“Hospital stay is over!”

“Goodbye hospital room, I’m heading home!”

“It’s only a dorm with a big hole in it, though.”

“Shut up.”

That rundown room fits a mysterious beauty best anyway.

If a mysterious beauty stayed in a regular room, it would just be wrong, right? She should be in some abandoned place with moonlight streaming in!

“Isn’t your lifestyle a little too influenced by beautiful girls?”

“And what kind of life isn’t?”

“All set! Alright, let’s get out of this hospital room.”

Being alone for so long, I could only wear this outfit. I’m missing an external boost of beauty-nium.

“I have to replenish my beauty-nium soon…”

“That’s some unknown energy you’re talking about.”

I’ve already generated what I could as a mysterious beauty myself. To go any further, I’ll need interaction with other beauties.

“It’s unsettling when you talk about nonexistent things as if they’re real. Please stop.”

“They do exist…”

Anyway, I need to return to Fectom Academy and connect with Senior Mizuhi and Towa-chan right away.

I couldn’t even meet up with Senior Miroku for some reason… They said they were okay, so what happened?

“If you’re that worried, why don’t you just sneak into Sorciera at night and check their room? You could easily slip past this hospital’s security.”

“Do you even have ethics? Sneaking into a girl’s room at night is a no-go.”

“What’s wrong with you…!”

A beautiful girl’s privacy must be respected. Boundaries are essential.

Alright, time to head back.

I put on my uniform jacket and stood at the door. Having a second jacket was lucky, even if it’s still big on me.

…Maybe next time, I’ll buy a smaller uniform for my male disguise. Something that hints there’s a girl inside.

“No, the appeal of a larger uniform is that it highlights the beauty subtly. If you’re mysterious, you wouldn’t present yourself openly. Stick to this size.”

Wow, that was fast. You’ve come a long way, haven’t you?

I only needed the uniform to hide my armband, but it seems even that has its own synergy with beauty.

“Don’t underestimate my learning skills.”

You’re reliable, to say the least. Let’s talk later about how we can maximize double mysterious beauty time. ♥

“I reject that.”

With a sigh, I shook my head at the stubborn staff and opened the door.

“Mizuhi-senpai! Towa-chan! The mysterious beauty is coming home!”

The moment I opened the door, I locked eyes with someone right in front of me.

Black hair, fresh face, a well-toned physique even visible through clothes. Yup, the protagonist!

What the heck!?

“Oh, uh… Fancy meeting you here… Haha.”

“What’re you doing outside my hospital room? Get lost.”

Switching to the supporting role, I dismissed him and tried to leave.

“Wait!”

Touraku grabbed my hand.

Huh? What’s starting now?

“Oh, sorry! Didn’t mean to grab your hand…”

“Huh? Oh, it’s fine.”

Looking flustered, he quickly let go and apologized.

I should be the one apologizing for having you touch the supporting role. Let’s shake hands as the mysterious beauty next time…

“So, could we… talk for a bit?”

“I’m busy, unlike certain failures.”

As I said that, Touraku looked at me directly.

Gah, his pure eyes are cleansing me!

“Even so, I’d like to talk to you, just once.”

“…Tch, just for a bit. Appreciate it.”

“Thank you.”

Good kid… Seriously, what a good kid…

“Alright, let’s find somewhere to talk.”

His smile is as radiant as ever.

■

In the hospital courtyard, I arrived at a spot with an unexpectedly pleasant view.

“A courtyard…? Isn’t this more like a garden…?”

“Considering the depth of mana, it looks like a micro-dungeon has been set up in the courtyard. Mikage Academy seems to possess quite the technology.”

Wow, as expected of Mikage Academy. They even make use of dungeon cores for something like this. I wish Fectom Academy could lend us just one core; we’d make our own garden here. …Oh, but I guess if we had a core, we’d just sell it anyway.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah, an elite like me has no reason to visit a hospital.”

“Haha, that may be true. I’ve always been getting injured, so I used to come here a lot. This place is a personal favorite of mine.”

A green curtain made of plants swayed in the breeze. The tranquil sunlight and beautiful natural scenery indeed made it an ideal spot in the otherwise closed space of a hospital.

I sat on a bench next to Touraku-kun. But I couldn’t sit on the same bench. After all, he’s the protagonist.

I’ll escape if I get the chance!

“Do you remember? When you first invited me to join a dungeon raid. Back then, in the lower grades of Mikage Academy, no one would let me join their party, but you invited me.”

“…I forgot, that was ages ago.”

The past with Narou Kei isn’t really shown. After all, technically, he shouldn’t even be in the original story! No need to dig up his background!

Though I vaguely recall something along those lines.

“I still remember. Meeting Lutra was all thanks to you.”

“As far as I’m concerned, I wish you had died out there.”

“…Kei-kun, it’s okay now.”

“Huh?”

I looked over at Touraku-kun. He gazed at me with a serious expression.

What…? He’s handsome…!

“Actually—aren’t you a girl?”

Silence settled over the area. The only sound was the wind rustling the grass.

As I listened to the sounds of nature, I thought calmly.

What is this guy even saying???

“What are you talking about?”

“Rinka told me. About Sorciera.”

“…Sigh.”

I let out a deep breath.

Did telling Rinka-chan about my mysterious beauty act lead Touraku-kun to find out? Huh??? Why???

“You had it coming, didn’t you?”

All I did was tell Rinka-chan that Narou Kei was a girl disguised as a guy.

…Yep! Naturally, that would mean Touraku-kun would hear about it!

Waaahhh! My perfect mysterious beauty profile is ruined!

“To be honest, I was surprised… Neither Mihaya nor I realized it until Rinka mentioned it. You’ve been fighting all this time in ways I never knew.”

“…I…”

I’m in serious trouble. I see. Playing the mysterious beauty with a main character… it ends up like this, huh.

Better take note of this for the future. If I even have a future!

“Did you learn your lesson?”

Huh? What lesson?

The Star Reading Staff, do you know this phrase?

“What is it?”

It is what it is!

“Oh, really?”

If it’s come to this… then…!

“…Wait? You’re doing it here!?”

Ignoring the noisy chatter of something catching on, I deepened my connection with the Star Reading Staff. As our thoughts synced, an immense amount of mana began flowing through my body.

The most obvious change was in my body—no, my gender. The Star Reading Staff temporarily rewrote it.

0.1 seconds.

In that moment, my body transformed into a complete mysterious beauty.

A total transformation into a beauty, not just a disguise. This is the Super Mysterious Beauty Mode.

“—Ahh, this is why I hate soft-hearted people.”

With the enhanced senses granted by the Star Reading Staff, I confirmed that no one besides Touraku-kun was around.

I let my hair fall gently and swayed it in the wind.

A miracle born from a girl wearing the boy’s school uniform. This appearance is unlike that of a cross-dressing beauty.

A cross-dressing beauty and a girl dressed in men’s clothing are entirely different.

“Understood.”

Make sure you remember this, Star Reading Staff.

“Got it. By the way, with your current mana reserves, you’ll only be able to maintain the Super Mysterious Beauty Mode for five minutes. Make the most of it.”

Understood! Now, let’s begin, [You were a girl all along?!]