I had my neck seriously strangled.

The protagonist really tried to kill me.

It was kind of scary—what’s up with you, Touraku-kun?
Wanna talk about it?

If you’re okay with me, I’ll listen.

『It’s obviously because I’ve got massive feelings for you, duh』

Ahh, did I drive him crazy with how mysterious and beautiful I am☆
My bad, my bad☆

『That’s so irritating, please cut it out already』

Even if I get hurt, I’ll stop Touraku-kun—that’s just how unstoppable my heroine level is.
Mihaya-chan, can you even keep up with me…?!

『Why are you being so competitive? Well, as far as I’m concerned, I do think Tou×Sol is pretty charming, so I’ve got no complaints. How about it? Why not take this chance to seriously aim to become the main heroine?』

Me?

『Yeah』

Listen…

What are you talking about? Touraku-kun should totally end up with Mihaya-chan, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no place for me there, and we don’t need to rehash that now. The only reason I even showed up this time is because Mihaya-chan wasn’t around. The one who should be by Touraku-kun’s side is Mihaya-chan, obviously. I love their precious moments more than three meals a day. You think I’d destroy that with my own hands? That’s basically a slow, indirect form of suicide. Ship whoever you want, but if you seriously try to pair me with Touraku-kun, I’ll burst open, blood flying everywhere, and scatter across the world as beautiful girl particles. What I’m doing here is just a joke—a hobby. That concept doesn’t actually exist in reality—

『Sorry sorry sorry! …Wait, you had a trigger?! I thought you were all-accepting!』

Of course I do!

I’m not against the idea on principle, but… watching how unhinged you’ve been lately, I feel like you would actually try to push for a romance with Touraku-kun…?

That kind of thing’s no good…
I could feel some genuine intent behind your words…

『That was… um, my bad』

…it’s fine♥ Just be careful next time, okay?♥
Let’s go wipe out some angels together♥

『Yeah♥』

As I slash angels apart, I glance toward Touraku-kun.

By the way, Lutra-chan is looking really dark—is she gonna be okay?

『We’re repairing her for now… but originally, she was a sealing target. She’s not meant to be used in that condition, you know』

I begged and groveled before the Starreader’s Staff over and over again, so they agreed not to seal her. They even helped me fix Lutra.

In return, I have to let the Starreader’s Staff roam free during the Hinotsuchi Cultural Festival—but that’s a small price to pay.
Sure, I’m unleashing a shipping monster, but that’s fine.

Starreader’s Staff, take small coins for spending money, okay?
Bring lots of 500-yen coins.

『Leave it to me. Ah, I can’t wait!』

Glad to see my partner having fun.

And I think Touraku-kun will probably help Lutra-chan out.
I’m counting on you, protagonist.

Things are drifting away from the original plot for some reason, so I’m seriously counting on you.

Oh, and no need to learn Star-Slash yet.
That’s something you pick up in Volume 7, remember?
Timeline-wise, we’re still in Volume 3!

This is supposed to be the point where Rokuhara-san and Kisou Academy first show up as major threats.

You were casually pulling off gravity slashes and distance slashes like it was nothing, but those are off-limits for now.

The future bosses are gonna cry, you know?

What about the heroine who’s supposed to show up as an enemy at first? What are you planning to do about her?

『Oh, an angel appeared again, partner. Let’s slice them all up!』

Leave it to me, Starreader’s Staff!

I keep cutting down angels with my scythe, like clockwork.
Just hacking away at gross birds isn’t really all that fun.

This form can only use the scythe, so when there are lots of enemies, it’s inconvenient.

This is when I’d love to flash a smug grin and wipe them all out with Converged Slash.

But the thorns… the more I use them, the more they hurt…

Hey, why do they hurt?

『They forcibly extract your mana and materialize it. Originally, it was a spell used to suppress the resistance of a host during possession. This is just a variation of that』

That’s literally coming to possess me!

It’s been a while since I thought, “Wow, you’re seriously dangerous.”

Should I pawn you off after all?
I mean, if it’s a giant scythe that can turn into a beautiful girl, collectors would pay stupid money. Auction, maybe?

『Either works. But I’d like to buy the new book by that author I’ve been watching and a replacement controller for Shieru on the way back, so make sure I have cash, okay?』

So you’re fully planning on coming back.
That’s not even pawning—it’s a shopping trip.

『Ride or die♥ ’Til death do us part♥』

Love it♥

Unlike Touraku-kun, Starreader’s Staff and I keep having these deep internal dialogues, continuing to evolve even now.

At this point, nothing can stop us.
If we got serious, I feel like we could take everyone down.

『Let’s do it! I’ll beat every last one of them to a pulp!』

Slash, slash, slice the angels again.

Then, every now and then, a searing pain shoots through my body, and I drop to my knees.

That’s my mission now—to protect Touraku-kun.

This all ends when Rokuhara-san defeats the one controlling the angels.

According to Rinka-chan, there’s someone in this territory battle area pulling the strings behind the angels.

What’s going on?
Is something happening behind the scenes that I don’t know about?

Well, I’ll leave that to them.
Meanwhile, I’ll play the part of the noble, mysterious beauty who protects the person that tried to kill her!

This noble devotion is what makes it great!

And this vibe—fighting even when utterly wrecked thanks to overwhelming power.

Falling down broken wouldn’t be meaningful.

To protect Touraku-kun, Sorciera fights in bright red.
Mmm, wonderful.

『Wait, isn’t Tou×Sor your landmine…?』

No, this isn’t about stealing the main heroine spot.

『????????』

Listen, Starreader’s Staff.
If I save Touraku-kun here, he’ll probably feel depressed!

And who do you think will help him recover?
That’s right—Mihaya-chan!

She may not be visible now, but she’s the one who’ll bring him back.

So this is basically a Tou×Mihaya support operation.

I’m furthering the canon romance while acting as a mysterious beauty.

『That… might be true… yeah, I see it…』

Glad you get it!

Now then, time to express the greatness of TouMihaya in mysterious verse—OW!?

Ninety percent! That’s 90% pain, right there!
I almost gambled on my next-life beautiful girl chance again.

『Ahh, the corruption rate has reached its peak』

What does that mean?
It still hurts like hell, and honestly, anyone else would be writhing on the ground.

I’m swinging my weapon, but my face must look terrible right now.

『Not that you’ll change physically. But…』

Suddenly, thorns shoot from the bracelet on my left arm and wrap around it.
Uh, what’s this?

『They’ll keep spreading up to your neck. Once they reach your neck, cracks will start forming all over your body』

Are you trying to kill me?!

『It’s all for show—it’s actually harmless＾＾
Worried? Even that anxious face is adorable—I could just lick you all over＾＾ Just kidding lol』

You picked up old man-style creep talk at the worst possible time.
You still surfing the net, seriously?

Whatever.
If it’s harmless, then I can suffer to my heart’s content!

『Yay! I get to watch Sorciera suffer from Prototype-0’s corruption!』

What kind of mindset is that?
You’re 0, and Sorciera’s half you.

“GWAAAAHHH, AAAAGGGGHHHH!”

I drop my scythe and collapse, clutching my left arm.

Surrounded by angels, I scream in pain and glare at the thorns spreading from my bracelet.

Even in agony, I keep scanning the angels’ positions.
If things get dangerous, I’ll pretend to go berserk and wipe them all out with the thorns.

“This is the price…!”

I am a proud, mysterious beauty.
I pick my scythe back up with my thorn-wrapped left hand and stand again.

Even in pain, I never forget to smile.

Yeah—this is what being a mysterious beauty is all about.

『Nice. Five minutes until they reach your neck』

Then maybe I’ll let one angel hit me.
The mysterious beauty, struggling with corruption, falls behind in battle.

Lovely—such a beautiful sight!
Let’s keep this tragic beauty thing locally sourced!

『Brilliant. Now then, let’s calculate the track ratio—』

That’s enough.
Seriously.

You really do act like Zero sometimes.
That’s not your real self, right?

You’re not gonna break me out of obsessive love or anything, right?

『………………Of course not＾＾ I’m not trying to break you＾＾』

Thank god＾＾

Now I can be a mysteriously suffering beauty with peace of mind.

Alright, time to keep fighting—nobly!

『Right, keep that up—huh? Partner, someone’s coming』

Huh? Who?

『Hmm… this reading… it’s Clam』

Clam-chan?

『She’s heading this way at an incredible speed. Must be worried about you』

Well, Clam-chan does love me.
She’s even pinned me to a bed before.

『Why do you sound proud of that?』

If she’s coming, I’ll welcome her.

Touraku-kun is already down, so from here on out, it’s time for the tragic beauty suffering from corruption.

At least one audience member is appropriate.