It had been going well.

Seriously, it was going really well.

A gluttonous cowardly bishoujo, a cool guardian-type bishoujo, and one who worries about lacking individuality.

It was pure Kirara template.

I truly thought we had fully entered a wholesome, everyday-life bishoujo pattern.

So, I let my guard down.

Didn’t expect to be yanked back to reality so suddenly.

Academy City really is terrifying.

“Mmm, this hamburger is salty and delicious. I, the great me, am satisfied.”

The setting has changed to a certain family restaurant.

Seated across from me, a young beautiful girl said that.

After that, we moved according to Ryuuko-chan’s instructions.

By the way, she’s not naked now but wearing a frilly, gothic lolita outfit.

Just to be clear—this wasn’t my choice. Definitely not.

It was Toa-chan’s idea.

『Sooo cute＾＾』

Gripping a fork in her tiny hand and munching away adorably—yup, super cute.

But this girl is probably the Student Council President of Kisou Academy…

Her vibes—especially her first-person speech and self-centered way of speaking—are dead giveaways.

Hyououdou Rei, in the original work, is less a villain and more a natural disaster.

When Rokuhara-san joined Touraku-kun’s side, she stood as the leader of Kisou Academy—but that was her only real “enemy” action.

The rest of the time, with her fun-loving Kisou Academy pals, they just caused incidents and became kind of a gag team, often blamed with “Ugh, the Student Council again.”

But she shouldn’t be underestimated.

She’s one of the more dangerous ones among the S-Ranks.

Her ability, Freezing, interferes with concepts and can even freeze time.

And even her opponent’s abilities.

The only one among S-Ranks who can deal with it is Rokuhara-san in invincible mode, and that’s why Kisou Academy had two S-Ranks.

So, if this kid is Rei-chan, then the moment we’re enemies, it’s over.

Freezing is just cheating. How are you supposed to win?

『? You could just interfere with the freezing, right? You’re underestimating me too much, you know?』

Freezing is weak, right? Seriously, way too easy.

『A perfect flip-flop, as always』

Aw shucks, flattery won’t get you anywhere.

But if I can handle freezing, then I’m all good now.

No idea why she’s turned into a little girl, but I’ll play with her♥

Perfect timing—our loli slot was still empty. Each of the four girls has her own trait, so the balance is nice.

『You’re turning even little girls into content… Also, are you sure it’s okay? In your memory, Rei wasn’t this young, was she?』

Well, this is Academy City…

Even in the original, there were episodes where the heroines turned into lolis because of sacred relics…

So this isn’t even that surprising.

If things get really bad, we can always head to Arianrhod.

“Toa, I shall grant thee a bite of my hamburger. In return, offer me a slice of that steak.”

“Ah, sure! Here you go.”

“Mmm! Delicious! I shall give you more of mine!”

“Thanks… yeah, it’s really tasty!”

In front of me, Toa-chan and Rei-chan (in loli form) are feeding each other “aah~”.

Look, dear Starreader’s Staff. If you get to witness this scene, does the reason for her becoming a little girl even matter anymore?

We’ll figure things out over there eventually, so let’s enjoy this happiness here.

『Ohh… this is love. The radiant spark of human hearts…』

Are you the final boss?

“Kei, aren’t you going to eat? How about ordering this meat sauce spaghetti? Then I might trade you some of my hamburger.”

“You just want to eat more. I’ll pass—I’m full.”

“Hmph, I see. I shall not force you then.”

Rei-chan said that and began eating her hamburger without looking especially down.

Beside her, Toa-chan was looking at the menu.

Now that you mention it, she did mutter something about a parfait…

…Wait, is she seriously going to eat one?

“…Ah, could you order a parfait for me too? Chocolate Mont Blanc parfait, please.”

“Oh, Ryuuko-chan, you’re back.”

Looking toward the voice, I saw Ryuuko-chan with a tired expression.

She had been cleaning up the crepe stand Rei-chan had utterly wrecked—because she’s S-Rank.

She’d left Rei-chan with us and stayed behind alone to deal with the mess. I’ll never forget the melancholy on her back.

“A-Are you okay? Want some steak?”

“I shall also grant thee some of my hamburger.”

Receiving the meat offered by these two who think food solves everything, Ryuuko-chan ate both and mumbled “tasty” with no energy, then sat beside me.

Hawawa!

“Why isn’t Rokuhara-san here…? I don’t even know where he went… Can’t reach Tatari-chan either… Kirika-chan read the message but left me on read… Yukihira-san is just scary…”

Muttering to herself, Ryuuko-chan kept lowering her head.

I mean, the top problem S-Rank has turned into a loli… If I were in her shoes, I’d want no part of this either.

You’re really a “go-with-the-flow” type who avoids trouble, huh.

Your lack of individuality is your individuality!

“If you’d like, I could contact Mizuhi-chan for you…?”

Toa-chan said that gently, looking worried.

At that moment, Ryuuko-chan looked up and her expression brightened instantly.

But a second later, she gasped and shook her head.

“N-No, it’s fine! I can’t keep relying on the newbie—that wouldn’t set a good example. Yeah, seriously. S-Rank Watarai Ryuuko can totally handle this!”

She was already half in panic mode.

But honestly, Ryuuko-chan’s ability, Baltius, probably isn’t suited to situations like this.

What’s a dragon even supposed to do here?

『Hmm. Then how about turning that Baltius into a dragon girl?』

How is that a “then”? That’s not a solution.

“For now—parfait! Let’s think about hard stuff after eating that!”

“Ryuuko, I want a parfait too.”

“…R-Really!? Then let’s order one!”

Something inside Ryuuko-chan had clearly snapped.

All I could do was play the role of the cool bishoujo with a worried look.

Sorry. If push comes to shove, I’ll Sorciera us out of this.

Well, I doubt it’ll become anything serious anyway, wahaha.

■

The foundation of Chroma Music Academy was a national institution.

To explain its origins properly, we’d have to go all the way back to the founding of Academy City Hinotsuchi.

You could say it’s one of the oldest academies alongside Kisou Academy.

Nowadays, the area has been redeveloped for tourists, but beneath this constantly modified city lies a clear void.

100 meters below the commercial tourism district of Chroma Music Academy.

In a place unseen by any eyes, there was a single theater.

Simple décor and the bare minimum lighting.

As if to say the only star should be the person on stage.

On stage, a man was playing piano.

For some reason, his face looked awfully pale.

“—Ah, so basically, the sub-plan ran away, huh?”

Seated alone at the center of the countless rows of seats, a woman spat that into her phone.

Then she sighed and scratched her head roughly.

“Miscalculated, huh. The timing of the awakening. Well, whatever. Doesn’t matter.”

With striking black-and-green mixed hair, the woman fished through her wrinkled lab coat as she spoke.

“Track him down, just in case. That kid might still be useful.”

She pulled out a candy and popped it into her mouth, crunching it loudly.

Her brows furrowed, but her lips curved into a smile.

“We own the Original. So killing and retrieving it works too, worst case.”

With her other hand, the woman mimicked the shape of a gun.

Pointed straight at the man playing piano.

“I give permission—as a scholar.”

She laughed as she mimicked firing the imaginary gun.

At that moment, ice began to spread over the piano he was playing.

Still, the man didn’t stop playing, though his face looked on the verge of tears.

His emotions poured into the music, making it increasingly violent.

And then, finally, driven by fear, he stood up and tried to run.

“You stood. Left your seat. Stopped the performance.”

The scholar clapped her hands as she said that.

Lightly, cheerfully, almost like applause.

But the man, supposedly being applauded, looked utterly terrified.

Begging the scholar over and over for forgiveness—he was no longer a performer.

“This is a punishment game, unfortunately.”

Frost formed around the man.

Like the breath of a death god, ice crept up from his feet.

After that, it happened in a flash.

Like a fast-forwarded scene, the ice climbed his legs, and within seconds, swallowed him whole.

No piano notes, no cries—only silence remained.

The scholar watched, then stood from her seat.

“Violin, next.”