The night in the academy city is a bit lively.

It’s because the students, freed from their studies, are savoring their freedom as if bathing in youth.

The dungeon district is no exception.

Even the students who were glued to their notebooks during the day are now roaming around the dungeons with weapons in hand.

Watching these students from atop an abandoned building is a single shadow.

Yes, that shadow is me.

“This city’s nights are rather noisy, aren’t they? I prefer quieter nights.”

Yes, I’m the type who can say such things.

And with that, I’m cross-dressing!! Yay!!

『Wha—!?』

Oh, even Sorciera is getting into the spirit! Maybe she’s starting to appreciate the beauty of cross-dressing? She even grew my hair out! If she continues to serve as my safe, beautiful-girl transformation device, we might just get along well.

I was in the abandoned building on the edge of the dungeon district. It was likely built by some academy long ago for surveillance purposes, only to be abandoned later.

Although it’s called a building, it’s not your typical one. It has a strange, ominous appearance—rusted barbed wire, empty shell casings, and traces of turrets scattered everywhere.

I was sitting on one of the turret remains, hugging one knee while gazing down at the city.

“This city is too dazzling for me…”

It’s enjoyable.

Right now, I’m playing the part of a dark, wounded beautiful girl, since I have the rare chance of having injured my right arm. Gothic Lolita outfit + bandages. The synergy is too good to ignore.

I should have brought an eyepatch too…!

By the way, I rewrapped the bandage to suit my own taste. It had been neatly and efficiently wrapped, but I loosened it a bit, letting it flutter in the wind.

Here on the rooftop, both the bandages and my hair can flutter freely. My right hand, which I use to hold back my hair in a sorrowful expression, is also wrapped in bandages, creating a perfect scene.

But for some reason, neither Dive Gear nor Sorciera seems to have a feature to capture this beautiful still. What’s going on?

Sigh…

That aside, my right arm really does hurt. It had been fine until now, but I probably reopened the wound when I rewrapped the bandage. In fact, the wound seems to have worsened and spread.

I mean, look, the bandage is stained with blood even now.

But, honestly, a slightly blood-stained bandage adds more authenticity to the look, so I’m calling it a win.

I hold the belief that beautiful girls should never have to experience sorrow, but at the same time, I understand the allure of a wounded beautiful girl.

I want everyone at Fectom Academy to keep smiling. Ideally, I’d like them to be like those girls in four-panel slice-of-life comics.

But a beautiful girl who’s been hurt, or wears a pained expression, is also exquisite.

How should I resolve these two conflicting feelings?

The answer is simple.

I’ll be the one to get hurt.

“…Maybe I overdid it a little.”

Saying this, I gently stroke my right arm.

Beside me is a jet-black scythe, leaning against the wall.

Isn’t this kind of beautiful girl just the best?

『Hey, what are you talking about?』

“Huh? Is the magic circle complete?”

“Nice! Do people often tell you you’re pretty competent?”

“Well then, when I raise my right arm, project the magic circle in front of me. I’m going to have fun with that.”

『■■』

With an enthusiastic reply from my Star Reading Staff, I raised my right arm toward the city.

Then, a one-meter-wide circular magic circle appeared before my palm.

A deep blue and purple swirled and blended together, constantly shifting. The indecipherable characters and formulas gave it a convincing, powerful look.

While keeping it projected, I muttered, just loud enough to be barely audible in the wind.

“—The world still doesn’t answer me, does it?”

Ahhh! This is it! This is the vibe!

A beautiful girl who, once you let your guard down, would pull you into a codependent relationship! Playing as this kind of character is the most fun!

“Even so, I have no choice but to keep fighting.”

I placed a gas mask over my face, covering the lower half, grabbed my scythe, and stood up.

I just stood up. I didn’t do anything else. I just wanted to do something that felt cool.

I also took the opportunity to let my skirt flutter as I turned dramatically—

Oh.

“Uh… Sorciera, right?”

When I turned, there was a girl standing behind me.

Our eyes locked instantly.

Her hair was an unmistakable bright blue, tied in twin half-up ponytails that didn’t blend with the night.

Her sharp eyes gave an impression of intelligence.

And, she was wearing the uniform of Mikage Academy.

Ah, right. The original story’s main heroine!

Crap.

■

Futaba Mihaya was unusually alone that day.

Her companion, the fanged tower beast Tohraku, had been injured in a dungeon and was still resting on a bed in the infirmary. Though his physical wounds had healed, he was suffering from magical depletion, so he was still recovering.

Sigh.

She let out a sigh, not knowing how many times she’d done so that day.

Other than her partner not being by her side, everything was the same as usual. Attending classes as usual, searching for dungeons after school as usual.

Today felt like it was lacking any sense of reality, and Mihaya drifted through it out of habit.

Maybe that’s why she did something different from her usual routine.

“Huh, I never noticed that building before.”

The world that had always been just scenery now started to regain its color, as if trying to fill the void left by her absent partner. Before she realized it, Mihaya’s feet had carried her toward the abandoned building.

And then—

“The world still doesn’t answer me, does it?”

She met her.

Silver-blue hair like the stars streaming through the night sky. Black and white clothes that made her look like a resident of some fairytale realm, detached from the mundane world.

Mihaya already knew the girl who was gazing at the city through a horoscope-like magic circle.

“… Sorciera?”

She remembered hearing the students at Mikage Academy talk about her.

The eighth S-rank of the academy city, an enigmatic explorer with no known affiliations.

Mihaya had seen footage of her in battle once, and the image had been burned into her memory. Her strength was terrifyingly self-sufficient.

“…We have no choice but to keep fighting.”

Sorciera suddenly muttered as she stood up, having been staring off into space without doing anything in particular.

Then, she picked up the scythe lying beside her and turned around.

“Ah.”

Mihaya didn’t realize that the voice she just heard had come from herself.

Their eyes met.

They were sharp, cold eyes, as if piercing straight through her, making Mihaya feel like her innermost thoughts were laid bare.

Sorciera’s gaze was locked on her, without a doubt.

But Sorciera didn’t seem inclined to speak. Only the sound of the wind echoed around them.

Eventually, Mihaya managed to squeeze out some words.

“Um… are you Sorciera?”

She already knew the answer, but the words tumbled out nonetheless.

As Mihaya silently regretted not making a better first impression, Sorciera answered curtly, “Yes, I am.”

“Do you need something from me?”

“Ah, um…”

Sorciera’s tone was cautious, understandably so.

She must have known about being classified as S-rank, and that many academies were vying to recruit her.

To Sorciera, Mihaya probably seemed like just one of the countless others trying to get her attention.

“No, that’s not it—”

As Mihaya tried to deny it, her eyes fell on Sorciera’s right arm, caught by something fluttering in the wind.

It was a roughly wrapped bandage.

Sorciera’s right arm was messily bandaged, as if only to stop the bleeding.

“Are you injured?”

“…Yeah, it happened in a dungeon earlier. An irregularity occurred.”

Even though it was her own injury, Sorciera spoke as if it was someone else’s problem, completely indifferent. She didn’t hesitate to use her injured right arm to push her hair away from the wind.

Despite how much the blood was soaking through the bandage.

“Your arm, it’s bleeding…!”

“It’s nothing serious.”

Despite Sorciera’s calm demeanor, Mihaya found herself speaking without realizing it.

“Let me see your arm. The bandage is a mess; I’ll fix it.”

Even knowing it was Sorciera, Mihaya didn’t hesitate and moved closer, urging her to sit.

“You don’t have to.”

“You expect me to just leave someone hurt in front of me?”

Mihaya couldn’t help but think her own words sounded overly self-righteous.

(As if I didn’t leave him behind…)

A young man’s face flashed in her mind.

That young man had also injured his right arm. Perhaps that’s why Mihaya couldn’t leave Sorciera alone.

She saw Sorciera and that man overlap in her thoughts, feeling a sense of guilt.

“Come on, sit.”

“You’re too kind.”

Sorciera sighed but sat down reluctantly.

Mihaya pulled out a first-aid kit from her Divegear’s extended space and spread it out on the ground.

“I’m going to take off the bandage. I’ll try not to hurt you, but tell me if it does.”

“I’m used to pain… compared to back then, this is nothing.”

Sorciera’s reply was casual, as if pain were irrelevant.

Mihaya slowly unwound the bandage. It was tough, with dried blood sticking to it, but she finally managed to remove it.

“…That’s a bad wound.”

“Is it?”

Mihaya couldn’t understand how Sorciera could remain so calm with such a serious injury. Red and black bruises covered the once porcelain skin.

Mihaya fought the urge to look away and applied disinfectant to the wound.

“This will sting.”

“Okay.”

Sorciera’s expression remained composed, despite the obvious pain, leaving an awkward silence between them.

Even though Mihaya knew her actions were likely self-serving, she still couldn’t bear the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Did you bandage this yourself?”

“Yes. I’ve never done it before, so I wasn’t very good at it.”

“The blood is seeping through, and the wound’s reopening… Did you redo it a few times?”

“Impressive, you noticed.”

For the first time, Sorciera’s tone showed some emotion.

(She didn’t go to a hospital, huh… To try and treat such a wound on her own.)

With the self-healing abilities of explorers, the wound would eventually heal. But until then, she would endure the pain.

And Sorciera had accepted that as a matter of course. It had probably always been that way for her.

Mihaya took out a fresh bandage from the kit.

She wrapped it carefully and quickly, ensuring that no more of the wound was exposed to the wind.

“All done.”

“…Thank you.”

Sorciera glanced at her freshly bandaged arm with mild curiosity and then gave her thanks.

“You’re pretty good at this.”

“I used to bandage up my childhood friend a lot.”

Mihaya smiled as she said that.

“I see. That person is lucky to have someone like you around.”

“…I don’t know about that.”

The words slipped out before she realized it, and Mihaya quickly put on a smile to cover it up.

Sorciera glanced at her and then, with a soft smile, tapped the spot next to her.

“Sit down. As thanks for bandaging me up, I’ll listen to your worries.”

“But—”

“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone who has nothing to do with it. Come on.”

Feeling a bit awkward, Mihaya sat down next to her.

Without looking at her, Sorciera kept her gaze on the distant city and said, “Talk about whatever you want.”

Slowly, Mihaya began to speak, one thought at a time.