Yeah, I’m looking forward to breakfast.
Hikari-chan’s cooking today, apparently.

■

Wonderfully, our school now has a cafeteria.
Before, we only had a tiny portable stove, but Aohoshi Miroku went ahead and arranged for the old cafeteria to be reopened.

Breakfast used to be for four, but now it’s for seven people + one machine.
And since we’ve expanded beyond just bean sprouts, we’ve needed more cooking tools and such.

Still, there’s no budget to hire staff, so we take turns cooking.
Today’s chef is Hikari-chan.

She’s ridiculously energetic in the morning, so breakfast portions are huge.
Love that.

“Good morning, Kei-kun!!!!!!”
“Good morning, Hikari-senpai.”
“Ehehe, he called me senpai…!”

Hikari-chan wriggled happily with a grin.
Apparently, no one’s ever called her “senpai” before, so she gets excited when I do it occasionally.
(Note: I don’t do it too often because she gets too happy and starts bothering Clam-chan.)

“Hey, Clam, did you hear? He called me senpai!”
“I heard, now get off me.”

She even left the kitchen just to rub it in Clam-chan’s face while she was eating.
Clam-chan shot me an accusatory glare while fending her off with an elbow.

“Morning, Kei. Thanks for the unnecessary help.”
“Doing this gets me an extra side dish, you know.”
“Wait, really?”

Beautiful girl yuri is the perfect breakfast companion.
Common sense.

“I don’t get how you can eat so much in the morning. I’m already exhausted just finishing my plate.”

Clam-chan leans toward the “downer beauty” type.
So, she skips breakfast easily and eats carelessly.
Left alone, she’d survive on cereal and energy drinks.

On her cooking days, she puts in effort, but otherwise, she’s way too indifferent.
That’s why Hikari-chan’s been forcing her to eat breakfast lately.

“Ah! You left the natto again!!!!”
“I haven’t touched it, so it’s fine. Here, Kei, you take it.”
“Uh… thanks?”

I accepted the natto from Clam-chan.
Look, Starreader’s Staff-kun! Natto received from a beautiful girl!

『Let’s preserve it with care.』

I was gonna say we should savor it, but… scary…
Just because it’s from a beautiful girl doesn’t mean you have to go that far…

『So unfair.』

“Kei-kun, do you want bread or rice?”
“Rice, please.”
“Got it, wait just a bit!”

Hikari-chan cheerfully returned to the kitchen.
Ponytail + bandana apron Hikari-chan…
She’d make a great mom…!

『Was that woman my mother????』

“Here you go! Salt-grilled cherry salmon and tamagoyaki. And here’s some komatsuna ohitashi and miso soup. Enjoy!”
“Thank you…”

I stared at the breakfast in my hands, stunned.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Kei?”

Across from me, Clam-chan—currently struggling with a massive parfait Hikari-chan forced on her—spoke up.

“After only eating bean sprouts for so long… my brain still can’t believe this is real.”
“What the hell’s up with Fectom? Everyone who comes out has the same reaction.”

I mean, we used to split tiny packs of pork into portions!
Like, “Wow, today’s slice is a bit bigger!”

And now, we get to eat a proper breakfast like this!

“I’m happy. Getting to eat a real meal like this.”
“Yeah… You make that kind of face too, huh?”
“? Did I do something weird?”
“Nah, never mind.”

Clam-chan went back to battling her parfait.

…Heheh, I know, Clam-chan.
You’re thinking, “Even you, when you’re fighting as Sorciera, make such a normal girl’s expression.”

I get it—because I’ve been careful to act that way.

『Scary… What’s with this person…?』

If my identity as Sorciera gets exposed eventually, it’s better if Narou Kei is seen enjoying herself as much as possible.

I want them to think, “He had a place where he was happy too.”
Makes the sight of Sorciera fighting and getting hurt even more tragic. Good.

『How can you say such insane things so casually?』

It’s not insane—it’s groundwork for the eventual “mysterious beauty identity reveal.”
A mysterious beauty’s charm is built on daily effort.

“Nnn~ Morning~”

A new beautiful girl entered the cafeteria.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, still in pajamas—Toa-chan.

Unlike the three of us in uniform, Toa-chan showed up in fluffy, childlike PJs for breakfast.
So cute ^^

“Yawn… Morning, Kei-kun.”
“Morning. Did you stay up late again?”
“…Yeah. I bought a fun book recently. After Mizuhi-chan’s training, I stay up reading~”

With a drowsy smile, Toa-chan plopped down right next to me.

『Next to…!? Your Honor!』

Hold on, Starreader’s Staff-kun.
Sure, this school’s small enough that we could each have our own table.
But eating alone would be lonely!

『Hmm… mitigating circumstances?』

Besides, no matter where I sit, she’ll come over anyway.
And I want to watch sleepy Toa-chan next to me…!

『You’ve revealed your true colors.』

“Good morning, Toa-chan!”
“Nn, morning.”

Watching Toa-chan sip her water sleepily, I felt today would be a great day.
Starreader’s Staff-kun, a wonderful day is about to begin!

“If you’re that tired, you could’ve slept more. Unlike me, no one complains if you sleep in.”
“I know, but the food’s tasty.”

Despite her sleepiness, Toa-chan’s voice carried clear determination.
Swaying slightly, she added:

“Plus, today, Miyume-chan’s gonna show me her new invention.”
“Oh, really? Miyume-chan’s amazing as always.”
“Yeah. Oh, one of them’s supposed to be really crazy… like, it can change your gender?”
“Eh?”
“If Kei-kun used it, you’d turn into a girl. Yawn… Wanna come with?”
“EH!?!?“

My voice overlapped with Clam-chan’s.

“Nnmmu… sleepy.”

Toa-chan, on the verge of nodding off, still firmly gripped her chopsticks.

Toa-chan, please explain in detail.
Right now, I’m on the verge of losing my composure.