Above Rockefeller Academy, fledgling birds darted across the sky. A deep chime echoed through the campus buildings—signaling the end of lunch break.

In the chancellor’s office, a white-haired elder sat rigidly behind his desk, face grave. Mountains of paperwork lay untouched before him.

*Sigh.*

The fifty-something man finally exhaled.

“A Hero…”

His gaze lingered on an ancient tome, growing heavier with resignation.

A month ago, he’d uncovered undeniable proof in these very pages: the legendary Hero might truly exist. The revelation shattered decades of his scholarly certainty. He’d always dismissed Heroes as mere folklore—until civil wars spread like wildfire, and chilling rumors began to surface.

A week prior, the Emperor himself had approached him with a plan to summon the Hero. The chancellor admitted it then: his resolve had wavered. He’d started believing Heroes walked history’s stage.

He’d agreed. Together with Princess Wensidia, he performed the Summoning Ritual. Ancient texts demanded royal blood and immense Mana—conditions only the princess and Rockefeller Academy’s chancellor could fulfill. The Emperor chose him deliberately, to avoid suspicion.

If the Hero appeared, the texts would be validated. Their arrival could turn the Empire’s fate.

But the ritual failed. No Hero emerged—only mocking laughter from students who’d treated it as entertainment.

“Were the ancient records all lies…?”

Was the Hero merely a myth?

The chancellor closed the book with a silent sigh, staring out the window, his eyes clouded with doubt.

---

Meanwhile, a silver-haired girl fled desperately across campus, her dragon in hot pursuit.

---

Lunorette had found a new obsession. Or rather, added another to her list.

Since arriving in this world, the girl devoured anything novel—especially games. Her recent gaming addiction proved it, though Yuki’s ruthless deletion of her files had left her heartbroken. From that pain, a new love was born:

Rock music.

*“La la la la~”*

On stage, she danced fiercely to the backing track. She longed to belt out lyrics, but hesitated—her host body, Moyu Manatsu, was masquerading as a boy. Singing freely might expose her.

Still, her rhythm captivated classmates. Jaws dropped. To them, Manatsu was an oddball guy who’d never danced—let alone *this* well.

That day, Lunorette fell in love with rock.

After the gathering, she emptied her dwindling wallet at a specialty store for vinyl records. Clutching her purchase, she beamed with satisfaction.

Yuki watched her, utterly bewildered.

*Is this really the Moyu I know?!*

Manatsu had never shown interest in Western culture. What had gotten into her today?

“Moyu.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Lunorette turned, smiling.

Something felt off to Yuki. The familiar figure before her seemed blurred, distant.

“Nothing. Just… wanted to call your name.”

Even Yuki cringed at her own clumsy lie.

Lunorette said nothing, hugging her record tighter.

“Yuki, come to my place tonight? We’ll sing together.” She waved the new vinyl.

Yuki shook her head. “Can’t. Family guests. You know how complicated they are—I have to be home.”

Lunorette didn’t understand. She wasn’t the real Moyu. She stayed silent.

Hunger growled only after she reached home. Lunorette grimaced—she’d spent every coin on records. Dinner looked grim.

The real Moyu would’ve waited for half-price bento after 9 PM. But Lunorette had no money left.

Resigned, she dug under the bed: a crate of instant noodles. She made do.

After eating, she tore off the chest binder, plugged in a mic, and let loose:

*“I love you like Romeo loves Juliet—marry me, beautiful girl~!”*

Her voice, amplified by rock beats, shook the room. Neighbors jumped at the sudden noise. Yet her tone wasn’t bad—paired with the music, it almost worked.

The otherworldly girl partied wildly. Sleep was forbidden. She knew waking would drag her back to her original world—where singing was impossible.

So she rocked on. And on. Until she could rock no more…

---

Morning light seeped in. A black-haired girl blinked awake, dark circles under her eyes. She stared at the still-glowing TV screen, numbly ejected the DVD, and switched off the power.

Her face twisted in agony. Her wallet gaped empty. Shaking it yielded only one ¥100 coin. She might as well have met her maker.

“WHERE DID MY MONEY GOOOOO?!”

Her heart bled.

Her meal fund—gone!

Squandered by that otherworldly brat!

Moyu’s soul wept. Yesterday, Lunorette’s dragon had chased her through campus. She’d barely escaped, then spent hours explaining the “accident” to roommates to avoid suspicion. Now this?

Moyu never cooked lunch—she bought bento daily. Dinners were half-price bentos or noodles. Breakfast was her only homemade meal. (Lunorette had scarfed convenience-store bread for lunch yesterday.)

Now, penniless, she faced two horrors: no half-price bento tonight—and no lunch today. She’d either starve or scramble to make a bento.

Problem: her fridge held no ingredients.

“LUNORETTE, I HATE YOU!!”

If curses were allowed, she’d have screamed *fuck*.

Worse followed. She sprinted to school in uniform, zeroing in on the class rep.

“Yuki! Save me!”

Spotting the familiar ponytail, she lunged, tears streaming, gripping Yuki’s shoulders.

“Lend me your homework! Please!”

Yuki froze. She’d never seen Manatsu this desperate.

“Wait, what’s—”

“Save me! I haven’t done a single page! The teacher will kill me!”

Yuki felt a wicked urge to tease her. *I refuse just to watch you suffer.* But class rep dignity held her back.

“You stayed up gaming again? Serves you right. No.”

She feigned coldness, relishing Manatsu’s devastated “I’m doomed” expression.

“Please! I swear I didn’t game last night! Just lend it to me!”

Yuki hid a smirk. *So fun to mess with her.*

“Do it yourself. No.”

Manatsu’s “I’ll jump off a building” face sent Yuki’s mood soaring. *Why didn’t I notice how fun teasing Moyu is?*

“I’ll die! I’ll do anything! I’ll sell myself to you!”

Tears welled—lethal cuteness.

*So adorable.*

Even classmates nodded in agreement.

Yuki finally relented. Manatsu scribbled frantically at her desk, oblivious. Lunorette hadn’t touched yesterday’s homework. What choice did she have?

“Moyu, why no hat today?” Yuki asked.

“Ran out of time.”

Moyu mumbled, rushing without breakfast. She hadn’t noticed the missing hat.

Hatless, her delicate features shone. Black hair tied back framed a youthful face begging to be pinched. Her homework-panic expression? Unbearably cute.

“Since when was Manatsu this cute?”

“Uh-oh… I’m getting flustered. He’s a guy, right?!”

“Our class has a crossdresser?!”

“Didn’t he dance at the club yesterday? He was amazing!”

“That weirdo… was he always this… *kawaii*?”

Danger.

Yuki watched whispers spread. If classmates discovered Manatsu was a girl, chaos would follow.

Acting fast, Yuki pulled a baseball cap from nowhere and plopped it onto Moyu’s head. The girl didn’t look up, scribbling furiously.

The effect was instant. Stares faded. Moyu usually flew under the radar—intruding attention would give her headaches.

*As a friend, I can’t let this happen.* Yuki thought.