They say she uses multiple abilities that have been seen before.

They say she operates in the shadows without ever revealing her true identity.

They say she has an abnormal obsession with Sorciera.

They say, they say, they say, they say——she is an enemy.

“Mar-chans!”

Clam made her decision quickly.

With all the angels eliminated, only one enemy remained.

Nameless, the Esper whose very shadow could not be grasped.

Even among the ranks of Explorers, her existence was abnormal. There was no better word to describe her.

“Explode, you idiot!”

The Man-Eating Frogs dove toward Nameless and exploded one after another.

An overwhelming barrage of explosions rained down upon Nameless—far too much for a single Explorer.

“That’s so mean… Once you label me the enemy, Clam-chan’s language gets so crude, huh?”

But out from the explosions, she strolled with unhurried steps, revealing herself.

“Don’t act like you know everything! I already heard you were bullying my Sorciera!”

“She’s not yours, though.”

Ignoring the voice behind her, Clam created more Man-Eating Frogs.

Then, she pointed directly at Nameless.

“”Go, Mar-chans!””

The voice overlapped with the girl in front of her.

And in the next instant, a massive swarm of frogs had been summoned around Nameless.

“A frog chorus, huh? Cute.”

“Y-you don’t get to copy that without asking!”

With a scream, Clam’s Man-Eating Frogs leapt forward.

At the same time, so did Nameless’s.

The frogs collided mid-air, creating a chain of explosions.

Clam charged through the blasts and closed the distance to Nameless.

“Let me get one punch in!”

“Whoa, scary~”

She propelled herself at high speed by detonating a frog under her foot.

It wasn’t a subtle move, but very few could keep up with such speed.

(Never thought I’d end up using my training like this!)

It was a fighting technique Clam had developed during a hellish mock battle against S-rank Terukami Mizuhi.

Man-Eating Frogs latched onto her limbs and exploded at will, accelerating her attacks unpredictably. A style of unarmed combat unique to her.

“That sword’s your power source, right?! If I take that, it’s game over for you!”

“Yikes! You’ve got that look in your eyes—so intense!”

Clam’s fist, sped up by an explosion, flew toward Nameless.

But it sliced through nothing but air, never connecting.

“Wh-Why!?”

“I’ve seen it plenty by now. Can’t act all surprised now.”

Nameless dodged effortlessly with light steps, smiling.

Her elegant footwork looked more like dancing, only fueling Clam’s frustration.

“You…!”

“Ahahaha. Okay, time for Act 4.”

“?!”

Suddenly, pain shot through her right leg.

The next moment, Clam collapsed to the ground.

“Sliced your Achilles tendon. Can’t move now. Tsk tsk.”

“Mar-chans!”

A Man-Eating Frog formed behind Nameless and exploded.

But it was completely blocked by the black wings sprouting from her back.

“This is Act 2. Pretty stylish, huh? I think it suits me.”

“That’s…!”

The color was different, but Clam couldn’t mistake it.

“That’s Hikari’s ability!”

“Bingo. You’re pretty sharp.”

Nameless clapped lazily and used her black wings to knock Clam away.

“Gah!?”

Ignoring the tumbling Clam, Nameless turned to Sorciera.

She examined Sorciera and bowed her head slightly.

“Sorry. This one’s on me.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Sorciera had already stood up, weapon in hand.

But there was no force behind her stance, and Nameless didn’t seem cautious at all.

Even now, her condition was visibly deteriorating.

“Standing must be painful, right?”

“…Heh, if you’re worrying about me, then I’ve still got a ways to go.”

Sorciera laughed boldly.

But every time the thorny vine around her neck pulsed, a faint groan of pain escaped her.

“Run, Sorciera!”

“I can’t just leave you behind, can I?”

Sorciera smiled and answered Clam’s plea.

“Geez, don’t push yourself if it hurts so bad.”

“I’m fine… ah!?”

Suddenly, Sorciera collapsed to her knees.

Cracks ran across her face like lightning bolts as she fell.

“Sorcieraaa! No, run, now!!”

Seeing her collapse, Clam screamed.

She had a frog latch onto her injured leg and used it to launch herself toward Sorciera.

Tumbling and rolling, she made it in front of Sorciera and knelt to shield her.

Nameless sighed at the sight.

“Sigh… Hey, Clam-chan?”

Nameless pointed at Clam in disbelief.

Then spat her words.

“Why are you acting like you’re her girlfriend?”

“…Huh?”

Clam froze at the incomprehensible remark.

Sorciera, too, was flooded with confusion, though she didn’t voice it.

“Doing the ‘protect my precious one’ act… Sorry, that’s not your role.”

Frustrated, Nameless bound Clam with black chains, immobilizing her.

Then she stepped in front of Sorciera and knelt down to look into her face.

“Wow, the corruption’s deep. …Hey, you nullified it, didn’t you?”

“Ugh… I don’t know… what you’re talking about…”

Sorciera groaned in agony.

Nameless sighed and summoned a magic circle in her palm.

“Trans-Anchor… ring any bells?”

Sorciera’s body glowed with light.

As if the pain had vanished, her expression softened.

“Better? Feeling good?”

“This is…”

Sorciera seemed to lose consciousness then and there.

Nameless caught her before she hit the ground and rested her against rubble.

“Trans-Anchor isn’t a gender-swapping toy. It fixes someone into their ideal state. That’s what it’s really for. Miyume-chan’s version is… well, a custom mod, more like a game we made up ages ago…”

Nameless said this nostalgically and stood.

Then, she turned to the unconscious Sorciera.

“I thought it’d already worked, and that’s my mistake. Sorry. That’s why I helped.”

“You… Who even are you!? Also, take these chains off!”

“So demanding. Want me to tell you who I am?”

Nameless grinned mischievously.

Then, leaning in close to Sorciera again, she brought her lips forward——

“Mmmph!?”

“Puhaa! Mmm, that really hit the soul!”

Clam froze in shock, eyes wide.

Luckily, Sorciera was still unconscious, showing no reaction.

Nameless looked at the now slightly damp-lipped Sorciera and stood, satisfied.

Watching all this while still bound, Clam could no longer hold it together.

“AAAAAAHHHH!? WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!? I’LL KILL YOU! MAR-CHANS! GO!!”

“Act 1.”

Every frog that leapt turned to ash.

To Nameless, the Man-Eating Frogs weren’t even a threat.

“I’ll kill you! I swear I will!”

“Jeez, calm down. Listen, you seem confused, so let me clear this up… Sorciera is my girlfriend.”

Clam shouted back at that.

“She’s my girlfriend!!”

“Don’t you get it? My girlfriend. I’m the one who truly suits her! I’m the only one who understands her!”

Ignoring Sorciera completely, the two glared and turned away from each other.

“Keep pretending you’re her girlfriend. It’s clearly too much for you, though.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I-I’ve already pushed her down on the bed, for your info!”

“…What?”

Nameless’s voice dropped several tones.

Unlike before, she now seemed genuinely enraged.

The atmosphere turned heavy.

The two locked eyes again, ready to resume battle when——

“Ugh… nn…”

Sorciera’s groan reached their ears at just the right moment.

Snapping back to her senses, Clam growled.

“I really want to blow you up, but right now Sorciera comes first.”

“…Yeah. I doubt I could carry her back anyway. I’ll leave her to you, Clam-chan.”

“Don’t call me like we’re friends. We’re not.”

“…Haha, true.”

Nameless turned around and summoned a teleportation circle.

She waved without looking back.

“See you around, sub-heroine~”

“Mar-chans.”

A frog leapt.

But Nameless had already vanished through the teleport.

The frog, now without a target, hopped around aimlessly.

Clam watched and clenched her fist.

The chains had already vanished.

“My first kiss…! Stolen… Dammit…!”

It was one of the most frustrating moments of her life.

“I’m sorry, Kei. If only I’d been stronger…”

Clam stroked the unconscious Sorciera’s hair as she apologized.

There was no reply.

Of course not. Because Sorciera…

(Hawawawawa! She kissed me >///<)
(Hawawawawa! I saw NemSoru >///<)

…was panicking harder than ever before in her life.