Leave a comment

Thank you for the bookmarks and likes.
The ranking of the novel also rose. I’m terribly grateful.

I thought that there were a lot of people down there when I looked from the classroom, but when I approach them, it feels like there are more people than I had expected.

Wait, rather, didn’t the number of people increase after all? Well, I didn’t watch the crowd growing firsthand, so I can’t be sure.

“The crowd clearly increased in size. What’s all the uproar about?”

“Don’t know. Didn’t we come here to find out?”

“That’s right, but the number of people here are bothersome… should we go home?”

“Oi, says the one who forcibly drag someone with them.” I reproachfully glare at Shin.

“I’m joking. Don’t make that cute, or rather, scary face.”

“If you are going to tease me, I’m going home.”

“Wait, wait! I’m really sorry. Rather than that, look, let’s check the reason of the crowd out.”

“But you can’t see anything from here.”

With crowd this big, anyone with my height can’t see the center of the crowd. Shin may be at least 180 cm tall, and even though he is one head taller than others, even he couldn’t see the center of the crowd.

“It’s okay, you just need to ask those in the know. And so, hey you! Do you know what’s up with the crowd?”

We don’t know about the what or why¹, but asking around is a good decision. Not to mention, it’s Shin, that Crimson Flare, who’s asking. If we asked a girl, then getting an answer is all but guaranteed. If we asked a boy, then if he so happened to look up to Heroes, then he would happily answer too.

“Eh, I-Izumi-senpai!?” the girl he reach out appears to be a junior. She seems to be surprised and blushes after being called out.

“Eh, do you know me? I’m happy.”

“O, of course! I chose to enroll in this school because I know senpai² is also in this school!”

“Is that so? Then I’m very happy. You came all this way here to meet me.”

Shin crafted a delighted reply as if he’s very familiar with the affair. He might looked and sounded like a playboy, but he didn’t put up an act; he was genuinely happy and delighted.

In face of the pure smile, her face turned as red as an apple.

“I, I, I, I’m also honored to meet youu-uuk!”

Ah, she bit her tongue.

After she realized that she have bitten her mouth grandiosely, she turned even redder³.

“Shin, get to the point, don’t put her into more misery.”

I sent her a rescue boat, seeing that her face was so red and she’s at her wits’ end.

She then looked at me as if she had just noticed my presence then.

And so, the moment she looked at me, her eyes widen, her face that was as red as tomato immediately gone as pale as a ghost. Her face was so blue that I wondered if she was feeling unwell.

Eh, what?

After I was surprised by her sudden change of condition, she suddenly hung her head down.

“I, I’m sorry! I didn’t know that senpai already have a girlfriend, and tried to pseudo-approach⁴ you!”

“Ha?”

“P, please excuse me!”

“Eh, ah, wait!”

She ran off with absurd speed that I saw her off dumbfoundedly. And so, I began to ruminate on her words.

Eh, girlfriend? Me, Shin’s?

“I feel nauseous just by thinking about it.”

“Oi, that’s uncalled for, don’t you think?”

It’s not uncalled for. If anything is uncalled for, it is her reaction.

“Look, I’m wearing the boy’s uniform, you know?”

“I’m sure she had only looked at your face.”

“Um, stop comforting me like as if I’m your friend who just broke off from their lover.”

“That’s a very specific comparison.”

“Forget about that, just go ask the next person. I will get out of your way and wait for you.”

“Ok, ok.⁵”

To prevent the same misunderstanding from occurring, I distanced myself from Shin just a little.

Shin chose to ask a male student this time. Looks like both of them are from the same year, so they’re chatting comfortably.

‘I wonder how a communication monster such as him exist on this world…’ I wondered as I saw how the boy who was a little guarded immediately smiled naturally, and they started chatting.

After that communication monster chattered for a few minutes, he waved hand to the student and returned to my side.

“How is it?”

“Looks like the idol, Hoshizora Kaguya is here.⁶”

“Hoshizora Kaguya?”

The name didn’t ring a bell, so I habitually tilted my head.

Shin looked at me astonishingly.

“Have you not hear of Hoshizora Kaguya? She often showed up in popular song programs, and she has shown up in variety shows and TV drama as of late.”

“I, I have not heard…”

“Haa… even someone who has no interest in idols such as me knows about it… wait, I’m a special case. Rather than that, do you not regularly watch the television?”

“I think I rarely watch them.”

At home, I either devoted myself to housework or reading novels. I can’t get myself into the television when I’m eating, so I chat with Karen instead, and I can get news from the internet on my phone.

“I don’t think I use my TV other than to watch DVD…”

I also rarely rent DVD, so I basically never use it. But even so, although I don’t use it, Karen often watch TV drama on it.

“You should watch TV a little more, you know? You are going to get left behind on the trends.”

“I will think about it.”

“Do you need to think that over..? Just turn it on and treat it as background music. The second reason for your lack of friends is, you lack of common conversation topic.”

“Ukh… I can’t deny that…”

He’s right, that is one of the reasons.

When I was staring to thin air like an idiot in the classroom, I sometimes hear the conversations around me. The conversations were, for example, “○○ is so cute, isn’t she”, and then they say a celebrity name and words that sounded simple, but I can’t understand at all⁷. However, those two continued chatting, which means that there are mutual understanding. Both of them know who is the trend today.

“Maybe I should watch TV…”

“I think you should? Don’t you like tidbits of trivia? There are a lot of TV programs about that too. You may get closer to Karen-chan if you watch quiz programs with her too–”

“I need to check out TV program guide when I get home.”

“—That was quick.”

I mean, I can get closer to Karen, right? We get along like we used to, but why wouldn’t I not want to get even closer to her⁸!

“Let’s go home Shin, I need to check the program schedule.”

“Hey hey, hold it. Have you forgotten our purpose today?”

“Ah, you’re right. I forgot.”

“Please get a hold of yourself. Anyway, our goal is to see what happened at the middle of the crowd, but–”

“You mean I need to buy some popcorn and juice, right?”

“—–you completely forgot our purpose! And besides, that’s for movie watching! We aren’t doing that, we are going to take a peek at the idol, aren’t we? We are jumping on the bandwagon.”

“Forget the idol, I want to check the TV channel schedule immediately.”

After checking it, let’s get some juice. Let make complete preparation and then watch TV together with Karen.

“You are single-minded after all… look, it’s an idol, you know? Don’t you want to see her?”

“I have always looked at someone that is like an idol.”

“Eh, who?”

“Shin.”

“Aah…”

Shin immediately agrees with my assertion.

The famous hero, Shin, the Crimson Flare, is already as good as an idol. I have seen Shin, who is as famous as an idol everyday, so frankly, I have no interest in anything like an idol.

“Then, there’s that other thing. She’s a magical girl. She is a magical girl, and also an idol. How about that? Did I catch your interest?”

A normal person would be enticed by those two words, however, if you read between the lines, Shin practically said ‘you would be interested in them as someone in the same trade, right?’ Unfortunately, I, who is not a normal person, wasn’t enticed.

In the first place, I’m a magical girl. Sakura-chan is a magical girl too. I’m not a stranger towards magical girls, and I am also not interested with anyone else from the same trade. I mean, if you aren’t contending with each other, then you won’t compete with each other either, and then no hostility would be born.

“Not at all. Hey, let’s go home?”

“Oh my, you’re really… Haa, I get it. Let’s go home for today.” Shin finally agreed to go home after sighing exasperatedly.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Ou.”

We left through the school gate while minding to avoid the crowd. Although, my hand was then grabbed by someone.

“Wait, Onii-san.”

“Eh? Karen?”

It was my most lovable Karen who grabbed my hand.

I was surprised by Karen who suddenly appeared, but I also noticed her uneasy expression.

“What’s wrong, Karen-chan?” Shin, who noticed it faster than I did, asked her seriously.

“You see, someone dragged Sakura in.”

“Someone did? Who?”

“Shin, this isn’t the time. Let’s go at once. Karen, can you guide us?”

“Okay.”

Karen pulled my hand, and Shin and I proceeded to where Sakura-chan got held off at.

“For some reason, I have a premonition…” said Shin as he taken the first step.

“I agree. Let’s help Sakura-chan, before it turned into a big incident.”

“That’s not the bad feeling I have though… Aah, I knew it…” Shin knitted his face in displeasure as he took his steps.

Why is he knitting his face in displeasure, what a heartless person. Muu, still, there are a lot of people. I need to walk carefully.

It’s dangerous to continue walking ahead while looking back at Shin, so I look forward. And then, I immediately notice something.

Eh, the center of the crowd isn’t moving…?

“Eh, what’s going on…?”

“So you finally realized. However, we might be a little late…” Shin sigh in resignation.

After he said that, we finally broke through the crowd and got into the center of it.

“Well then, tell me Black Rose’s contact information!”

“N, no way! I won’t tell anyone’s private information!”

“You’re stingy! It’s not a big deal, so it is okay!”

“It is not okay! It is contact information I got under the condition that I don’t share it with anyone else!”

In the center of the crowd, there are two people arguing.

One of them is the aforementioned friend of Karen, Amasaki Sakura-chan, that was dragged in. She is holding her smartphone tightly, as if trying to keep it out of the other girl’s sight.

The other one is a girl that has a pretty blond hair. She is a very pretty woman with a very determined eyes and well-ordered looks. She might be the aforementioned Hoshizora Kaguya, the idol.

Nn? I think I have seen her somewhere before…

Her face seem a little familiar. Umm, who was it?

While trying desperately to remember, my hand is clasped and pulled.

“Please, Onii-san, help Sakura.”

“Eh, it’s impossible! This isn’t an affair I can insert myself into, is it? Shin, you go!”

“I refuse. A man isn’t supposed to walk into a girls’ fight.”

“Based on that reasoning, I can’t either!”

“It’s okay if it is Onii-san! Now, help Sakura!”

“No no no! [i]The current me[/i] can’t!”

Karen is pulling me, but if I really try, then it is possible not to budge. I desperately try not to get involved in the fight.

“Muuuuu~~!”

Annoyed by my resistance, Karen tried to appeal by pouting sullenly. The pouting Karen is cute, but it’s not the time for that.

“Onii-san, you coward!”

“Well well. Karen-chan, calm down. Kurona seem to also have his own thought.”

Pacifying the angry school girl, Shin insert himself between me and Karen. Also, he somehow have figured out my intention.

“…thought?”

“Yes, thought. Kurona also said it, right? ‘The current me’ can’t do it.”

“…Ah.”

Karen immediately make an understand face⁹ when she noticed that.

After Karen consented, I immediately call out to her.

“Karen, give me some time. I will be right back!”

I leave my backpack with Shin, and head out of the crowd.

Neither of them say anything. Perhaps they are being cautious with what they say.

If everyone’s attention is directed at me, then my real identity might get blown.

‘Sorry, please let me through’ I keep weaving through the crowd, and I finally got out with great difficulty. However, I still need to find somewhere deserted.

“Maple, please guide me to somewhere with no one.”

“Affirmative, mep!”

The quiet but cute voice replied sprightly.

“Walk straight a little, then at the end of the street, go left mep! After that, enter the small alleyway mep! That place’s not only deserted, but it is unlikely that someone will jump on you mep!”

“Noted.”

I run according to Maple’s direction.

After running for some time, I finally arrive at the small alleyway Maple indicated.

“Maple, any human reaction?”

“None, mep!”

“Noted. Magical Flower, Blooming!”

I asked him again just for caution’s sake, and after satisfied, I said the transformation word.

Black light cover my body, and it immediately disperse.

And then, Kisaragi Kurona, a uniformed boy, isn’t there anymore–

“Magical Girl, Magical Flower, Black Rose!”

—only a cute magical girl is there.

1. I don’t actually know the meaning of this sentence 何がて言うことでなのかは全く分からないけれど, but this is my best shot. Comment below if you would like to give a shot.
2. Do you capitalize this word? I know you capitalize Mom, Dad, or Onii-san since they are words for family member.
3. TL note: Actually, the original didn’t say what’s bitten. I just assumed that it is tongue that’s bitten, but when you bit your tongue splendidly, surely being embarrassed isn’t included in the reflex response, right? I wonder if I made the wrong assumption.
4. I might have made up the word, but I don’t think I made up the translation.
5. You wouldn’t know that this is a conversation between two boys.
6. TL note: Hoshizora Kaguya, kanji 星空輝夜, means Starry Sky Kaguya. While you may be familiar with princess Kaguya from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Kaguya also means ‘bright night’, as the kanji also means so. Is it important? Not really, unless you are interested in puns in names.
7. Akeome~ /jk
8. I hope you watch to who you say that.
9. I’m not sure if “understanding” is the right word to use here, since empathy wasn’t used in the attempt to understand. I would rather break grammar than to mistranslate..

Support Us

Unlock Early Access ------- Select Project ------- Project Gender Bender Project Necro ∴ Support your favorite series and unlock chapters before the public release.