“Haaah... Why are they making us work even on a Saturday...”
Itsuka-kun let out a deep, weary yawn.
I silently agreed with him from the bottom of my heart.
We were currently at Rindoji Girls' Academy. Despite it being the weekend, we had been summoned to handle executive committee business.
Normally, Ai, Mai, and Mii would have been the ones to attend, but they claimed they had to prepare for the stage production and sent Itsuka-kun and me in their stead.
To a girls' academy, no less.
Because of that, every single person here except for the two of us was female, forcing me to be extremely mindful of where I looked.
“And the helpers they paired us with, of all people...”
“You! You're getting way too close to Shido!”
“You should back off.”
Tohka and Tobiichi.
The two of them were pressed right up against Itsuka-kun's sides, glaring at one another in a tense standoff.
Of all the people they could have assigned as assistants, it had to be those two. There was simply no more disastrous choice.
“You have my sympathies,” I muttered.
“Haa...”
Itsuka-kun sighed, his expression that of a man who had already surrendered to fate.
Well, he really had been through enough. From his perspective, with the nonstop harassment he endured, it was probably time to just give up.
Clack!
“Waaah!”
A moment later, the door swung open and a woman walked in, immediately drawing cheers from the other girls.
“?!”
Itsuka-kun, Tobiichi, and I all stared in shock at the newcomer.
“Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming.”
The woman standing before us at Rindoji Girls' Academy was the spirit we had encountered before.
[Diva].
*****
After the meeting ended, Itsuka-kun and I reported the encounter to the [Fraxinus].
Shortly after, the commander recalled us and played a video.
“What is this?”
“Secret live footage obtained from an acquaintance,” a male crew member answered the commander's question.
The fact that it was a candid, unauthorized recording was a bit problematic, but right now, the priority was that it provided insight into [Diva]'s movements.
“Izayoi Miku, huh... I never would have thought she was a spirit.”
“Izayoi Miku? You mean that singer?”
“Right. More accurately, an idol. She debuted about half a year ago and has been releasing hit after hit. Her voice and singing ability are so addictive that people call it 'drug for the ears,' yet she never shows her face. A truly mysterious figure.”
The commander added that she had adapted to this world far more seamlessly than Kurumi or the others.
As I listened to the detailed explanation, a hypothesis formed in my mind.
The noise-covered figure we had seen before.
Could it be that, just as the commander had suggested, that figure had turned Izayoi Miku into [Diva]?
“Could that spirit be like you, then...?”
Apparently, Itsuka-kun had reached the same conclusion, as he voiced the question to the commander.
“It's [Phantom]. I gave it a convenient identification name.”
In response, the commander revealed the name she had assigned.
[Phantom]—a ghost or an apparition. It was a fitting designation for that glitchy, noise-covered appearance.
“Isn't it possible she's just a human who received spirit powers from that [Phantom]?”
“I can't rule that out. But if she's human, why would she cause a spacequake?”
Indeed, as the commander pointed out, if she were merely human, there would be no reason to trigger a spacequake in the first place.
It was impossible to fathom why anyone would deliberately unleash a disaster that devastated the very world they lived in.
However, remembering the psychotic way [Diva] had acted, I started thinking she might be the type to do something like that even if she were human.
“Yeah, that does make sense... But I still don't know why her favorability suddenly plummeted...”
At Itsuka-kun's words, I recalled how [Diva] had turned hostile the instant she saw us.
Then, upon seeing the AST members—who were all women—her tone shifted instantly, as if she were suddenly in a wonderful mood.
From that, we could infer one thing.
“...Misandry?”
[Diva] hated, or perhaps even despised, men.
If she had developed a hatred for men for whatever reason, it would explain why she became hostile the moment she laid eyes on me and Itsuka-kun.
Of course, that didn't make her actions right.
If she had only vented her hatred with words, that would be one thing. But she had attacked us, and because of that, Itsuka-kun had nearly died.
“Hiki's point makes sense. Look at this.”
The screen Murasame-san showed us displayed a graph of [Diva]'s mood levels.
“The value that dropped to zero when she talked to you shot up the moment the AST appeared, then hit its peak the instant she touched Tobiichi Origami.”
“According to online information, Miku-chan has severe misandry, and the live performance we recorded was women-only.”
Combining her behavior, the mood graph, and the crew member's words, it was clear: [Diva] truly hated men.
Which led us to a significant problem.
How were Itsuka-kun and I, both men, supposed to win [Diva] over?
With [Diva]'s vicious hatred, we couldn't even approach her, let alone engage her in conversation.
“So Izayoi Miku might be a lesbian who only likes women...?”
“Then doesn't that mean neither you nor Hieta can do anything about it?”
Actually, I did have a method.
If I equipped the Ring of Favor and Protection and the Dark Clutch Ring at the same time, my appearance would change into that of a woman.
In the original game, the Ring of Favor and Protection only altered your movement to that of the opposite sex, and the Dark Clutch Ring only restored a human appearance to a Hollow.
But for some reason, when these items manifested in reality, equipping both simultaneously transformed the wearer into a woman.
It's not like I don't have a way...
“Oh? What kind of way?”
Oh no, my thoughts had slipped out.
Because of that, the commander looked at me with intense interest, and I had no choice but to confess my method.
“Hmm. So you have equipment like that? Good. How many do you have?”
“I have more than five...”
For some reason, whatever the commander said next felt ominous.
“Then, Hiki. You try it on first.”
“What?! You're telling me to become a woman right now? No, this isn't—”
“If you do it now, the salary that would have gone toward repair costs will be returned to you.”
“Hold on.”
I surrendered to the power of capitalism.
I pulled the Ring of Favor and Protection and the Dark Clutch Ring from my inventory and equipped them. My body shimmered briefly before shifting into a female form.
“This is so humiliating...”
Even my voice, which normally wouldn't have changed, had shifted, rising in pitch.
The other crew members were all staring at me with sparkling eyes.
The commander's eyes were the scariest of all.
“Ooh...! This is top-tier, even by city standards!”
“That's amazing.”
“Not bad. Then Shido should try it on too, right?”
With that, the commander turned around.
Itsuka-kun realized something was going horribly wrong and immediately prepared to bolt.
Just as he tried to flee, I grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
“L-Let go!!!”
“I can't do that!”
“H-Hieta! You don't want to do this either, do you?! Right?! Right?!”
“But I'm already doing it! That means Itsuka-kun can't escape either!”
“Please! Let's at least preserve our identity as men!”
“Not a chance!”
Itsuka-kun struggled harder, trying to shake off my grip, but the difference in our strength was already too great for him to break free.
“I-I'm getting out of here!”
“Hahaha! You shall not pass!!!”
“Pleeease!!!!”
That day, Itsuka-kun's despair echoed throughout the [Fraxinus].
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