“Hm, I, the great me, am satisfied. Well done, Ryuuko.”

Rei-chan smiled as she rubbed her stomach contentedly.

After leaving the family restaurant, we were now heading to the Lost Child Center.

—Or at least, that was the excuse. Most likely, someone from Arianrhod was coming to retrieve her.

From Ryuuko-chan’s suspicious behavior, you could tell she was trying to keep trouble away from us.

She was being considerate, trying not to drag us in.

How kind.

“Ryuuko, I, the great me, want to eat something sweet again.”

“What!? You just ate a hamburger!”

“After something salty, you naturally want something sweet. This is probably a law of nature I, the great me, discovered first.”

I doubt that, but she’s so cute I’ll let it slide.

With a loli like her, even selfishness comes off as adorable.

『A loli, huh… I hadn’t considered them before, but… I see, there’s something to this…』

Starreader’s Staff-kun seemed on the verge of opening a new door.

What the heck, is he compatible with every fetish? Is he invincible?

『What about a loli-fied Sorciera doujin? Her usual mysterious behavior would come off as forced maturity—it would be adorable.』

Hey, don’t pitch that kind of idea to your contractor…

『Is Loli-ciera a no-go?』

Don’t just make up nicknames!

『I’m asking whether she’s a no-go. I’m questioning your heart…!』

Obviously—that’s a total yes!

A loli-fication event for a beautiful girl is an incredible thing.

You can enjoy the contrast from their usual personality, or just melt at the pure cuteness!

Loli-fication has its own unique charm.

Even if we turned Sorciera into a loli, that wouldn’t change.

Ahh, I wanna loli-fy myself in front of Clam-chan and Rinka-chan…!

Those two, who usually bicker, would flusteredly team up to take care of me—yeah, I wanna see that!

『To think you’ve anticipated not only becoming a loli, but also the events that would follow… Astounding.』

Loli-fication is a catalyst.

It reaffirms a character’s traits and even creates new relationships—truly a divine event…

But it must be handled carefully.

You might attract a bunch of pervy gentlemen. Hehehe…

『Hasn’t one already gathered?』

I will stay hands-off. That’s the soul passed down from the otaku of old.

But if I turn into a loli, maybe touching is okay? (Translator note: ok thats cringe and weird)

This is a loophole in the law! The justice system alone can’t bind humanity!

『Strange. I should’ve been in control, yet now I’m struggling to keep up.』

So, if Sorciera became a loli, what would she be like?

If her mind also regressed, she’d be a quiet, shy little thing.

She wouldn’t talk to anyone or even make eye contact.

But she’d cling to the hem of the skirt of the one beautiful girl she was close with in high school.

『Personally, I’d prefer if her mystique remained intact even when she was childified. So alluring and enigmatic, you’d question if she even mentally regressed. That would be superb.』

Then, hey—hey—

“Have you two noticed?”

Ryuuko-chan’s voice cut off the excited discussion between me and Staff-kun.

She had grabbed Rei-chan’s hand, her expression suddenly sharp and serious.

Hyah… so cool…

Despite lamenting her lack of individuality, she could make a face like that and even control dragons—definitely top-tier explorer.

Honestly, if she were a guy, she’d totally be the protagonist.

And for someone like her, this cool beauty should respond coolly too.

“Yes, of course.”

I mimicked Ryuuko-chan and narrowed my eyes.

Seeing our exchange, Toa-chan and Rei-chan tilted their heads together.

“Huh? Notice what?”

As expected of Toa-chan—completely clueless!

I don’t get it either, but I can’t ask, so it helps when someone like Toa-chan honestly shows it.

So adorably clueless ♥ But seriously, what did happen? Don’t ruin our sweet time!

『What’s with this mood… Hmm, I don’t get it either. Everyone around is just students, and nothing seems unusual…』

Staff-kun’s sensor’s been off lately.

Maybe learn a thing or two from Nana-chan?

Well, whatever—for now, I’ll go along with Ryuuko-chan at full throttle!

『If I learned from that girl, I’d become a gaming addict.』

Yeah, that’s a bit…

■

Among S-Ranks, there’s an odd trait they all share: a unique intuition.

It’s not something they’re born with.

It’s not a power granted by their S-Rank abilities, either.

If anything, it’s experience.

A discomfort—a sign of death sensed only by those who’ve crossed many near-death lines.

For Ryuuko, that feeling was an odd itchiness.

“Keep walking… Yeah, act like you haven’t noticed anything.”

Ryuuko instructed Toa and Rei, then began to walk.

Without even making eye contact, she spoke to Kei.

“How many do you think?”

“…Too many to bother counting.”

“Thought so.”

Apparently, Kei had also noticed something was off about this place.

At a glance, it was just an ordinary street.

Students walking by, food stalls, restaurants just starting to empty after the lunch rush.

Just a normal everyday scene.

But even so—

(This feels… like Baltius, maybe?)

Ryuuko trusted her gut above all.

(I want to hand her over to the Arianrhod rep quickly, but going straight ahead seems dangerous.)

She glanced around and decided to change plans.

“Oh, right, there was a really good ice cream place a little back that way. Hey, how about it, you three? Want to go get some?”

“Ice cream… I, the great me, am in! I want a triple-scoop, big one!”

“I’d like some too. What about you, Toa-chan?”

“Yeah! I’ll eat!”

Ryuuko knew from past experience that food worked well to guide them.

Feeling reassured, she turned on her heel.

That’s when it happened.

“U-Um! Are you S-Rank Ryuuko-san, by any chance!?”

“Huh?”

Turning around, she saw a girl in an unfamiliar school uniform.

Beaming at Ryuuko.

“I’m a huge fan…! Can I get your autograph!?”

“Eh… Ah, I’m actually a bit busy right n—”

“Just an autograph, please! It’s not often I get to meet Ryuuko-san!”

The girl ran up, smiling, and opened her expanded domain.

Then pulled out something sharp and thrust it toward Ryuuko.

It wasn’t a cute autograph board.

It was a shard of ice, shaped for stabbing—like a knife.

A hidden weapon.

“Ryuuko-chan!”

The first to react was Kei.

A dagger formed in her hand, and with fluid motion, she slashed the girl.

Was there something infused in the dagger? Despite a light cut, the girl collapsed instantly.

“Ah…gh!?”

The ice shard meant for Ryuuko fell to the ground.

Seeing it, Ryuuko clapped lightly.

“Nicely done, Kei-chan.”

“Are you okay? Not hurt?”

“Nope. You protected me, after all.”

Ryuuko casually picked up the ice shard, studying it with curiosity.

Kei tilted her head, confused.

“You seem pretty calm… Did you know she was targeting you?”

“Hmm? Yeah, of course.”

Ryuuko nodded.

The way she saw through the enemy without flinching gave off the aura of an S-Rank pro—

But internally…

(Not many chances to meet me, huh…!? The hell is that!? I go food-hopping and shopping on my days off like anyone else! I even make myself approachable! Poser! Dummy! Give me back my hopes!)

Tragically, she’d only spotted the enemy based on her own lack of popularity.

But of course, she kept that to herself.

Wanting Toa’s admiration, she struck a cool pose and smiled.

“I smelled the scent unique to underground types… yes, the scent of death—”

“Hey Ryuuko, where’s the ice cream?”

“Now’s not the time to say that!!”

Rei ruined her cool moment, and Ryuuko slumped her shoulders.

“I finally nailed the cool moment… Well, can’t say I’ll keep nailing them from now on.”

With an exasperated sigh, Ryuuko stepped in front of Rei protectively.

Seeing that, Kei read the room and readied her dagger again.

“Thanks for protecting me earlier. But from here on, prioritize protecting yourself. If you don’t… you might die, facing this many.”

It was supposed to be a normal scene.

Students walking by, chatting, tourists eating.

All should’ve been unrelated to the four of them.

“Eek…”

Toa realized it and shrieked.

Everyone was staring at them.

With cold, lifeless eyes, like they were observing prey.

Each held a shard of ice.

(While we were prepping, they finished their own setup…? Ugh, what a pain! Still—)

Ryuuko tapped her chest lightly.

“If it’s a wide space, we’ve got options.”

In that instant, something silver shot from Ryuuko’s chest.

The surrounding people all moved at once.

But it was already too late.

The silver object began floating. Ryuuko drew a magic circle and chanted.

“Dragon Rank Inheritance Absorb—Red Dragon.”

The silver slime changed.

In moments, it expanded to a size that towered over nearby buildings.

Red scales, bat-like wings, and a lizard-like head.

Its whip-like tail was as thick as a log, its limbs equipped with razor claws.

The perfect image of a dragon.

“Whoa…”

“I-It’s a dragon!”

“Ryuuko, ice cream?”

With three completely different reactions, Ryuuko chuckled and shouted:

“Baltius! Take us—and flee like crazy!!”

“””Huh?!”””

At her pathetic command, Baltius obeyed loyally.

He gently scooped the four into his mouth, then tossed them onto his back.

Confirming their landing, he flapped his wings and lifted into the sky.

Already, Ryuuko and the others were beyond human reach.

“For now, just flee! Serious flee! Total flee!”

Without a trace of shame, Ryuuko screamed as Baltius roared and sped off at breakneck speed.

The remaining people stared in the direction Baltius flew for a few seconds—then all at once, returned to their previous roles.

The collapsed girl was swiftly carried into a store and vanished.

Within less than a minute, the Chroma Music Academy commercial district looked exactly as it always did.