For Gatou Touraku, Narou Kei was the first friend he made at the academy.

Despite being born into a noble family, Touraku, who was considered a failure, had been thrown out of his home and had drifted to Mikage Academy with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Though he was somehow managing to survive with the help of his childhood friend, Mihaya, it was already common knowledge throughout the academy that he was a good-for-nothing.

There was no one who would join him in conquering dungeons.

It was around the time Mihaya began to distance himself, thinking it would be a bother to be seen with Touraku, that he appeared.

“—You must be Gatou Touraku, right?”

A confident boy, in stark contrast to Touraku. That was Narou Kei.

One could say that Kei was shaping Touraku’s current environment.

The contract with Lutra and the reversal of Touraku’s reputation at Mikage Academy after defeating the third son of the Narou family—all of it was thanks to him.

No, more accurately, it should be said it was thanks to her.

(I really didn’t know she was a girl.)

The day before going to ask the girl named Miroku a question, Touraku and Mihaya were informed by Agiri Rinka about Narou Kei’s true identity.

Apparently, she was the identity behind the unidentified S-rank being causing a stir in this academic city: Sorciera.

While Touraku was skeptical when he heard this, Mihaya seemed to accept it immediately.

There was likely something that clicked for her.

This left Touraku feeling a bit left out.

“What does Lutra think?”

“People are people. I have no interest in gender.”

So, an hour ago, he had been rejected by his partner like this, and now he was going straight to Kei.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen something unexpected. Isn’t this just as you predicted?”

“Y-yeah.”

Kei sighed in exasperation.

Her demeanor suggested she was waiting for Touraku’s words.

“…Why are you dressed as a boy?”

“Because it was necessary.”

“…So you’re also a contractor of Demonsgear, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“…W-why did you contract with Demonsgear?”

“Because it was necessary.”

“…It’s nice weather today.”

“Indeed.”

(This is bad! I don’t know what to talk about…!)

Unable to process the fact that a friend he thought was a boy was actually a beautiful girl stirring up the world, his mind was on the verge of collapsing.

There should have been more he wanted to say, but just being reminded that she was a girl rendered him speechless.

(Looking at her like this, she’s really beautiful… no, no! That’s not it!)

Bathed in sunlight, she had a strange translucence unlike when they first met.

It was as if she existed in a world just one step away, a delicate presence that seemed ready to disappear if he reached out.

(Kei has long eyelashes… Her skin is beautiful, and her hair is—)

As he observed her, their eyes suddenly met.

Her emotionless, doll-like eyes were fixed intently on Touraku.

Triggered by that, Touraku hurriedly looked away.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

When Touraku apologized, Kei chuckled softly.

“Hehe, I’m sorry. You looked so flustered, it was amusing.”

In stark contrast to her image as Sorciera, Kei smiled like an ordinary girl.

Then, using magic to shorten her hair back to its original length, she said in Touraku’s familiar tone, “How about this?”

“You’re too tense. What a pathetic guy.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Seeing Kei revert to behaving like a male student, Touraku couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Just as he was about to switch gears and talk, he noticed Kei had moved to sit right next to him.

“Wha—?!”

“What’s up? You’ve been surprised since a while ago. Can’t you say a proper word? Or maybe—”

Kei leaned closer, their breaths nearly mingling, smiling mischievously like a playful child.

“Are you starting to notice even in this form? …You’re surprisingly shy, aren’t you?”

“Wha…!”

For Touraku, it was akin to an encounter with the unknown.

She was the type of girl he had never encountered before.

Moreover, the fact that she had been a friend he’d once known as a boy flickered in his mind, driving Touraku to madness.

“Right now, I’m the Narou Kei you know well, okay? Or have you forgotten that too?”

“I remember, of course.”

Touraku nodded.

His gaze was so straight that it seemed hard to believe he had been flustered until now.

“I want to help Kei-kun, the Kei-kun I know. That’s why I came to see you like this.”

“You want to help me?”

“Yeah. Like you, I’m also a contractor of Demonsgear. I might be able to assist you.”

Upon hearing that, Kei began to say something but stopped.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly smiled.

“In that case—”

Kei took Touraku’s right hand and placed it against her neck.

A slender neck, white and seemingly fragile enough to snap at any moment.

Before Touraku could stop her, she deftly guided his hand to grip her neck, then placed her own hand on top of his.

“If I asked you to kill me, would you do it?”

“…Huh?”

Touraku couldn’t process what she was saying.

All he felt was the warmth of the girl’s life flowing through his right hand.

If he applied pressure now, the girl in front of him would die.

Thinking that way made the act he was currently performing feel terrifying, and he hurriedly released his hand.

“Hah, hah… Kei-kun?”

Ignoring the flustered Touraku, Kei gently traced the spot where his right hand had been with her fingertips.

Then, she smiled.

It was the same smile she had as Narou Kei.

“Just kidding, you idiot.”

Saying that, Kei stood up from the bench.

As if she had no intention of continuing the conversation, she turned her back on Touraku and started walking toward the exit.

“…Wait, Kei-kun. What you just said—”

Touraku hurriedly stood up and reached out, determined not to let her go.

In response, Kei stopped as if she had expected it and feigned surprise.

“Oh, by the way, at the amusement park, Mihaya stripped me, right? Did you see that?”

“What?”

Kei turned back and asked.

“I’m asking if you saw it.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Touraku honestly bowed his head.

He hadn’t cared about it until now, but upon reflection, it meant he had seen part of the girl’s naked body.

Without offering any excuses, Touraku continued to bow his head politely.

“Well, it’s not a big deal. There’s a magic trick for situations like that.”

It seemed Kei wasn’t looking for an apology as she turned back to Touraku with a lighthearted grin.

“Actually, right now, I can’t use that magic trick. It’s pretty exhausting.”

“R-Really?”

Seeing Touraku’s gaze wandering, Kei continued.

“…You were actually doubting I was a girl until you came here, right?”

She had hit the mark.

He had decided to talk to her because he wanted confirmation.

And it seemed he had achieved that purpose adequately.

However, the girl in front of him didn’t seem satisfied with that.

“Then—should we find out for sure?”

“Eh… Ehh!?”

Touraku let out the loudest voice he had that day and instinctively took a step back.

In response, Kei took a step closer to him.

Moreover, she had somehow managed to unbutton the jacket of her boys’ uniform.

“Don’t panic. It’s not like anything’s going to disappear.”

“W-Wait! I believe you already! That long-haired appearance was enough!”

He waved his hands in front of him, but she wouldn’t stop.

Having unbuttoned her jacket, Kei reached for her shirt buttons.

“It could just be cross-dressing, right?”

“That can’t be! There’s no way Kei-kun would do something that insane!”

“…Well, who knows? Go ahead and check for yourself.”

One button after another came undone.

Touraku hurried to stop her, but it was too late.

Once Kei finished unbuttoning the last button, she opened her shirt just enough for Touraku to see.

“W-Wait! Stop!”

Despite his protests, Touraku’s keen eyesight caught sight of what lay beneath her shirt.

What he saw was… a men’s undershirt.

“A-Ah…”

“It’s hard to tell from the uniform. But now you can see, right?”

Just as Kei had said, there were bulges that shouldn’t be there.

(Huh? Isn’t this really bad…?)

He brushed aside the thought that began to surface and felt relieved.

He couldn’t let himself be disturbed any further.

Perhaps sensing his feelings, Kei leaned in closer and whispered into his ear.

“What did you think you were going to see… pervert?”

“Uh, no! I’m not like that!”

“Then don’t ever talk to me again.”

While re-buttoning her jacket, Kei said that and turned away.

And this time, she really left.

As Touraku stood there dazed, his inner pocket began to vibrate.

Realizing it was a call coming in on the smartphone that Rinka had recently given him, he started the call without having sorted out his feelings.

“—You fell right into the trap, huh? I guess it was a bit too early for you, Touraku.”

It was Rinka’s voice.

Her usual tone somehow felt oddly comforting now.

“…Yeah.”

“She’s avoiding you. It’s like the old me, putting on a mask and building walls between herself and others. Everything she’s doing is just as I taught her in Silver Twilight. Especially the last part, it’s perfect for a pure boy like you. It was a textbook example.”

Without a moment’s pause, Kei always took the lead in the conversation.

Everything from start to finish had been a lie.

From the very beginning, Kei had no intention of engaging in a proper dialogue with Touraku.

“How was it?”

“Yeah. Just as Rinka said. Kei-kun was a girl, and she’s not expecting anything from us right now.”

Though wrapped in lies, there was definitely a sense of resignation in the words.

He had sensed something reckless in her gestures as she approached him.

“Right now, I can’t help her with anything. …The fact that I contracted with Lutra was probably just something that needed to happen. It doesn’t really matter who it is, as long as a contract can be made.”

It is not as an individual named Touraku, but merely as a contractor that he is seen.

This makes Touraku acutely aware of his own immaturity.

“Let’s become stronger, so that she can see us. One day, so we can reach out our hands.”

“…You really are amazing, Touraku. That’s the spirit.”

Rinka said this and continued, “Oh, and by the way…”

“We were watching you all from the rooftop.”

“I didn’t notice… Huh? Us?”

“Yeah, me, Lutra, and—Mihaya.”

The last name felt particularly emphasized.

At the same time, Touraku sensed what Rinka was getting at.

“I had been holding back at first, you know. That thing where you show your chest? That totally pushed me over the edge. Yup.”

“I wasn’t looking at your chest!?”

“That’s because it was in shadow from our angle. Well… Good luck explaining! This is a hospital, so even in the worst case, it shouldn’t be a problem!”

“That’s a huge problem! …Huh?”

Suddenly, he felt a killing intent.

Without doubting his instincts, Touraku immediately dashed in the opposite direction of the threat.

Before long, a voice shouted from behind.

“Wait, you idiot! What are you making a girl do?”

“I don’t know! Kei did it on his own!”

With Lutra not around, the physical abilities of Touraku and Mihaya were assessed based on their original qualities as explorers.

It would be three seconds until Touraku was caught.